Blood Ties

Chapter Three





Aiden turned his head just enough to see the swords, and pulled on the chains hard, causing them to bite into his wrists.



“Begin!” Sebastian ordered. Aiden bowed his head, finally excepting his sentence. The three vampires raised their swords readying themselves for the strikes. But they never came.

The sound of a body hitting the wall was what made him look up. Alysius was standing over him, sword in hand. The executioner was at least ten feet away, against the opposite wall. Alysius had pushed him back and taken his sword.



The second vampire lunged at Alysius, but he twirled out of the way and thrust the sword through the vampire’s heart. He fell to the ground, gasping, and burning. The last of the executioners aimed to cut off Alysius’ head, but the younger was shorter, and therefore had an easier time of ducking out of the way then the vampire could anticipate for. The sword came down a final time, slashing the executioner in half.

Alysius didn’t even look to watch the vampire burn, he bent down and undid the cuffs with the key he’d stolen from his father’s pocket. Aiden stood, rubbing his wrists.



There wasn’t time for celebration, because there were about twenty guards heading their way. Alysius looked behind them to the large glass window that was used in vampire executions.



“Hold on to me.” Aiden looked at the vampire, then at the window.



“Uh uh, you’re crazy, we’ll never make the jump.” Aiden tried fruitlessly to pull Alysius back from the window. The vampire suddenly spun around to face the werewolf.



“Trust me,” He said, taking hold of Aiden’s arm, “and hold on tight.”The werewolf saw fear and determination in Alysius’ now grey eyes, and nodded. The vampire looked back at the approaching vampires, then to the window. He ran, pulling Aiden with him, and hit the glass with a horrible crack. Glass cut into their skin, leaving shallow and deep cuts alike, and suddenly they were airborne. Aiden clung frantically to Alysius, who seemed to be concentrating hard on something. Aiden felt the vampire tremble hard before a pair of large, leathery wings sprouted from his back, ripping his shirt to pieces. The wings flapped almost helplessly for a minute before, finally, they caught updraft and went soaring into the forest, gliding over the treetops.



Just as they were reaching the first set of mountains, the air was suddenly gone out from under Alysius’ wings. He struggled for a second to catch another updraft, but it was useless. They plummeted fast into the dense forest at the base of the mountain. Alysius pulled Aiden closer to him and wrapped his wings around them both.



They hit ground with Aiden crushing Alysius into the earth. The vampire whimpered once before his head fell back against the dirt, his wings instantly disappeared from sight. Aiden coughed hard and pushed himself off the vampire. The paler boy was cut up, and his left leg was definitely broken from the angle it was laying at.



Aiden carefully got to his feet and looked around the forest. He could see the mountain from where they were, in fact it was only 10 yards away at most. And at the base was a small crack, barely big enough for two people to get through. The werewolf thanked whoever was watching over them and turned his attention back to the unconscious vampire. He was twitching, most likely from pain.

Aiden carefully lifted the vampire up so that he could carry Alysius to the cave, but the movement caused the vampire to tense in pain.



After a minute or two of rearranging, and finagling, both were safely inside the cave, and shrouded in darkness. The wolf-boy could see well enough in the darkness to tend to Alysius’ wounds, most of which were minor.



Almost every inch of the vampire’s skin was cut or scraped in some way. There was a nasty bruise on his cheek, from the beating he took from Sebastian, and a bite on his neck that looked slightly infected, along with his lip, that looked as if someone had taken a knife almost all the way through it.

Other than the broken leg, Alysius’ injuries looked easy enough to treat from where they were, though they would have to stay a few days, and pray that the cave was far enough away from the vampires for them to be safe. With a sigh of resignation Aiden did his best to remove the nearly completely torn up shirt from Alysius’ shoulders. He knew what he would have to do, and he didn’t look forward to it. Not one bit.



***



Alysius’ wounds had been treated as well as Aiden could with the small amount of materials he’s had. He’d used what was left of Alysius’ shirt to bandage the worst of the glass cuts, but there was very little he could do for the broken leg. It wasn’t until after Alysius was tended to that he realized he was also hurt. It was nothing more than a fractured rib, and a few pulled muscles along with cuts and scrapes, but it did enough to make him tired. He fell asleep curled close to Alysius, hoping to be awake before the vampire.



***



Aiden woke to a cold hand shaking his shoulder lightly. He looked up to see that Alysius was awake and trembling with the effort to suppress the pain.



“I thought you were dead.” Aiden breathed, looking at the blood stained vampire.



“I…feel like I am.” Alysius choked out. Judging by the amount of light in the cave , the sun was high in the sky by now, causing the fresh snow outside to glitter. Both the vampire and werewolf were far enough back that the sun’s rays didn’t hit them.



“I thought vampires were suppose to heal fast, I mean you did from that time you were, uh, thrown into the glass.” Aiden bit his lip, nervous for bringing that up.



“W-we do…i-if we have blood.” The vampire closed his eyes in pain. A cough racked his body, forcing a groan from him.



“What if you used mine?” Aiden asked, pushing the white hair off of Alysius’ pale, angular face. The vampire boy was now a horrible shade of gray.



“C-can’t. W-werewolf blood is….poison.” Alysius chocked out, wincing with his next breath as it pulled at his ribs. He placed a hand carefully against his side and closed his eyes again.

Alysius, please be alright. Aiden thought as the vampire fell back into a fitful sleep. Without really thinking about it, Aiden leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against Alysius’ icy forehead, before settling down to follow the vampire into sleep.



***



Aiden was first to wake, though it wasn’t his idea, but the soft whimpering coming from the vampire beside him made him stir. Alysius was crying in his sleep from pain. Small tears tracking down his still gray face.



Aiden reached over and put his hand in Alysius’, holding as tight as he dared. Almost immediately the vampire quieted, though the occasional sniffle still came out.



“Alysius.”Aiden said quietly. The vampire jerked awake, looking around wildly, before he relaxed again. “How are you?”



“Better.” Alysius said, sitting up slowly. His ribs screamed in pain, and he had to stop to where he was reclined on his elbows. “Though my leg feels as though it’s been ripped off.”

“That’s because you almost did. When we were going through those trees, you’re leg hit on a branch. It snapped, almost in two.” Alysius nodded at the explanation. His icy eyes turned to the entrance of the cave. The sunlight burned his eyes and he had to look away.



“How did we get here?” he asked, looking back at the wolf-boy.



“I’m not actually sure. When we fell, it was pretty close to the mountain, and well, we weren’t too far from this cave, so I brought you in here.” Aiden said, reaching out to wipe the drying tears from the vampire’s face. Alysius leaned into the warm touch unconsciously, and with a small sigh he lowered himself back to the ground. “You should rest, you’ll need it to heal faster.”



“I-it’s cold.” The vampire said with a shiver, and for the first time in a while Aiden let out a real laugh. Not a chuckle, or a snigger, but a real, full-blown laugh.



“I know, but unfortunately we don’t have anything to help with that. Sorry.” The vampire smiled, but it was cut off by a cough.



“I-I know.” He said, before closing his eyes and giving into sleep. Aiden sat there for a minute, just looking at Alysius before he realized what he was doing. He shook his head and looked at the opposite wall. Not only was he cold and a little sore, but he was very confused by the way he felt about the vampire. In fact he didn’t even have a name for the feeling welling in his chest.

He knew there was nothing he could do for Alysius but wait out the healing process, so he squeezed the vampire’s hand and stood.



It was freezing the closer he got to the entrance of the cave, and it took all his will power to keep going, but he did, and before he could stop himself he was outside. The chilly winter wind whipped around him, his hair flying in all directions. But he had to keep going.



What he was doing was searching for wood to build a fire. Alysius was not the only who was cold, and Aiden knew well enough how to build a fire.



He found a few pieces under a tree. It was relatively dry, being as the tree had caught most of the snow before it could reach the twigs. But that wouldn’t be enough for any real kind of fire. He picked those up then headed further out in search of more.



***



Alysius twitched in his sleep, almost disturbing his leg. The darkness had taken over his dreams like day to night. Screams echoed inside his head, bouncing off the insides of his skull like moths trapped in a jar. And there was a monster ready to eat them.



“You will do as I say. We must find that traitor and his mongrel pup.” It was Sebastian’s voice that uttered this. “Kill them on sight.” The servants and worriers surrounding the vampire Lord all made noises of acknowledgement. They bowed respectfully to their lord and master, and made their way out of the meeting hall. “I will find you, you little traitor.”



The dream suddenly switched to that of a beautiful field in the middle of a wonderful spring day. Alysius flinched away from the light instinctively, but it didn’t seem to be hurting him. This was strange, being as the Nosphret vampires burned to ashes in sunlight. He blinked and looked down at his arm and realized that all of the wounds that had been inflicted upon him were gone, leaving nothing but flawless, pale skin. He was suddenly aware of a presence in the field, though for some reason he didn’t feel threatened.



“My child, how you have grown.” He knew that voice, though he had trouble placing it. “Come now, Alysius, do you not remember your mother.” The vampire gasped in surprise and stared in wonder at the woman that appeared in front of him. She was dressed all in white, with a flowing gown that looked almost see-through, though at the same time as solid as the thickest fabric. “You will be fine, Alysius, but only if you do as I say.” He nodded in understanding, still gazing in awe at the woman he hadn’t seen in almost fifty years. “You must make your way to Orcratis, to the human village of Oquate.” Alysius’ face pulled into a confused look.



“But why?” He asked, thoroughly confused as to why his mother would want them to go to a heavily populated area for vampires.



“There you must rest. It is hunting grounds, so there will be shelter.” He suddenly understood. “From there you must make your way to Madragal. There you will be able to build an army against you father’s tyranny.”



Alysius jerked awake and looked around frantically when he noticed the light bouncing around, casting shadows on the cave walls.



Aiden, noticing that Alysius was up, was at his side in an instant. “I made fire.” He said, sounding proud of himself. Alysius smiled, but stopped when it threatened to reinjure his lip.



“Thank you.” He said, sitting up and leaning against the wall with the werewolf’s help.



“We need to go to Orcratis.” The vampire said suddenly, looking at the ground. Aiden just stared at him, confused.



“Ok, why?” he asked.



“Vampires hunt there, therefore there are safe houses stocked with food, and warmth. Plus no one goes there in the winter.” Alysius explained. This explanation was met with silence from his companion before a wide smile appeared on the werewolf’s face.



“I always knew you were smart.” He said, ignoring the glare that was shot in his direction. “What I mean is, I knew that you could figure something out.” He rephrased the statement to save his neck. Possibly literally. Apparently that was enough for the vampire, who closed his eyes and rested against the wall. His wounds were starting to catch up to him again and he was weakening quickly.



Aiden, who had been smiling the second before, was now frowning in concern. Alysius’ face was back to that ashen gray color and it looked like his lip was seeping blood.



“Are you alright?” he asked, scooting closer to Alysius. The vampire was shivering hard and Aiden knew that, if it was possible, Alysius’ lips would be blue. As it was they were almost white.



“C-cold.” Answered Alysius, stuttering. Aiden sighed and bit his lip. He had to do something to help or Alysius could get worse. Making up his mind quickly, Aiden moved behind the vampire and carefully moved him so that he was resting against the werewolf’s chest. Aiden hissed at the intense cold of the vampire’s skin and fought the urge to flinch away. Alysius, however, sighed heavily and relaxed against the heat of the wolf-boy.



“Better?” Aiden asked after a minute. He had wanted to make sure that his teeth weren’t chattering when he talked.



“Mmm, yes.” Alysius sighed in a sleepy voice. He hadn’t slept well in that last few days. Mostly from pain, and being half-frozen. Not to mention the fear of what his father would do to him if he did truly sleep.



Aiden was shocked at how fast Alysius’ skin had warmed. In fact Alysius had started to warm the werewolf. “Thank you.” The voice shocked him out of his thoughts and focused his attention back on the vampire in his arms. Alysius was turned slightly so he could look at the wolf-boy’s face. Before he knew what he was doing, Aiden was moving forward, closer to the vampire who was so comfortable in his arms. The vampire looked hurt and tired, and Aiden just couldn’t stop himself. They’re lips met in a soft, nearly one-sided kiss. That was until Alysius gasped sharply and locked eyes with Aiden. The werewolf saw confusion, trust, and then understanding cross those icy orbs before Alysius’ hand came up to rest on Aiden’s cheek. Aiden’s arm wrapped tighter around the vampire’s chest. He watched as the vampire’s eyes closed and he relaxed again into the kiss.



It could have lasted for a few seconds. Or maybe a few minutes, or even several warm, sunny days. Aiden couldn’t have really answered as to how long the kiss went on. But when it ended the vampire was asleep in his arms. Actually, that was about the only reason the kiss had ended. Aiden could only shake his head and turn Alysius gently so he was no longer in a way that made the werewolf hurt, let alone the vampire. As it was Aiden was too tired from his search for firewood, which had put him out in the snow longer then he would have liked, to really do much more then lean back fully against the wall as a way of making them both more comfortable. And with Alysius in his arms, finally getting some good sleep, he too could close his eyes and believe that everything would be alright. Once they got to Orcratis.



-_-_-_-



OK they kissed!! They weren\'t suppose to yet, but oh well. I\'ve got the next chapter just about done so be expecting it in the next few days. And please, please, please review!!! I want to know if I\'m doing good on this or not so I can know what to fix.