Forty

A/N: Warning! Warning all around. You can skip this because blood is heavily featured (although if y'all can't handle blood why ya reading a vampire book? 🤔)

"Why weren't you holding onto him better?"

"You're seriously doing this right now?" Sven countered angrily as they trekked into the woods.

"All I'm saying--"

"We can say later." Sven retorted angrily. "Can you hear him?"

Tanner shook his head. The cacophony of sounds and smells were still so new--sorting out the sound of one small werewolf was practically impossible. "Can you?"

"No he just slipped out of grip and..." emotion swelled in Sven's chest as he began to really fear what could happen. "Human aren't dangerous right? And-and weres are okay to their own?"

Tanner didn't know what to say. In theory it sounded okay but what did he really know? "Tanner?" Sven was seeking reassurance but Tanner honestly didn't know what to say.

And while Sven hadn't intentionally let him go he was still so angry with him. "Let's hope not," he snarled.

Sven knew the aggression was directly at him and pursed his lips. Truthfully he felt bad. He should have been careful. He should have kept a firmer grasp. If anything to happened to Luca-- "I'm sorry Tanner."

"I know you are. Just...keep looking." Tanner was trying to hide how afraid he was with anger and it was working. Sven already felt terrible but knowing his lover was furious was making it even harder.

They searched for two hours. Each minute felt like an hour within itself and Tanner was losing hope. This place took up 75 acres--Luca could be anywhere. He could have fallen down a hole and hurt himself. Maybe he was already... Tanner steeled himself against those kinds of thoughts. Until Tanner found a body Luca was alive and well.

"Tanner!"

The vampire froze and turned slowly as he also smelt the human--and Luca.

It was young one with a tangle of blonde hair and Luca in her arms. She had him pressed against her chest, little arms folded under his rib cage. Luca was making noises of objection but it pain. His slightly too big ears flopped with the human's giddy movement. "Puppy."

(guys i miss puppy 😭😭)

It spoke to them. It smiled showing gaps were some teeth should have been. Tanner reminded himself that it was natural--humans lost their teeth in their early stages. "Tanner what do we do?" Sven's voice trembled with panic.

The little girl--it appeared female--cocked her head ever so slightly. She hadn't ever seen a vampire who wasn't a worker so far away from the farm. "Wanna touch him?" She moved forward bravely. They seemed nice--what had momma told her? She couldn't remember her words now. "He's soft."

"Maybe I can hold him." Tanner's voice was firm. It was an order.

The tone rang on deaf ears and the little girl pondered it. "No. I want to keep him."

"Tanner!"

"Luca shift back." Tanner looked directly at the puppy who suddenly seemed much more distressed. He wanted his Daddy to hold him.

He scrabbled to get out of her arms but she had him in a compromised position--he couldn't gain any leeway to wriggle free. The fact he couldn't move mixed with Sven and Daddy's fear made him defense. He did the one thing Daddy told him to to do. He bit.

The little girl dropped him immediately crying out loudly for her mother. Luca's sharp little teeth had easily puncture the small human's flesh and bright blood ran from the wounds. The smell slammed into Sven's senses and suddenly he could taste the blood from earlier--he could feel it's sweet nurishing texture on his tongue.

And this blood smell so warm, so fresh, so full of life. Tanner moved forward to pick up the unharmed though yelping pup as Sven's entire body tightened as he fought for control. His throat and chest seared with need. His canines were extended and ached to be buried into the warm living flesh in front of him.

And she wasn't moving. She was standing there, hand folded over the wound. Really it wasn't much blood but it was enough. Just enough to saturate Sven's being: to remind him that had been born on the cusp of a revolution that made it so Control wasn't necessary. Now he was struggling. "T-Tanner..."

He needed him to do something. To move the one or tell him how he could stop this yearning need and pain long enough to get bearings. His teeth pierced his lip and a bead of his own blood ran over his tongue. It was bitter making him need something to wash away the taste.

Then there was.

Warm, sweet, and oh, fresh blood. How long had it been? Centuries? He drank greedily and quickly. Each mournful was somehow better than the last. It was addicting and satisfying: he wanted more--needed more.

He could feel the prey struggling. Adrenaline ran through her blood and Sven felt the buzz through his entire body as the chemical changed the blood's flavor to something a bit more savory.

He didn't mind though--his sweet tooth had been satisfied. He could feel the fight dying from the child as an arm hooked around his body. The smell of another vampire strengthened his fury and he unlatched to give his challenger a truly ferocious look.

Tanner faced off with intoxicated lover with a sense of grim responsibility. He didn't care about the girl he cared about how Sven would feel once he came down from this. His regret and his pain would eat at Tanner. After all he had made him into this monster.

"Look at me Sven."

The vampire's irises had vanished. His eyes were a black void--he couldn't his his lack of a soul when he was so painfully real. When his true nature was exposed to the grit. Luca had curled up protectively far from the smell of blood. His little mind didn't connect that it wasn't his doing that had spilled so much. It was him. He was naughty and bit even though Daddy told him it was bad. And hurt the human. The little human that was a like a little baby bird.

He whined to himself. He wanted Daddy to hold him and tell it was okay but Daddy wasn't there. Daddy must have been so angry to leave him while he cried. His little heart was breaking and he didn't know how to feel better.

Sven's blank glare settled on Tanner's as the ancient vampire tried to bring Sven's sense of self back into the present. Sven had drank more than his fill now thankfully so he wasn't running on pure bloodlust. This was the side of a vampire that loves the gore. That loved the feeling of life leaving something in their grasp, flowing into them, giving them strength while the lesser being faded.

The smell of blood was heavy in the air as the two had a staring battle. Which would move for the prey first? Who could get to drain her? Tanner of course didn't want--scratch that--he wasn't going to no matter how good it smelled. He had gotten his self control through centuries of these same mistakes.

He made a slight move forward and Sven growled.

"Sven." His voice was strong trying to draw his humanity back out.

Sven's muscles bunched and Tanner knew exactly what was going to happen next. He had dealt with vampires ten times more dangerous that Sven so he wasn't afraid. That and he wasn't thinking clearly--this attack would be blind, not tactical.

Sven's teeth tore against his skin by his neck. Tanner had moved quickly, knocking his face from his throat. It had been a rookie move--going for the lifeline first. Once Sven's teeth dug in began to rip away the flesh and muscle around Tanner's clavicle. It hurt, Jesus did it hurt, but Tanner brought his arms around him, crushing the younger vampire against his chest. His scent would soothe him eventually, once he could perceive things clearly again.

Eventually, after Tanner's font was sodden with blood, Sven's body froze. Finally the taste had sparked something deep in his mind.

He was coming back to his senses and he was so tired.

As the Prince fell limp in Tanner's arms, a Farm worker came around drawn by the smell. Sven's body had shut down to process the abrupt influx of blood, a once-dangerous side effect of over-feeding akin to the human activity once called 'blacking out'. "Oh My." She didn't look startled, she just looked guilty. "Is he alright?"

"He will be fine. Is the human--"

The woman approached the girl and touched her skin ever so briefly. "Yes but not for long. I'll get her back to drain her the rest of the way officially."

"Let me pay--"

"No, no. This human smells of your little were there--did she hurt him? If so we apologize."

"She didn't mean to," Tanner was suddenly aware of poor Luca's cries. He juggled Sven's limp body his left and went ran his hand over Luca's head. "It's okay pumpkin."

"You can rest here as long as he needs to digest." She smiled. "And I'll bottle up the rest of this. I am truly sorry that the human did this. The little ones don't understand how easily others can get hurt."

"He can't know she's going to die." Tanner told the woman quickly.

She nodded her head after a moment. "Of course. Come right around to the guest building when you're ready."

"Thank you."

What a train wreck this had turned out to be.

QOTC: Like, I don't normally let children die in my writing but this has a purpose and it will be revealed eventually. But yes I understand that this makes me a terrible person.

Anywhore, what did you think of the chapter?

(Side note, idk who's read Good Boy and Heal My Heart but I'm going through withdrawals and am thinking about doing a little one-shot with them. Thoughts? Prompts? Let Kate know.)