"We're here." Claire brought her sister over to a bed, allowing her to use her shoulder as support. "Okay, now let's just get you situated." She set Raven on the bed gently. "Let's see what we're dealing with here." She turned her sister's back to her.

Raven's back was covered in lashes. Chunks of silver wedged into her skin. Her skin burning as dark crimson leaked out of wounds. The blood had begun to dry. This made it harder for Claire to see how deep the gashes were.

"Brandon," Claire called out. She grabbed a white rag out of her dresser. She searched the secret cave for a bucket of some kind. "I need you to go to town. I need supplies. I need a bucket, some Alcohol, um, bandages, I'll need water, and a cup."

"You want me to go to town and leave you by yourself. You do realize what we just did. We broke into Lord Grimm's castle. Went into his dungeon and stole one of his prisoners. He's going to be looking for us. I can't leave you by yourself." Brandon argued. "What if we were followed?"

"Let's just hope we weren't okay." Claire turned to face him. "If you don't get the supplies I need. Raven will die. She's my sister, Brandon, I can't lose her. So please stop arguing and do as I say. Or," She let out a sigh. "Do you want to be the one to tell Angel his girlfriend is dead?"

"Give me a list, I'll get the supplies." Brandon replied. Claire took a notepad and a pen out of the drawer. She began writing the list of items she needed to tend to Raven's wounds. "I'll get a new phone while I'm at it. Seeing as you broke mine. Would you like me to bring back anything else," He grabbed the list from her and started reading over it. "Perhaps, something for yourself?" He raised his brow.

Claire took another look at Raven's back. She could offer her sister some of her blood to boost her healing factor. The healing properties in her blood would help but. It wasn't traveling through her system fast enough. She needed to speed up the process some-She looked at the side of Raven's exposed neck.

"A syringe," Claire added, she glanced back at Brandon. "I'll need a syringe." She took the list from him and wrote it down.

"A syringe?" Brandon turned to face her. "What are you going to do with that?"

"I need it for Raven," Claire replied. "So please just get it." He nodded.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Brandon kissed her cheek. "I love you," He walked out of the cave taking the list of supplies with him.

"Love you too," Claire replied as he left. She said these words under her breath. She just wasn't ready for Brandon to hear those words yet. Right now, she had to focus on-. She felt Raven's hands grab her wrist. "She's awake?"

"A-Ang-Angel," Raven spoke. She was calling out for him. Which reminds her, Claire had to call him. She took out her cell phone and called him. As the phone was ringing, her sister was reaching for the phone.

"You need to rest, I got this." Claire walked out of the cave. After the fourth ring, he answered the phone.

"Hello?" Angel spoke.

"It's Claire," She replied. "How quickly can you pack your things?"

"Pretty fast, wh-," Angel paused. "Claire, I'm going to have to call you back."

"Angel, no, wait, this is-," Before Claire could get another word out. He hung up on her. "Seriously, Angel, whatever it is. It better be important." She'd give him a few more minutes then she'd call him again. She put her cell phone in her pocket and entered the cave. For now, there wasn't much she could do for her sister. At least not until Brandon got back with the supplies. She'd just have to wait and do the best she can for her sister. "Don't worry, Raven," Claire held tight to Raven's hand. "I'm not going to leave your side. You'll get through this, I'll make sure of it."

"I'm back," Brandon rushed into the cave. He set the bag of supplies by Claire. She quickly went through it making sure he got everything. There was a bucket, a few water bottles, alcohol, rags, and bandages. Last but not least a syringe. "Did I do good?"

"You did excellent," Claire kissed him on the cheek. He smirked to himself.

"Well then," Brandon rose to his feet. "I'll leave you to do ugh," He rubbed the back of his neck. "Your medical stuff. I'll be outside if you need me."

"Okay, here it goes." Claire poured three water bottles into the bucket. She dipped the rag in the water and began cleaning the gashes on her sister's back. Raven jerked away as the water touched her wound. "I know it hurts, just bear with me." She poured a bit of alcohol on the rag and dabbed it on her sister's cuts. Raven's claws reached at the mattress, clawing at it. "I know, I know, I just need to get the infection out." Claire's eyes widened, noticing shards of silver in the wounds.

"Okay, Lycan, this time you went too far." Claire rushed over to Raven's sewing kit. She took a needle and poured alcohol on it to sterilize it. She used the tip of the needle to dig out the tiny specks of silver. As she removed the pieces, Raven's healing factor began to kick in. "There we go, now we're getting somewhere." Claire took the syringe and stabbed herself in the leg with it. She drew some of her blood using enough to fill the syringe a quarter till full.

"This should speed things up," Claire stabbed Raven in the side of the neck. She injected her blood into Raven. In seconds, the wounds were beginning to close. She took a rag and kept cleaning the wounds, keeping the infection out and making sure no silver was left in the wounds. "Just hang in there, sis, we're almost there." She dipped the rag in the water, which was now turning red from all the blood.

"Brandon," Claire yelled, he rushed in. "Give me your hand." He held his hand out and she pressed it on the wet rag. "We need to stop the bleeding, so apply pressure. I'm going to change out the water. Whatever you do, do not stop applying pressure." She grabbed the bucket and left. She dumped the water into the grass and went back inside. "Good, just keep doing that." She poured the last of the water bottles into the bucket. "Good, release," Brandon took the rag and Claire poured a tiny bit of alcohol on the wounds. "Dip the rag in the water and apply pressure." He nodded, doing as she said.

"So um, what's with the alcohol?" Brandon asked.

"The weapon's that were used to cut her, were aged, rusted and not clean. Move your hand," Claire ordered, he nodded and she poured alcohol on the wounds. "Pressure," He nodded again. "That means there's going to be a lot of infection. The silver being embedded in the wounds. Didn't help matters. So it's going to take a lot of alcohol to keep the infection out. It's a miracle she's survived this long."

"Wow, you know your sister is one tough bitch. For a werewolf, I mean." Brandon removed the rag. Claire poured the last of alcohol on the wound. She took the rag from him and began dabbing at the gashes on Raven's back. The gashes were starting to close up, becoming smaller and smaller.

"That's the best I can do for now," Claire set the rag in the bucket letting out a sigh of relief. "The rest is up to her, great work," She encouraged him. "You know, you're really good at helping with this sort of thing."

"My sister Patience used to let me help her in the medical room all the time." Brandon explained. "I didn't know much about what she was doing. But, I helped out whenever I could. I actually enjoyed it. It presented me with a chance to bond with my sister. Helping you just now, it was nice to ugh. Do that again. So," He shrugged. "Thanks. Will she be okay?"

"The worst part is over." Claire answered. "The rest is up to her healing factor. I would offer more of my blood but sometimes." She picked the bucket up and walked outside. "It's better to let it heal on its own." She poured the water out. "Speeding up the process too much can be a bad thing. It might not heal properly. I had to learn that the hard way. Would you mind giving me a sec?" He nodded and went into the cave to check on Raven.

Claire sat down in the grass. Flashes of Raven killing Patience entered her mind. Lately, that was the only scene playing into her head. She lied to Brandon in order to protect her sister. Just now, Brandon helped her save the person who killed his sister. Without even knowing what she did, but if he did. She imagined this moment to play out differently. There was nothing stopping Brandon from taking revenge, nothing stopping him from killing her or her sister.

"You good?" Brandon asked her. Claire took out her phone. She saw Angel's name on recent calls. That's right, she still needed to call him and tell him what happened.

"I'm good," Claire clicked Angel's name and the phone started to ring. "Wait out here, let me know if anyone comes." Brandon nodded as Claire walked into the cave.

"Okay, Claire," Angel spoke. "You have my full attention. What's going on?"

"They know," Claire answered. "Look, you don't have a lot of time, you need to-," Before she could say another word. Her sister snatched the phone from her.

"Lord Alexander knows it's you," Raven spoke. "I'm sorry, please forgive me," Raven's eyes began to fill with tears. "I didn't mean to-,"

"Sister, you shouldn't be awake. You need to lie back down and get some rest." Claire advised. She wiped the tears from her sister's eyes and took her cell phone back.

"Look, Angel," Claire spoke. "Brandon and I rescued her from Lord Grimm's castle. But, we barely got there in time and things aren't looking good over here. You told me she was it, that you wanted to be with her, kids and all, she's the one you want. Right now, she needs you. So if what you told me is true, then, it's time to prove it. Because we can't do this without you."

"I'll be right there," Angel replied. "Claire, please look after Raven. Do whatever you can to help her until I get there." He hung up, once he did. Claire put her cell phone away.

"Good, he's on his way. Don't worry sis," Claire held Raven's hand. "Everything is going to be just fine. When Angel gets here, he'll know what to do. So just hang in there." Claire waited in the cave with her sister. While Brandon waited outside for Angel. In meantime, Claire began racking her brain for her and Brandon's next move.

Claire couldn't stay here with the lovebirds, not without feeling like a third wheel. Besides, they needed someone on the inside to warn them. In order to do that, she needed a way to get back to Nightshade and at the same time. She had to make sure Lycan couldn't use her to lure out her sister. She needed leverage. But what could she use as leverage?

"What about Brandon?" Claire thought. "Well, He might have it easier. At least he can play dumb. It just goes to show that not being the sharpest tool in the shed does have its advantages." She wouldn't be surprised if he walked to the castle and not one vampire tried to figure out where he ran off to. Because he's Brandon, nobody questions Brandon.

"Claire said Angel is on his way. It shouldn't take him that long to get here. It's not like he's slow. He's actually kinda fast even for a vampire. So, what's taking him so long?" Brandon began tapping his foot. "Come on bro, the faster you get here. The faster I can get back to the castle. Selene's already going to kick my ass for running off on my own. It's kind of our routine, I do something that isn't smart and she beats me up for it. Typical brother, sister, bonding luckily she doesn't ask questions. She just kicks my ass and scolds me. Still," Brandon groaned. "The longer it takes me to get back, the worse it's going to be. Selene isn't exactly a patient person. Angel, come on man. Be a good bro and hurry the fuck up."

It was there from amidst the tree, he saw a shadow. With a move of the bushes, he saw Angel. He was shirtless, he had scratches on his chest, deep claw marks on his stomach. His pants were torn slightly exposing right knee showing that it too was banged up. He had a busted lip and his knuckles had blood on them. But it wasn't his blood. Did Angel get into a fight? If he looked like this. He hated to see the other guy. Angel was trained by the king himself. He's not weak, no way, not in the slightest. So the other guy must be dead. No question.

"Bro, what the hell happened to you?" Brandon approached him. He placed his hands on Angel's shoulders. "Who'd you kill? What werewolf had the balls to piss in your bush? Cause you must have kicked that ass."

"The fight didn't exactly go as planned." Angel admitted. "Lycan's a lot stronger than I gave him credit for. As a side note, I learned it's never a good idea to fight a werewolf with spirit."

"I could have told you that. Bro, you ain't Sozin. You can't be doin that shit. Them wolves will fuck you up with some spirit. Wait, did you just say you used spirit?" Brandon raised his brow, Angel nodded. "Bro, that's insane, you can use spirit too. That's fucking awesome bro. I love you, bro." He hugged Angel. "You just get more badass by the second. It's like you're a one man wrecking machine. I mean, what's next?"

"Well, I used spirit to walk in sunlight." Angel confessed. Brandon's jaw dropped. "I almost got burned to death trying it but I pulled it off. While falling from the throne room. Plus, I broke this old guys prayer beads. He seemed pretty pissed."

"You broke old man vamp's prayer beads." Brandon gasped. "Bro, ain't nobody broke old man vamps prayer beads. That shit works on everybody. Dude, that's awesome." He picked Angel up and spun him, placing him back on his feet. "See at first I was like, Angel, King Of The Vampires. No way in hell he's that strong. But now, I see why everyone is pushing for it. Blaire be damned, you're the king in my eyes. Cause ain't nobody doing the shit you're doing. You broke old man vamp's prayer beads, that means you broke the scale bro."

"They're just beads Brandon," Angel shrugged. "I don't see how it's a big deal that I broke them."

"No, No, No," Brandon scolded him. "Don't downplay those beads. They are powerful. It took years to develop the amount of spiritual energy needed to hold them beads together. There hasn't been a vampire yet. That's broken free of those beads. I tried powerhousing those beads. They didn't break. Ziek tried it, they didn't break. Nobody has ever broken those beads before. Not even the king. You broke the scale Bro, we need a new scale."

"What are you guys talking about?" Claire asked.

"He broke the beads Claire." Brandon turned and grabbed both of Claire's shoulders and shook her. "He broke the beads." He repeated.

"What beads?" Claire raised her brow.

"It doesn't matter, he," Brandon pointed at Angel. "Broke the beads. He broke em, Claire, he broke em. He broke the beads."

"Look I have no idea what," Claire sniffed the air. She glanced over at Angel. "Why do you smell like Lycan?" She pushed Brandon aside and glared at Angel. "Why is Lycan's blood," She lifted Angel's fist and pointed at the blood stains on his knuckles. "On your knuckles?" She put her hands on her hips. "Angel, tell me, you did not do what I think you did. Because if you did, I swear I'm going to shove my foot so far up your-"

"Claire, so he beat up your Alpha. Big deal." Brandon shrugged. "I mean Lycan has been beating up your sister aka Angel's girlfriend for a while now. Angel has a right to whoop that ass. It's his job as her boyfriend to lay down the hurt on those who want to mess with his woman. It's a guy thing, you wouldn't understand. Right, Angel?"

"Right, Brandon. I did what needed to be done." Angel agreed. "Thank you for having my back, Brandon. It means a lot."

"Anytime Bro," Brandon turned a fist to Angel. He punched it. Claire rolled her eyes at them.

"It's a guy thing." Claire put her hands on her hips. "Okay fine, so let me get this straight. You thought it was a good idea to attack Lycan."

"In the shower," Angel added.

"Brooo," Brandon's jaw dropped. "Talk about a surprise attack. He beat his ass while he was still butt naked. Good for you, Bro." Brandon punched Angel's shoulder. Angel grinned in response.

"Oh, so, it's worse than I thought. You ambushed him in the shower. You didn't think not for a second that maybe just maybe. I don't know," Claire shrugged. "Lycan might have followed you here. He's an Alpha. They can do what a tracker can do and then some. We're talking about the Prince of Werewolves, Lord Grimm's son. He's going to follow you here Angel and you lead him right to us like an idiot."

"Kind of hard to track someone when I blocked off my scent so he can't smell me. I used a curse to make my footsteps lighter so they don't leave a trail. I also turned myself invisible so he couldn't see me. Oh and if that wasn't enough, I broke his spine so he can't move." Angel explained. "I've had a lot of time to plan this out, he's not finding me."

"I'm sorry did you just say you broke his spine." Claire yelled. "What the fuck is wrong with you? I'm the medic. I have to fix that shit you dumbass. I've never dealt with broken bones before. What the hell Angel?" She screamed.

"Look, I did what I felt was right. You can like me or hate me for it. The fact is I did it and now the bastard will think twice before touching Raven. Speaking of, I'd like to go see her. She's in the cave right?" Angel asked, Claire nodded. He went to enter the cave but Claire blocked his path. "Claire, I wasn't asking whether or not to see her. I'm telling you, I want to see my girlfriend so get out of my way."

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"Before you go in there, I need to tell you. It's not good. She almost died Angel. If it weren't for-," Before she could say another word. Angel moved her aside and entered the cave. Claire let out a deep sigh. She just knew Angel wasn't going to like what he saw.

The moment Angel set foot in the cave. He saw the gashes on Raven's back. They would without a doubt be scars on her flesh. Scars, she'd have scars because of him. Because he failed to protect her. Because he cared for her, she was being punished. He did this to her.

"Raven, I-," Angel's eyes looked to the ground. He couldn't stand to look at her, to face her. This was all his fault. "I'm sorry, it was a mistake. I shouldn't have approached you at the Lunar Ball. I shouldn't have followed you to the cave. None of this would have happened if we never-, it's all my fault." He fell to his knees trying to fight the tears. Why'd he have to care about her? Why couldn't he have just bottled up his feelings and hid them away? If he did, she wouldn't be hurting right now. She wouldn't be in this condition. "If we never me-."

"Don't say that," Raven forced herself to sit up. She was straining. Even a movement this simple was hard for her to bear. His fault, all of this is his fault. "If we never met, then I'd still be trapped in a relationship with Lycan. You being in my life wouldn't have stopped any of this. He still would have beat me. He still would have raped me. You made it bearable so stop blaming yourself. You didn't do any of this. I chose this life, I chose you. No matter what the cost, I will always choose you. So don't bring yourself to regret the night we met. Because that night was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you, Angel. More than you could ever know."

"I know it's just-,"

"I'm not going to lie," Raven glanced down at the bed sheets. "Being in that prison, being beaten to the brink of death. Sentencing a man to death knowing it wasn't him. That is a decision that will haunt me for the rest of my life. But I did it and I endured all of that for you. Sure, I'll have nightmares but it doesn't matter. What matters is, I did it to protect you. I figured at least one of us deserved to get out of this alive. If it wasn't me then it was going to be you. No matter what I had to endure, you were going to make it. That was my resolve and that's what kept me going."

"Raven, you didn't have to do that for me." Angel held her hand. "I could have handled it. I would have if I knew what they were doing to you. I would've burst through those doors and fought my way to you even if it killed me. I never wanted for you to go through that."

"I know, but I did it to protect you. In the end, I couldn't hold out as long as I wanted to. So I ended up telling Lord Alexander it was you. For that, I'm really sorry. I thought I was stronger." Raven's eyes were starting to build tears. Tears, Angel was quick to wipe away.

"Don't worry about it," Angel kissed her hand. "What you did for me was more than enough. I just wish I could have protected you from it. From all this. But once again, you're paying for my weakness."

"You're not weak Angel," Raven smiled at him. "Stop saying that you are. You're still one person. There's only so much you can do. Vampire or not, you can't make miracles happen."

"I know that," Angel ran his finger along her hand. "I just want to keep you safe. I don't want to see you get hurt by anyone. So from here on out. I'm staying by your side. I'm not going anywhere. I won't let you go through that again."

"Really, you're not going back to the castle? What about Blaire and your friends? You can't just-," Angel pressed his lips against hers.

"I'm not leaving your side." Angel stared deep into her navy blue eyes. He wanted her to know he meant every word. "No more running off into the night. No more disappearing. I want to be with you and only you. I divorced Blaire, it's done. You don't have to share me anymore."

Raven quickly threw her arms around his neck and held him close. His hands instinctively touched her back. He felt wetness on his fingertips. His eyes widened seeing red on the tip of his fingers. This blood, it's Raven's. He wanted to make it stop. Make the scars disappear. Anything to stop this feeling of failure. This feeling of weakness. These wounds may as well be on his back for how bad it hurt him to see her like this. He just wanted to make it stop.

"So," Raven spoke. His eyes still lingered on the blood on his fingers. She was trying to take his mind off it. It wouldn't work, her blood on his fingers was all he could think about. "I heard you attacked Lycan. Did you kill him?" His eyes still remained on the blood.

"No, about that, I know you said you were going to take care of it. I should have let you. It's just," Raven placed a finger over his lips. He moved her finger aside. "I know you're probably mad and think I don't trust you. It's not that it's just-"

"I'm not mad, I know it must've been difficult for you. To be honest, if I were in your position I would've done the same. I might have killed him." Raven confessed. "Did you try to kill him?"

"I almost did," Angel answered. "Lycan is a lot stronger than I gave him credit for. I think we underestimated each other. He thought he could beat me one on one and I thought the same. Turns out, it's a close fight. I won but I had to use a blood curse."

"A blood curse, Angel, I really don't like the sound of that." Raven fixed her hair. "I mean your regular curses are scary enough. I don't even want to know what that would do to you. I seriously don't think you should be using those."

"I shouldn't, they aren't good." Angel agreed. His eyes still lingered on Raven's blood on his fingers. She's still bleeding. He couldn't do this. He knew what Raven wanted. She wanted him to pretend like she was fine that the scars weren't there. But they were there because of him. "I'm sorry Raven but I can't. You're hurt and I can't just sit here and pretend like I don't see it. It's my job to protect you and I failed. I just keep failing. This time, it almost cost you your life. This isn't okay. None of this is okay."

"It's fine, my sister doctored the wounds. It's okay Angel, really. I'm not blaming you so stop blaming yourself this isn't your fault." Raven reasoned.

"But it is my fault," Angel argued. "I wasn't there and you got hurt. I can't stand this anymore." He clenched his hand into fist. Raven's blood still on his fingers. "I need to fix this, I have to fix this. I can't stand to see you in pain. Let me have a look, I need to fix this."

"Angel, I told you it's fine. I'll be alright." Raven assured him. "Please don't worry about it." How could he not? Those wounds on her back were all he could think about. He had to do something.

"Please," Angel brushed her hair aside. "At least let me try,"

"Okay," Raven took hold of his hand and kissed it. "I trust you." He got off the bed and she rested on her stomach. The wounds on her back were exposed to him. Just looking at them brought tears to Angel eyes. He had to make them disappear, he had to. Angel closed his eyes and began to recall his training.

"Healing, it's an ability all vampires can use. It's just some struggle with learning this skill. There have been cases where a vampire just didn't possess the patience required to learn this skill." Patience explained. "It's divided into the three classes. Third class, second class, and first class. First class is the best of the best, very few reach this class so don't be surprised if you don't make it that far."

"I'm guessing since your name is Patience, you're a first class healer aren't you?" Angel teased, she laughed.

"Naturally, my mother chose my name well. So today, Lord Alexander has asked me to see where you fall on the healer tree." Patience smiled. "First test," She took a scalpel and sliced a cut on Angel's knee.

"Ow," Angel glared at her. "You fucking cut me." He motioned to the cut on his knee. "That's not very nice Patience. You can't just cut people."

"Heal it," Patience instructed.

"What," Angel raised his brow.

"You heard me, heal the cut. Any basic healer could heal this cut. So let's see what you can do." Patience added.

"I can bleed that much is clear." Angel gestured to his knee.

"Stop complaining and heal the cut. It's simple, watch." Patience cut her hand with the scalpel. He watched as she coated her hand in healing energy and mended the cut. "You saw me do it, now it's your turn. Focus on the wound and visualize yourself offering the energy you gained from the blood bag to the cut. For a vampire to heal they need to be able to use the energy they gain from their unquenchable thirst for blood and apply it to the target. This is why healing others is very difficult. But doable."

"Okay, I'll give it a shot." Angel kept trying to heal the cut on his knee. Despite his best efforts he couldn't do it. He couldn't see himself using that energy for anything else but his curses. It seemed pointless to him and he just couldn't focus. "It's no good, I can't heal it. I've been trying for hours. Healing is just not my thing."

"That's okay, some vampires can do it. Some can't." Patience healed the wound on Angel's knee. "Just keep practicing and you'll get it."

"I never even tried to heal since that day. Now here I am trying to do it again. I couldn't heal myself now I'm trying to heal Raven. I'm in over my head but I can't just sit here and do nothing." Angel positioned himself over Raven. He rubbed his hands together and held both of his hands over Raven's back. His pale hazel eyes focused on the scars. He kept visualizing transferring his energy to her. Despite his efforts, he couldn't make the energy form. He couldn't, it was like defying his very nature.

Vampires by nature are selfish. It is unnatural for them to use their powers to help anyone but themselves. The power they gain from drinking blood is used to maintain their bodies not someone else's. So to transfer that energy to another person was damn near impossible. His body was naturally trying to keep that energy for his body. So how was he going to force that energy over to someone else.

Angel kept straining, his hands shaking as he kept trying to heal Raven. He wasn't going to give up. Fate can do it, Patience can do it, Selene can do it, any vampire is capable of doing it. So can he, he was going to heal her.

"I can do this," Angel rubbed his palms together and put them over Raven's back. He kept focusing, trying to force the energy out of body through his hands. "Come on, you got this." He kept focusing. He saw a blue aura start to emerge just as soon as he saw it. It began fading in and out until it disappeared. "Damn it, I almost had it." The more he tried, the more energy he was wasting. If this kept up. He would need more than just one blood bag. This was going to run him dry, still he wasn't going to give up. He rubbed his hands together and tried again.

"Please work," Angel saw the blood pouring out of Raven's wound. A wound that was caused by his actions. Because he wasn't there, because he didn't protect her. She was suffering, she was in pain. All he wanted was for that pain to go away. "Please make it stop," He saw the energy start to emerge again but once again it was fading out. "Take it all, take everything I have in me. Just make it go away, make the pain stop. Please." Angel kept trying to force the energy out of his body. The blue aura appeared on his hands. The aura kept flowing strong, right before his eyes Raven's wounds were starting to heal.

"Angel, it hurts," Raven bit her lip.

"I know, I'm still new at this healing thing so it's going to. Just bear with me," Angel continued to focus on healing her back. The bleeding was stopping. The scars were fading. Raven's hand was pulling at the sheets. He's still new at this but what if he tried. Angel released a bit of his spiritual energy through his hands. The blue aura turned into a light blue. Raven began to relax, no longer hurting as his spiritual energy numbed the pain.

"I don't believe it," Brandon stood at the entrance watching as Angel healed Raven. "He actually learned how to heal."

"He what," Claire's jaw dropped as she watched Angel mend the wounds on Raven's back.

"I'm going to make it go away, Raven, I promise." Angel kept pouring healing energy into Raven's back. The scars were fading, turning into fully healed skin. It was as if the wounds were never there. "It's done," He spoke these words into Raven's ear. His eyes began to feel heavy, his sight fading in and out becoming a blur. His head felt light and body felt weak. "Raven, I-," Angel fell over almost, hitting the floor. However, he found himself resting in Raven's lap. She was quick enough to save him.

"I think you might have overdid it a bit," Raven pulled his head to her chest. "I'm still a little exhausted from all the healing. I think I might get some more rest. If you want," She pressed her warm lips against the side of his neck. "You could join me." He felt her lips move down to his collarbone, going further down to his stomach. "Maybe you could ugh," Angel knew what she was trying to do. Normally, he wouldn't stop her. However, he knew despite her best efforts. His body lacked the energy to perform.

"Raven, I can't," Angel confessed. "More so, you can't either." He could plainly see that her eyes were weary. The healing took a toll on her just as much as it did him. He knew she was only trying to reward him for healing her wounds. But his reward was knowing, her wounds were healed and he was the one to heal them.

"But Doctor Angel," Raven teased. He felt his zipper starting to descend. Her hand was reaching into his boxers.

"I'm no doctor," Angel took her hand out of his pants. "Not even close." He went to kiss her forehead but her lips caught his kiss instead. As they were kissing, he once again felt her hand reaching for his. She really wants to reward him doesn't she? He started to cave and let her have at him. But then..

"Ahem," Claire spoke loudly. "Sorry to ruin the moment. But I think it's time we came up with some sort of plan. Hopefully one that doesn't include me seeing Angel stick his privates in my sister's mouth. " Raven blushed and zipped up Angel's zipper. She patted his crotch to make sure it was put away.

"Right, we do need a plan," Angel tried to stand up but ended falling to his knees. His hand gripped the bed frame for support. His vision was still a bit blurry, his body felt heavy. There's no mistake, he pushed his body past its limits. He needs to drink some blood fast. He tried to stand on his own without relying on the bed frame but ended up falling. Before he hit the floor, Brandon lent him his shoulder.

"It's okay buddy, I got ya," Brandon placed his hand on Angel's side and Angel's limp arms on his shoulder. "You don't look so good bro, I don't think I've ever seen you this weak before." The only person who has was Raven and that was after the first time the two of them had sex. That was the only time that came close to describing how weak he felt. He's trained a lot since then but even after all that training. He still has his limits. "Come on buddy, let's take it one step at a time." Brandon continued to guide Angel out of the cave.

While Brandon was dealing with him, Claire was easing Raven back into bed. "Come on, sis, we both know you're tired. Let's get you in bed. You can play with your boyfriend later." She put the blankets over her sister.

"Rest up, Raven, I'll be back after we discussed everything." Angel assured her. "When I get back, I'll tell you all about the blood curses and what happened with Lycan."

"Promise?" Raven turned to her side and faced him as she laid on the bed.

"Promise," Angel agreed. "Alright Brandon, do your thing." Brandon nodded and carried Angel out of the cave. It was embarrassing for him to be carried by Brandon. But he was too worn out to argue or even put up a fight on the matter. His body was practically useless at this point. Once Brandon set him down in the grass, Claire started laughing.

"Wow, I bet even I could kill you at this point Angel, talk about a win for the werewolves. Lycan would worship me." Claire joked, Angel glared at her.

"Ha, ha, Claire, very funny." Angel replied, his voice shrouded in sarcasm. Brandon glared at her upset she'd even insult his best friend in this condition.

"Really, Brandon, you're not even going to make one joke." Claire added. "I thought being funny was your thing."

"But it's not funny. My bro used all the juice he had trying to save your sister. I think if anything you should be thanking him." Brandon scolded. "Angel, I didn't bring any blood bags but," He rolled up his sleeve. "You can just drink my blood. I'll get a blood bag at the castle. Right now, we need to get you back on your feet." Angel glanced over at Brandon. "It's alright, just drink. You need your strength."

Angel bit down on Brandon's arm drinking his blood. Within seconds, his body began to recover. As he drank the crimson liquid from Brandon's arm. He could feel Brandon getting weaker. Brandon didn't require as much blood to sustain himself as Angel. There was no way Angel could fully restore himself without killing Brandon. He forced himself to stop leaving Brandon with just enough energy to reach the castle.

"Thanks," Angel wiped Brandon's blood off his lips. He watched as Brandon placed his palm on his wrist healing the bite mark. He didn't know Brandon could heal.

"Don't mention it," Brandon fixed his sleeve. "Alright, we need a plan. Let's come up with one. We don't have a lot of time here."

"Claire, first I need to know how Lycan found out about Raven dating a vampire. What tipped him off?" Angel asked.

"Liley, she came to the campsite and told Lycan herself." Claire answered.

"Liley," Angel wasn't surprised that she was behind this. He knew Liley wasn't done with him yet. Not after their last fight. "She did see us together on our date. I knew better than to bring Raven to town. I should have known something like this would have happened. Bad move on my part, nothing we can do about it now. So, what's next? Claire, got any ideas?"

"I do actually, starting with," Claire cleared her throat. "Brandon and I, we did not break into Lord Grimm's castle and rescue Raven. You did."

"Wait," Brandon raised his brow. "Claire, we did do that. Angel had-,"

"As far as Lord Grimm and everyone else know. We didn't. Unless Nikan confesses to seeing us escaping with Raven. Which, I doubt he even noticed us. He seemed too focused on something else." Claire explained. "My thoughts were I could go back to Nightshade and make up some story as to where I've been. Let's face facts Angel, everyone is out to kill you. Werewolves and Vampires both. The only way you are going to survive this is if you have someone on the inside. I could at least warn you of incoming plots against you. At least on Lycan's end."

"Yeah, I could give you the details on Lord Alexander's end." Brandon offered. "So between the two of us you should be okay. As far as my end, nobody really asks where I've been except for Selene. So I could go back to the castle no problem though, Selene's going to kick my ass."

"So the plan is. I'll take the blame for rescuing Raven while the two of you return to the castle," Angel turned to Brandon. "Or werewolf pack," He turned his attention to Claire. "Acting as if you had no part in it. While warning me about incoming attacks. You're sure you're okay with that? You'll be betraying them and if they find out."

"I know," Claire lowered her head. "It's better than letting them kill my sister. If I have to choose my pack or my sister. It's a no contest. I'll do whatever I can for my sister. Even if it means betraying Nightshade. You can count on me," Angel nodded.

"Well Brandon, that leaves you." Angel turned his attention to Brandon. "You're sure that you are willing to betray Lord Alexander to help us."

"Growing up, I never really had much of a home. Lord Alexander never tried to make the castle feel like home. So, I always felt like I didn't belong. Like I was an outcast." Brandon explained. "Sure I had Selene and Patience. Sometimes even Sozin. But I always knew I didn't belong. Somehow in some way. I was different. But helping you guys, being here. I feel like for the first time, I'm right where I need to be. I don't feel out of place. It probably doesn't make sense to any of you but." Claire placed her hand on Brandon's.

"It does to me, in fact, it makes a lot more sense than you think it does." Claire smiled at him. "I feel the same, I feel like this is what I was meant to do. Most werewolves would think helping a vampire would be insane. Most would think that it would be impossible for us to coexist. But the two of you are proof that we can and I'm willing to fight for that."

"Me too," Brandon agreed. "I know it's a long shot but I'm tired of the bloodshed. I've seen too many people, good people. Family even die for the sake of this war. Enough is enough it has to stop. Who knows," He glanced over at Angel. "Maybe you guys could stop it. Maybe if we worked together, we could stop it. We won't know unless we try. So I'm with you Angel."

"Thanks, both of you." Angel rose to his feet. "I'm not sure if," He put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the cave. "Raven and I being together is enough to stop a war. But it is proof that there is no need for a war between vampires and werewolves. But if I'm being honest. That's not what I'm after, put simple." He let out a sigh. "I just want to be with Raven. That's it, there's no ulterior motive. I don't want world peace. I just want her. So if it happens, it happens, just know it was never my intention."

"I should be heading back," Claire rose to her feet. "The longer I keep Lycan waiting. The more pissed off he's going to be. Considering what you did to him. Lycan's already pissed. I'm not trying to make it worse." She walked up and hugged Angel. "Look after my sister for me, she's been through a lot. But I know if anyone can get her through it. It's you." He watched as Claire headed toward the forest.

"I should be going too." Brandon started to walk away.

"Wait," Angel held his hand out to stop him. He reached into his mouth. He placed his fingers on one of his vampire fangs, gripping tightly. He quickly ripped out his tooth and placed it in Brandon's hand. "Tell Selene, you pursued me. We got into a fight and I managed to escape. That way she won't kick your ass."

"Bro, you're the best." Brandon hugged him. "I swear when I get to the castle. I'm going to put your tooth on a necklace and wear it forever. First I got your underwear now I got your tooth. You're the best bro ever." He lifted Angel up and hugged him tighter.

"Brandon, you're hurting me." Angel pointed out. He set Angel back on his feet and he dusted himself off.

"Wait," Brandon rubbed his chin. "If we fought then nobody would believe that unless I got beat up too. So how are you going to-."

"Oh," Angel popped his knuckles. "I was just getting to that." He smirked. Angel drew his fist back and punched Brandon as hard as he could in the jaw. Attached to his fist was a teleportation curse. The curse made Brandon disappear leaving only his teeth and drops of blood on the grass."Ou," He shook his hand in the wind. "Fucking diamond." He held his bleeding knuckle. It had a sharp piece of diamond sticking out of it. He plucked the diamond shard out and left it on the grass.