[Serena]
I was getting my things together for training. It was nearly nine and I hadn’t seen Ford all morning. He was usually at breakfast or wandering around the house. As soon as someone was up, he would update them on anything that had happened over night.
“Rao, sweetie, have you heard from Ford? He’s not here and Garrett says he’s not at the training field.” I asked.
Raoul closed his eyes for a moment. “He’s not answering the mind link. Maybe he fell asleep somewhere. No one will mind him missing one training session. We all know he’s worked harder than anyone else and he hasn’t been getting much rest. Let’s go train. He’ll wake up by lunchtime. He may not be eating much, but he’s never missed more than one meal.”
I smiled and gave him a kiss before we headed to our respective training areas. Today, I was doing siren training. Me and Aria would alternate between that and demon training. It was mostly learning how to use our voices most effectively in the fight.
An older siren taught the group. There were traditional songs to help strengthen our allies or weaken our enemies. We loved learning more about our people and the other sirens were more than happy to talk to us about everything. Sirens were a chattery people.
Anders told everyone about the concubus who arrived in the night. He was excited to find out what information she’d brought. His deity said she was one of the most valuable resources we’d have in the fight. Anders said it was one reason why he wanted her in the Alpha house instead of being boarded with some of the other demons.
I was concerned when he told us she was blood sick. It was a condition that could happen to concubi who killed and ate flesh instead of feeding normally for so long. Reggie would have to feed a lot in the next couple days to get her out of the starving state she was in. After that, she would have to feed daily for a while.
She wouldn’t be able to use her demon form until she was better. If she did take on that form, she’d have a strong urge to kill. Their demon sides became more dominant the longer they fed on flesh. She wouldn’t be able to stop herself. Luckily, we were well versed in demon physiology.
-
We returned to the house before noon. Everyone went to clean up and dress for the day. I sent Rao to Ford’s apartment to find him when he wasn’t in the living room or kitchen. He returned shortly after with a concerned look on his face.
“He’s not in the apartment. I tried his link again and he’s still not answering. Annie’s running out to Madison’s field to see if he’s tending the tree or just fell asleep there again.” He told me.
Anders and Poppy came into the kitchen and caught the tail end of what he’d said. I heard him send out a call to the demons through his link asking if anyone had seen Ford since dawn. The response came in negative. Poppy turned and asked Drayce to check with the dragons.
He got the same response. No one had seen him. I was starting to panic. Even though she was dead, Maddie would never forgive me for losing Ford.
We went to the main living room where the council of alphas and rulers were starting to gather. The alphas were checking with their people, with no luck. No one had seen Ford since Aria saw him at five.
“Do you think he got lost again?” I asked.
“They only took him for a couple hours last time. He should’ve been home, and eating everything he saw, by now.” Rao said.
“I’ll find him.” Moran told us.
He went to Ford’s apartment and picked up his trail. Moran followed it to the kitchen door and then down the hall. I was hot on his heels along with Rao, Anders, and Will. The trail ended at the guest room across from Anders’ room.
Quietly, he opened the door and looked in. He grinned and closed the door, motioning us him to turn around as he headed to the living room. When we arrived we waited for Moran to tell us what he saw.
“He’s in his full wolf form, curled up in bed with the new concubus. They’re sleeping. It looks like a little girl and her pet. She’s clinging to him like he might disappear if she lets go. It’s kinda cute.” He snickered.
“Ford’s sleeping?” Will said. “My cousin definitely needs his rest. Thank the goddess for the girl if she could make him sleep.”
“Let’s make lunch, then we can get them up. She’s been sleeping outside for a while. It’s probably the most comfortable bed she’s had in a long time, and if she got him to sleep this much, we might just have to move her in with him.” Anders chuckled.
“She made him a big sandwich last night and he ate it. He told me she eats like a werewolf, so it could be the most he’s had to eat in one sitting since Maddie died.” Aria told us.
“Let’s make a big lunch, then. How about spaghetti? I think that will be the most filling and it’s easy to make a lot.” I suggested.
Everyone agreed, it was a great idea and got everything we needed. There were two giant stock pots we used for the meal. The second stove top came in handy on spaghetti days. I was thankful for it.
Feeding this many shifters was a trial in itself. I just couldn’t abide the idea of wolves running around the house, calling me ‘Luna’, and bowing all the time.
-
While we worked, everyone speculated about what happened the night before and what kind of person Reggie was. Anders told us about talking with her briefly and gave us a description of her. Ford seemed to like the innocent looking girls. Maybe Maddie sent her so he could heal a little.
“Too bad she isn’t a redhead.” Rao snickered as he sliced mushrooms.
“How do you get a chubby concubus? Our metabolism is too high for that. She was only eating flesh; she shouldn’t have gained weight.” Poppy wondered.
“Some guys like chubby girls. It would make sense if she was from a line that descended from areas where women were a little heavier. We have some male concubi who are stocky rather than slim.” Anders shrugged.
“Her metabolism would keep her at exactly that size. Instead of gaining and losing weight.” I interjected. “It’s not a concern. The blood sickness should be more of a worry for us right now. She won’t be able to share energy. If she even lets her tail out, she’ll start feeling the urge to kill and eat someone. We have to watch for signs of it progressing to the second stage. She’ll need to be fed several times a day. If we’re on top of it, we should be able to stop it. Once it gets to the fourth stage… we’ll have no choice, but to kill her. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“She’ll have been consumed by her demon at that point.” Anders said. “We need every person we can get to feed her. The most powerful people we can get. I can feed her from time to time, but she’ll do better if we have non-demons do it. We’ll need every alpha who isn’t mated to help. I don’t want a jealousy issue to make her change to defend herself. Aria, do you think you can feed her once you’re healed from the birth?”
“Sure. It’s less time for us than for a human. Only about a week left. Then Jeremiah won’t have to feed on those… creatures.” She sneered a little.
“You know I wouldn’t if I didn’t have to, sweetheart.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple.
Moran was the best mate for my little sister. With him, she’d grown stronger and more confident. When she became sure of herself, she started opening up more and accepted Ford as a friend. I wished Maddie was here to see them. I missed her so much.
“I know. It doesn’t make me any less upset. Those women make you smell bad.” Aria sighed.
The food was nearly ready. We’d get the sleepers up soon. I hoped Reggie was friendly. It would make it easier to integrate her into the house and the pack.
We would have her take a loyalty vow with Anders as soon as she was over the blood sickness. With luck, this was a sign that everything was going to be alright.
[Conric/Ford]Reggie stirred from her sleep. The movement woke me. Ford was still asleep. He needed it, so I let him alone. This wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.She snuggled deeply into my fur and inhaled. I knew she’d be able to smell who I was and she didn’t seem afraid. I was at least twice the size of a normal wolf. It tended to scare people.“Hello, beautiful puppy.” She murmured.I rolled onto my back and looked at the slightly mussed concubus. For the first time in months, I felt rested. It was a good sleep.She opened her eyes and I let my tongue loll out of my mouth in a wolfy smile. It made her giggle in a
[Reggie]When I entered the living room, I saw the Vasili stand and smile at me. He walked over and patted my shoulder in a friendly way. I noticed how he was looking at my body. Maybe I was wrong about the dress being fine.“Did you sleep well?” He asked, distractedly.“Yes, thank you. I can’t remember the last time I got to sleep in a bed. And the soaps in the bathroom were lovely.” I smiled.“Good to hear. It’s nice to see you all cleaned up and smelling better. If Veles hadn’t told me you were a concubus, I wouldn’t have known from the scent.” He laughed. “Did Ford feed you?&rdq
[Serena]I got out of my chair and put my hand to Reggie’s forehead. She didn’t feel warm anymore. I smiled and guided her to the empty chair beside Ford.Reggie sat down gingerly. It would appear Drayce hadn’t held back much when he fed her. She smiled a little and I saw Drayce blush out of the corner of my eye. I was going to have to get him to dish. Rao said I could feed her too, as long as he was there, and I wanted to know what I was in for.“Your fever is down. Now, you need to tell someone if you start feeling flush. We’ll make sure someone can feed you every time it rises. Don’t be shy about it. Rao is even up for helping, since succubae aren’t as possessive as shifters.” I told her, patting Reggie on the shoulder
[Winston]We listened until she was down the stairs. Anders called Landry out of Aria’s room and Drayce called in a couple of Glimmer Dragons from one of the other rooms. He’d had them on standby.Glimmer Dragons were an all-female species. They had healing magic and all of the ones in the movement had been through training on the different species. The ones with us, Audrey and Marnie, were specifically trained in demon physiology.Dragons didn’t have alphas since they were all strong and dominant. Audrey had volunteered to feed Reggie. It would help a lot toward getting her better.When all the women arrived, Anders turned to Ford. We
[Winston]Twenty minutes later, everyone was gathered in the upstairs sitting room. Audrey was still in the room with Reggie. She told Drayce the fever hadn’t spiked yet.Ford brought me up. I knew I looked more ragged than I’d been when Ford left me. I had another vision after he left the room… it was terrible. Worse than the first one.“So far, no one knows a demon matching Reggie’s description. Some of the older demons said avians were believed to be extinct. She’s could be the last one in the world.” Anders said.“None of the wolves recognized her description, either.” Rao reported.“Landry&rsquo
[Ford]Dinner was served at six because Serena wanted to make sure Reggie wasn’t going too long between meals. She said feeding on flesh tended to make demons hungrier for things to chew. I was sitting at the counter and Audrey was helping with the meal.She came stumbling out of the room a couple hours ago and didn’t want to go back. She said Reggie was insatiable and Audrey couldn’t handle anymore. She’d called Marnie to come take over and it still took another hour until Reggie was sated. They decided she would need two powerful females until Aria was able to feed her. “Ford, would you go get Reggie for dinner? I don’t think she’ll come out for anyone but you right now.” Se
[Reggie]I focused on the room. Ford was looking at me strangely. I realized I’d just been sitting there, making faces.“Sorry, she got chatty.” I laughed.“You can talk to her?” Ford asked.“Sure. You can talk to Conric. I can talk to Reika.” I smiled.“Most shifters can’t talk to their animal. Maybe it’s because of how you got her.” He wondered.“What do you mean?” I asked.“Most wolves are an animalisti
[Reggie]The fever broke after four days. I was relieved when Marnie told me I could switch to daily feedings. I would need to change to a male and female partner for each feeding, but it meant I could participate in training as long as I stayed in human form.That limited my options to one of the shifter training groups or the human training group. I picked the humans. It was a good starting point after not fighting in my human form for so long. I dressed in yoga pants and a tight exercise top. Excited about being able to get out my physical aggression.At breakfast, I was allowed to serve myself instead of having Ford serve me portions the same size as his. I preferred eating after, but training sessions were several hours long. I knew I’d need something.