Supernatural Encounters

Chapter 14

Even though she hasn't said it outloud, Harper knows that she is going to say yes. To die and leave her friends and family devastated just because the treatment is going to be a little bit awkward is just dumb.

Okay, maybe more than a little bit awkward but still dumb. But there is still one thing holding up the process, and that is making sure that all parties involved consent to this.

Twisting around, Harper moves until her head is hanging off the side of the sofa, forcing her brother-in-law to meet her gaze. "Alistar, I appreciate your offer, but you know you don't have to do this."

"I beg to differ," he says with a small snort.

"If you think I am expecting you to do this, you're wrong!"

"You may not be, Lady Harper. But I assure you that if my brother learned that I did not do everything in my power to save you, there is no place on Earth or in Hell that I could hide from him."

"I'm sure Aeron would understand. He's your brother."

"And you are his betrothed."

Harper feels her face and chest light up with heat, and the paranoid part of her brain forces her to glance at her arm to make sure that the bite hadn't spread and it was just old fashioned embarrassment.

"Umm, I haven't actually agreed to anything yet."

Alistar waves his hand in a dismissive way. "It doesn't matter. For some reason he clearly intends for you to remain by his side, and that means it is my duty to protect you since you are now 'family,'" he says with a pause showing that he wasn't thrilled at the idea of the two of them being family. "So I ask that you make a decision soon so that I may either save your life or try to find a place to hide from my brother.

"I-"

"Harper! Harper!" Lily comes bolting down the stairs, her phone bobbing up and down alarmingly as the ghost starts to flicker in and out. "Aeron still won't pick up my calls, and I guess Kye is a good plane passenger and actually puts his phone in airplane mode. So rude of him. I mean, we are in a crisis right now. So I didn't get in touch with them, but the cute guy yesterday left me his phone number in case of emergencies. And if this doesn't count as an emergency, then what does? So I have that guy on the phone," Lily says, panting by the time she is done. The ghost gently tosses the phone at the sofa before fading completely. "While you talk to him, I think I am going to pass out for a while. Night night."

"Thanks Lily," Harper says with a sigh before bringing the phone to her ear. "Misha?"

"Harper! Why is Lily claiming that you got bit by a zombie?!"

"...Because I got bit by a zombie."

"Goddammit! I knew I should have gone to your house instead of listening to those demon assholes. Where the hell did this guy who is after you even find a zombie to attack you with? Who comes up with such a stupid plan anyways?"

"Well, that's not exactly what happened."

"And...what happened then?"

"So some guy was casing the place but Lily scared him off using our zombie roommate Dave. But then Dave got scared, and one thing led to another and I got bit."

Misha falls silent, and Harper swears she hears a weird creaking noise as well as the sound of metal being scratched. After a few audible inhalations and exhalations, Harper hears Misha bring the phone back up to his mouth. "Later we are so talking about you having a zombie in your house. But for right now, what can I do to help you?"

"I'll tell you anything you want to know after we get all of this sorted. Alistar has a plan, but we have to start it asap or it won't work. I..." she pauses for a moment, questioning if she should even ask before deciding to take the leap. "Just for my own curiosity and peace of mind, do you know anything about demon's blood having healing properties?"

There is a sharp intake of breath, but Misha doesn't share his thoughts on what he just heard. "It wouldn't surprise me," he finally says, his voice surprisingly even. "They are one of the oldest and most powerful supernatural species. And..." here the dragon pauses before spitting out the words as if they were physically paining him. "If Aeron believes this to be the best chance at saving your life, then I would take it."

Harper feels a rush of gratitude towards her ex. "Thank you, Misha. We'll call you after all this is done. I'd invite you here but I don't know what is going to happen, and I don't want to put you at risk."

"I'll be there by dawn. Just stay strong for me, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Misha."

"Bye Harper."

The phone screen goes dark as Misha's voice disappears. A deep ache fills Harper's chest as tears fill her eyes. Her arm is one fire, she is hours away from a painful death and miserable afterlife, and her only company is an unconscious ghost and her husband's brother that makes stoic seem like a synonym for chill.

But wallowing will not do her any good. Her only hope for survival is to put her faith in Alistar.

After taking a deep breath, Harper meets her brother-in-law's gaze once again and gives him a tight nod. "Okay, what do I have to do?"

The demon reaches up and cups one hand around the back of her head and the other on the side of her neck. He gently pulls her head down until her mouth is parallel to the cut on his chest.

"All you have to do is drink until I pull you away."

Her stomach rolls at the sight, but Harper is desperate and willing to try anything if it would give her more time. So, she places her lips on the wound and begins to suck.

All of the vampire novels make this exact scenario out to be so erotic and sensual but the reality is that it is just gross. Blood that had already coagulated around the wound smears on her chin and cheeks. Her lips quickly become sore, like she is trying to suck a thick milkshake through a straw. And the taste of it...bleh! It was like she decided to dump out her piggy bank and lick all the coins while eating a very raw steak. Plus her arm still felt like it was infected. Overall, a miserable experience. 10 out 10 would not recommend again.

The lack of response causes a shred of doubt to appear. What if this is Alistar's twisted revenge for all the times Aeron left work to spend time with her. Or maybe he isn't happy that his brother chose her over all of the available supernatural creatures out there.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

Harper tries to pull herself off but Alistar's hands keep her locked in place. "Not yet," he murmurs. "Keep drinking."

She struggles to pull away but the demon's iron grip keeps her attached to the wound, causing her to swallow more of the blood. The more she fights it, the more blood he seems to produce.

As she wrestles to get away, the pain in her arm intensifies. The wound feels like it is getting deeper, almost like it is burying itself in her bone. The skin must be bubbling, because nothing short of being on actual fire could cause so much pain.

Tears stream from her eyes, mixing with the bloody mess on Alistar's chest. But Harper is unable to see it. A pain has formed in her temples, sending hot sparks through her brain and causing her vision to white out. Never before has she felt so much pain. Part of her wishes that she would just die to get it over with.

"Aeron." she mumbles against the flesh that she was trapped against. "Please. Save me."

Before she finally drifts off into darkness, Harper hears a crashing sound followed by a low growl.