Holier Than Thou

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad fought the roaring in his ears, straining to make out Attara's words. Her voice was as soft as moonlight and felt like the last thing in the world that didn't rip through his skull.

A choice. She was offering him a choice. There was so much pouring through his head, including his own blood. He could barely think. Humanity? It had been so long, he no longer desired it. But Tenele. His mind went white, pain ripping through him. Tenele...wanted children. She wanted them. She'd even said...said... He stared up into Attara's eyes until his own went black. When he couldn't see her in front of him, he saw Tenele, with child, smiling at him from across their back yard.

"I want"- he strained, almost inaudible, the decision ready in his mind, but his lips unable to finish.

His body and mind stiffened, and fell still.

[Emora Deen]

"Vlad?" Tenele murmured when Vlad's body went limp. "No, no, no! Vlad!" Tenele took Vlad's face in her hands. "No, please, no... Save him! Bring him back!"

"Okay," Attara whispered. "I will save him." Her hand smoothed across Vlad's chest and descended down in a pool of light. She reached inside Vlad. The light washed over him, through him, and finally left him. She withdrew her hand. "It is done."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad's cold heart struggled, slowly, back into motion. He sucked in a ragged breath and jerked awake, ruby eyes wide and neon-bright. He stared up, sightless and gasping as his undead body pulsed with more life energy than he'd felt in many lifetimes.

Then he focused, saw his wife above him. His lips pulled up into a tight grin as moisture clouded his eyes. He drew a shaky breath and pulled her into a crushing hug. He buried his face in her neck, kissing her through her hair and listening to the familiar rush of her pulse.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele cried against him, happy, sweeping tears. "Thank you," she sobbed to her mother. "Thank you, thank you." Tenele drew back and took Vlad's face in her hands. She kissed him, laughing and crying all at once.

Attara nodded. "You are welcome," she whispered, rising from the bed. "Love her. Protect her." She backed away slowly. "I have to go. There are other people calling me."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad was so focused on the sound of Tenele's heartbeat, like a forgotten melody, that he didn't think to address the goddess who had saved him. He barely even registered their conversation, until he realized how strong the heartbeat was in his mind. "I'm still dead," he murmured, his red eyes flickering to Attara.

The goddess looked at the confusion in his eyes, and matched it in her own. "You did not choose..." she said. "I assumed..."

Vlad blinked. So he hadn't gotten the words out?

"Wait...Vlad, you wanted to be human?" Maxwell snapped. "Are you insane? You could have lost all your powers! It took me two hundred years to"-

"Out," Atul snarled. "Guards!" The door swung open and his men poured in. "Get him out!"

Maxwell rolled his eyes in frustration as he was dragged to the door. "You're damn lucky she kept you as you belong!" he spat. "You'd have been worthless. I'd have killed you myself!"

Vlad tuned him out and looked down at the sheets.

[Emora Deen]

The Queen's Maiden was overjoyed to see the demon go, and thankful that he didn't make a scene about Vlad being married to the Goddess Attara's daughter. She wasn't sure how the crazed scientist felt about his prize being attached so highly, but she had a feeling that given his ego he would find some way to use it to further his standing if he could.

Tenele blinked at Vlad. "Human?" she muttered, not completely understanding why Vlad would have chosen that. Was it because the last great threat to them was gone? Did he feel safe enough that he didn't need to be immortal anymore?

"I love you," Tenele told him with a smile. "I love you the way you are. I'd love you no matter if you were human or not. I fell in love with a vampire, and I am happy."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad nodded carefully, not quite meeting their eyes. He felt overwhelmed with both relief and disappointment. It was an odd feeling, like two possible lives had just flashed before his eyes, and been equally real, and then one had been wiped out. What if it had been the wrong one?

"Vlad," Atul gripped his shoulder and give it a shake. "Are you really okay?"

He raised his eyes back up to theirs and stared at them, remembering that he'd never expected to see them again. "Best day of my life," he slowly smiled.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled at him, managing to hide the unsettled feeling she got. Was something wrong? She directed her attention back to the fading deity. "Mother..."

"I'm here," she spoke softly. "I'll always be around. I have to go. Others are calling me. If you need me, Tenele... call me. I will come to you."

Tenele nodded slowly. She left her husband reluctantly, walking across the room to her mother. "Can I...."

Attara smiled and embraced Tenele, placing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "I love you, daughter," she whispered. "I am sorry for the life you've been dealt. I am sorry I was not there for you. But, I was there the day you were born, the day you were married, and I will be their on the days you need me."

Attara was gone with the whisper of a wind, and it left Tenele feeling shaken. Everything felt uneasy. Verin had kidnapped her. Verin was dead. Her mother answered her prayer. Vlad died. Vlad was alive. Her mother was gone.

Tenele's knees felt wobbly, so she collapsed back against the bed. "I need a drink," she coughed, reaching up to wipe tears from her eyes.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Me too," Vlad sank back into the sheets heavily. It felt like the day had lasted for months. A heavy form launched up onto him and pinned him to the bed. "Stalker!" Vlad croaked as the huge black snout poked into his face. "Off, you bastard. Where did you learn such disrespect?"

The hound retreated proudly at the orders of his master, and the bed gave a relieved creak as the heavy creature stepped down from it.

Then another form leapt on top of the vampire.

"Atul!" Vlad groaned. Stalker decided that if the king could defy orders, so could he. Within moments, the vampire was buried under several hundred pounds of protective male affection. "Fuck you both," he snarled tightly, "I want my wife on top of me, not you!"

[Emora Deen]

Tenele giggled, wrapping her arms around her middle. She was happy to see this, so very happy. "Off," she told them stiffly, pushing against Stalker and Atul until she made enough room for herself. She lay down against him, pressing her lips to his. "There," she told him with a smile. "That's better."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad sighed in mock exasperation, but he was strangely content wedged between the three warmbloods. He managed to get his hands to Tenele's waist, but that was about the limit of his movement. Luckily, breathing was optional for him. Apparently dead was the right way to go.

"We're not going to get any drinking done like this," Vlad observed rather contentedly. The security of their forms all close against him left him strangely giddy. It was enough for him to let himself stop and really think about all that had just happened, for the first time. They'd killed a god together. And they were safe, together. His wife and his four-legged partner in crime, and his second lover and friend. He realized that he loved them. Not just Tenele. All three of them.

'Vampirism,' he thought to himself. 'I'm doing it wrong.'

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled. "You are quite right," she told him, nestling in comfortably. "We can drink tomorrow." Tenele was content where she was between them, but there were many things to be done. Atul had to settle down the palace, which was in an uproar over all the strange things that had happened that night. He reluctantly left Vlad, Tenele, and Stalker.

Tenele was exhausted, and the sun was starting to crest the horizon. It really felt like the longest night of her life. She nestled herself against Vlad's side and tried to stay awake. She failed miserably.

* * *

Some hour or so later Talon nearly broke down the door to get in. Tenele was so exhausted that she didn't even register the vampire enter, but Stalker did. He lifted his head, apparaising his former enemy with great interest.

"I go away for one night and all hell breaks lose," he muttered, growing closer to the bed. His eyes took in all the blood everywhere, and Vlad covered in it. "Is ever-"

A pillow whopped Talon across the face. Tenele slowly sat up, her silver hair tangled, dirty, and caked in Vlad's blood. "Everything is fine," she told Talon. "Vlad's alive. I'm alive. Verin isn't..." She gave him the entire run down in a breathless run-on sentence, her cheeks flushing as she spoke of their mother. She hated seeing the look of disappointment in her brother's eyes.

"I see," he muttered, sitting down on the bed. "Has the poisoner been caught?"

"Not yet," Tenele growled. "But, I want to deal with him when that happens."

"Are you sure he was working with Verin?" Talon asked, glancing to Vlad. "There are many other people who would want an Ambassador from Ighten dead..."

"We don't know anything yet, Talon," Tenele muttered, irritated. "We haven't found him to ask him."

Talon nodded, his gaze resting on his sire protectively. "I'm glad you're alive."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad opened his eyes and surveyed the conversation taking place in front of him. It seemed odd to think of people avenging him, protecting him. He touched the ring around his finger, satisfied with the feel of the cool metal.

"I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me. Were you poisoned too?" he mocked Talon. There was earnest in his voice, though. The protective warmth he felt toward his Blood was as strong as the bond that held Talon's loyalty to him as a sire. Though he still tortured his brother in law, it was not with indifference as it had been in the past. He was beginning to develop real affection for his blood-son.

He stretched his arms out testingly. He felt fine. He felt better than fine. "Atul?" he inquired, realizing the king wasn't there. He'd slept so heavily that he couldn't remember much after seeing Attara last night.

[Emora Deen]

"I'm not sure," Tenele told Vlad. "The last I heard was he was settling down the castle and hunting down who poisoned you with the guards. If they've caught him and he's punishing the bastard without letting me in on it, I'm going to have to hurt him."

Atul was fiercely protective of what he cared for, Tenele knew that because even after she had forgiven Talon, Atul still didn't seem to like her brother very much. She wouldn't put it past the King to pursue justice without them.

"I could go find out what's going on?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad's first instinct was to close his hand a little tighter around her. He was so accustomed to fearing for her safety that it took some time for him to realize nothing was currently after her, at least nothing he knew of or had reason to fear. Allow her to walk a strange place all by herself?

Danger or not, it was going to take some time to get used to this. In fact, his need to have to Tenele and Atul close at hand was clingier than he wanted to acknowledge. He wanted them safe. He would do anything to keep them safe. It was suddenly hard to know what to do for them when they were already safe. Not just safe, but worried about scouting out his attacker.

You killed a god last night. Give it a little rest, he chided himself. "Good idea," he said to Tenele.

"Bring Stalker," he added quickly before she made it to the door. He gritted his teeth. He just couldn't help himself.