Sanctuary

Chapter Nineteen

Jake strummed a few chords on his guitar, humming to himself. Plucking the strings, playing out different versions of the same tune. He had been at this for a good while now. The same song idea had been swirling around in his head for a few days, so he spent a lot of time working at it. Of course the fact that he now had his own custom guitar- a present from Onyx -might be a factor. Daegel lay beside him on the bunk, his head resting against Jake's leg and tapping out a beat with one hand, with the other playing with the necklace Jake had finally been able to properly give him.

"You know, you should make a record or something."

"Hm?" Jake looked down at his mate, smiling at the sight of his present around Daegel's neck. The other vampire hadn't been able to keep still when he gave Jake the bag, wanting his mate to give him the present he had picked out. He'd been ecstatic upon finally seeing it, and had lovingly kissed Jake over the engraving.

"Make a record! It'd be awesome! You're an amazing guitarist, Nyx never really wanted the spotlight, so she could teach you! You'd be awesome, and who knows? Maybe when we're supposed to be dead, we could make a band in another country or some shit, made completely of vampires. You and Onyx rock at guitars, Raven can play bass, I like beating the shit out of things so I can drum! And Cahya can be our singer! With a voice like his he'd sound scary as fuck."

Jake tilted his head in thought. "A guitarist, a vampire rock band... that's actually awesome." He chuckled. "Wouldn't it be dangerous for us, though?"

"If it wasn't, what would be the point? That's what rock and roll is all about, man!" He sat up, kissing his mate and nuzzling his cheek. "I'm hungry. Let's go get some pizza!"

Jake laughed. He loved his boyfriend's randomness and the way he would just suddenly switch thought trains of thought. "Sounds good. I'm pretty hungry too." Sitting his guitar down, they stood up, sharing a kiss before heading into the main area. Raven was watching something on TV and Cahya was somewhere else. Onyx waved at them absently, caught up in her book, then looked up at the pair.

"Evening boys. Oh, Jake now that you're up, I have some good news." Onyx smiled softly at them. "I figured out what your ability is."

Jake's eyes widened. "Really?" They had been hunting twice since the first night a week ago. Both times Jake's weird ability had popped up again, the ghosts of victims calling for vengeance against those who had killed them.They screamed at Jake, the only one who could see them, to help them, avenge them, to kill their tormentor. So vividly, he could feel their pain, their anger and misery. Each time nearly drove Jake to tears, and to bloody rage.

Daegel wrapped his arms around Jake's waist. It was no secret that he rather liked seeing Jake's beast take control, seeing the blood on his mouth fresh from a kill... and then seeing him go back to the sweet young man Daegel first fell for. Bit of an emotional whiplash, but a ride well worth it. Though at times he did worry about Jake's bloodlust. It was all too easy to fall under its control, especially with that Jake could see. He'd have to keep an eye on his mate.

Onyx nodded. "Scarlett knows a few older vampires in Europe, who have been around for centuries. She asked around and we're pretty sure we know what it is. Have you ever heard of Mediums?"

"Mediums? Aren't they those people who claim they can talk to the dead? Like that Jersey medium crap?" Raven piped up from his place on the couch.

"Some of them are real, most aren't. But yeah, those are the ones. We're pretty sure that's what your power is. You can see the dead, more specifically, the victims. Though she thinks those might just be echoes, of a sort, the parts of their souls that never found the peace to move on. Either way, we have an answer." Onyx smiled widely. "That also means that since we have a better idea, we can help you control it. The better control you have, the less likely you'll go into a blood rage."

"That would be nice. I don't mind ripping into those scumbags, but I don't want to hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it." Jake leaned back into Daegel's embrace, the taller vampire nuzzling his cheek. "So when do we-"

They jumped as the door slammed open. Onyx and Raven surged to their feet, fangs bared and Daegel pushed Jake behind him as a form stumbled into the bus, the scent of blood hitting them all like sledgehammers. Their eyes widened as Cahya stumbled in and fell forward onto the floor. His clothes were shredded and he had gouges and wounds all over his body.

"Cahya!" Raven shrieked, running over to his lover, gently turning him over onto his back. The trembling in his hands was discernible even from where Jake was standing "Cahya! Oh god! Onyx!"

The scream snapped the Mystic out of her shock and she ran to her friend's side, immediately working on him with her magic. There was a faint, red light emanating from the wounds as Onyx's powers started to heal them. Raven cradled Cahya's head in his lap, tears glittered in his eyes.

"Cahya... come on baby, open those pretty gold eyes for me. Come on babe..."

Onyx continued to work on Cahya, the wounds on the pale man's skinny body slowly closing up. Onyx's eyes were tightly screwed shut and she was grimacing as though in pain. "Something's... off. He's not healing... as fast as he should."

Raven's head shot up and he snarled angrily. "What? The fuck are you saying!? Heal him damn it!"

Onyx snarled right back, not backing down. "I can heal him, but whatever happened to him, it's slowing down my magic and making it harder! So calm your fucking tits and let me work!"

Suddenly Cahya's eyes snapped open. Jake cried out and stumbled back into Daegel's arms. Cahya's eyes had become completely white. Onyx and Raven jerked back in shock, then lunged forward to grab Cahya as he started to thrash around on the floor, his half healed wounds reopening, splattering black blood all over the floor.

"He's having a vision! Shit!" Onyx and Raven tried to hold Cahya down, to keep him still. Daegel ran forward to pin Cahya's legs and Jake grabbed his head to keep him from smacking it off of the floor. It was like trying to constrain a raging bull. If he didn't know better, Jake would have pinned this on a violent seizure.

Cahya arched his back, white eyes rolling in his head. Jake stiffened, somehow they seemed to be staring directly at him. Like an interrogator's light, prising apart his defenses and exposing his deepest secrets.

"Blood... black... so much... he'll come... he'll come... for us all... no place... to hide... watching... always... watching..."

Cahya's hoarse whispers died out and he slumped to the floor, motionless. His eyes went back to their normal striking gold, dulled from blood loss and exhaustion just as they fluttered closed. The wounds had reopened and were bleeding all over the floor and the four vampires who sat there, shaken by this revelation even if the meaning was unclear. They sat there in shocked silence for several moments before Onyx started on Cahya's wounds once more, not caring she was kneeling in the black blood on the floor, her hands shaking. Raven was holding Cahya's limp hand tightly, tears now falling freely from his caramel eyes. Daegel moved over to Jake, holding him tightly as though he could protect their pack from whatever was coming for them. They stay in silence as Onyx tends to Cahya, the prophet's words echoing in their minds.