Nature or Nurture Ch. 31-33

The movement stops, and he is put on the ground gently, almost tenderly. Mina, covered in blood, is not looking well. She had been hit in the chest, beneath a shower of blood-spatters covering her dress there is a blood-stain that is larger than a spatter and still spreading.

She drops down next to him and clings to him.

'Can't carry you anymore,' she wheezes, and she seems to be fading.

Despite his anxiety for Mina, and an incredible pain all through his body, Vincent feels the physical shock is wearing off a little, he feels a little stronger rather than weaker, as if his body is adapting to its mangled state.

'Can you walk, Mina?' he asks his friend, but she is no longer conscious, she must be hit in a vital place, and saving him and carrying him has done her in, he is very heavy.

Trying not to panic, he attempts to think through a haze of pain, how did Victor save Mina from a shot-wound last time? Blood, didn't she say his blood gave her power? Maybe she'll be able to get home if he gives her some of his blood.

He smears some of his blood on his wrist, to make it smell nice, and offers it to his stricken friend, right under her nose. Faster than lightning he feels the slight sting of her teeth, and an intense feeling of bliss causes him to forget the pain as he surrenders to the most sensual experience he has ever had.

Within a second, the pain is back.

Mina is still holding his arm and sucking his blood, but the overwhelming sense of lust is down to a stirring. She is leaking her feelings on purpose, the burn of his blood brought her out of her stupor, and she will soon be strong enough to make for home.

Other feelings hitch a ride on her conscious ones, lust for him, for his passion, a strong desire to meet the beast in him, to bite him in the neck and feed on his stinging blood as it should be done, during the act of love, rutting like the animals they both are.

Nearly overwhelmed once again, Vincent cannot move a limb, though he knows they need to reach home quickly or collapse and bleed out in his case, or get caught by the sun in Mina's. Her feelings are cut off instantly, apparently the exchange of feelings was mutual, and his alarming thoughts have brought her to her senses.

She looks better already, but also rather embarrassed.

'Sorry for spilling my innermost feelings, Vincent. Can you try to forget about it? I'm not going to violate you or anything.'

Her demeanour rather stricken, she practically exudes shame, and the bliss of her bite still lingers in him and fights with the pain for dominance. Bending over him to help him up, her face comes right close to his, and his passion reaches out and he kisses her straight on the mouth.

She tastes of blood, of course, probably mostly his own for it does indeed sting, and she answers his kiss with fervour. Passion wars with pain inside him, and pain wins. He needs to let go to gasp for breath, and Mina quickly, painfully lifts him to his legs, where he manages to keep standing.

Like the lame and the blind, supporting each other, covered in blood mostly their own, they manage to get home unseen by footpads and the watch, and Mina even has the energy to handle the keys and let them in.

Mina is the strongest, she leaves Vincent in the kitchen and fetches Victor, who fetches Adison, and within minutes they are all in the kitchen, fire stirred back up, kettle on, medicine ready.

And Victor's surgical knife.

Adison cuts off Vincent's smart shirt, and Mina's dress, fortunately not the beautiful new one, and together they assess the damage.

'Vincent first,' Mina gasps, 'I'm not too bad, the bullet hit a vital spot but it's lead, not silver. I'm not in any danger anymore, you can take it out later.'

Clearing the kitchen table, adding another lamp, Victor sterilizes his knife with boiling water, as Adison prepares the chloroform to put Vincent out. She also prepares her Chinese herbs to prevent infection, and then she kisses her beloved and resolutely sedates him.

As soon as Vincent is out, Victor starts with the chest wound, which is deep but has not punctured a lung. Taking the bullet out makes a mess, and Adison carefully cleans everything with her herbal mixture, then sews the wound shut.

The other two wounds are less serious, but they need to be treated with the same respect to prevent infection, and another half hour sees Vincent in bed, cleaned up, wounds bound up, water and some painkillers in his stomach, sleeping quietly.

Then it's Mina's turn. It is hard to find the place where the bullet entered, it is already closing, but Victor wants it out. Mina refuses sedation, and she doesn't seem to feel the pain much as he cuts where there are still some signs of a wound. He finds the bullet just below the surface, it seems to be working its way up and out, a wonderous process.

'It's Vincent's blood, Victor, I was in a bad way, comatose actually, but he fed me some of his blood and I felt better instantly. It was incredible, still is, I feel like I'm flying. No need for sedation, I'm totally high as it is.

Of course the wound has closed again already, and Mina seems as good as new, though more than a little giddy. She kisses Victor intimately, and wants him to make love to her, but Victor feels he cannot leave Adison alone with her hurt husband.

'He was pretty heated after feeding me, he may want some of that, too,' Mina laughs, she must have had a lot of Vincent's blood to be so out of it, she seemed so normal when she first arrived, having to save both their lives by getting herself and Vincent home, but now the force of Vincent's strange and potent blood seems to have hit her full force.

Victor clearly doesn't like Mina talking like that, he is jealous of his beautiful woman. Adison fears he is in for heartbreak if he tries to keep her to himself, for Mina's body is still a vampire, and vampires are very passionate by nature, and Victor just isn't. Mina will do her very best to stick to Victor, but she may not succeed, or become very unhappy.

Personally, Adison doesn't really mind the idea of Vincent making love to Mina some time, though Vincent told her he was not interested when they talked about it on their way to fetch Catherine. Still, something may have changed. The thought of Vincent and Mina together actually turns Adison on quite a bit, they are both so strong and fast and passionate.

The fire that would give, she'd like to see that!

'Go with her, Victor, and give her what she wants,' Adison says, 'and try not to mind her ramblings, she saved both their lives and now she is high. You know vampires usually don't stick to one partner, she's trying her very best, she loves you. Once she starts meditating and training, she will learn to control her body.'

'You don't mind her eyeing Vincent then?' Victor asks her, unbelieving.

'Actually, I don't,' Adison replies, 'remember we used to make love to you, too? I miss that sometimes.'

The memory of their nights together gives Victor a moment's relief from his jealousy, it was incredibly good to have a very passionate lover, and whilst he has Mina, she has to make do with himself, and he knows he is rather reserved.

'All right,' he says, 'if you can accept the idea, I will try to get used to it as well. Maybe it was all drug-induced.'

'Good for you, Victor, I love you.' Adison kisses him lovingly. 'She's really happy with you, you know. Take her to bed, I will be fine. If I need you I'll knock and wait until you answer.'

And with that, Victor lets himself be led to their bedroom, actually looking forward to making love to Mina in her state of intense passion.