Chapter Text
Full Moon Meetings:
Since that one night, Mike could not stop thinking about their conversation and the way the vampire had acted.
That one visit had somehow changed the detective’s whole opinion of the other man. It had shown him the depth of Henry’s feelings for Vicki and, for whatever reason, he felt sorry for him.
Maybe it was because Mike was in a similar position and could therefore sympathize with him, or maybe it was that for the first time since knowing the bastard son of Henry VIII, he had actually seemed almost human...
No matter what, Mike did not know if he would ever see the vampire again and maybe it was that thought that did not sit right with him, even if he would never admit it!
But wasn’t that what he had wished for since being introduced to the supernatural?
However, the alternative was even more frightening. With Henry by their sides they had had a fighting chance, but now he did not know what would happen when the demon came knocking.
Those were his thoughts as he stood hidden in the dark, shadowing Vicki on one of her nighttime stakeouts.
Since that one night, Coreen and Mike had a secret understanding. Each time Vicki got one of “those cases,” Coreen called him with the details and Mike would follow Vicki and make sure she was all right.
It was not ideal and Mike owed his colleagues so many favors already for covering for him, he couldn’t imagine how he would ever pay them all back. The only problem now was that Vicki had been quite busy the last few nights and, try as he might, the detective could not deny that all those sleepless nights were taking a toll. He was not twenty anymore and after 4, no now 5 days and nights of nonstop activity, his body was running solely on caffeine.
Coreen had informed him that a lot could depend on him being there tonight. It was a full moon and, night blindness or not, Vicki was out hunting a werewolf. A werewolf! The thought alone made Mike sweat and knowing that Vicki would be alone out here, the blond mobilized his last reserves to play back up. His trusty weapon loaded with silver bullets and clutching a silver blade as his only hopes of defense, he prayed that he would not need them.
Fortune seemed to have something against the cop as of late, however, and so it was no real surprise that the moment Vicki entered the deserted building, a shadow moved after her.
A sudden fear for Vicki’s life allowed him to throw caution aside and a stone at the beast, drawing its attention on himself.
Running for his life and as far away from Vicki as he could, Mike felt that he was being hunted and the sound of paws on concrete only confirmed that feeling. Managing to lure the beast far enough away, he soon felt it closing in.
He turned around just in time to see it jump at him. What followed was the longest moment in his whole life.
Soulless, glowing, yellow eyes filled with bloodlust stared at him as vicious dagger-like fangs were bared, ready to tear into him and sever flesh from bone. The silver-furred, wolf-like creature flew through the air with its claws extended, intending to maul him. Throwing himself on the ground, he did not hesitate to empty the whole magazine into the beast. With a yowl it fell aside, but was not yet dead. Trying to keep calm, he swiftly drew his silver blade and prepared to fight for his life.
The beast attacked again. Clumsy from its wounds, Mike managed to dodge its blows and bites for quite some time. Reacting on pure instinct, he too lashed out and scored some nice hits, which enraged the werewolf only further.
It went on and on. As in a deadly dance, the opponents circled each other, stepping back and forth. However, Mike felt how his determination failing him as he staggered once and was promptly tossed aside.
Landing hard, he groaned and tried to stand up, but it was too late. The animal was upon him.
Thinking that’s it, I’m dead, Mike said his prayers as the beast pounced.
Seeing the white in the beast’s eyes and those deadly jaws open wider, he desperately moved the blade in front of himself as a last defense.
Then everything went black and a heavy weight landing on top of him took his breath away.
When he regained consciousness, he could not breathe, an enormous pain went through his right shoulder, and he couldn’t move. God, no! Please! Help! He could not die like this! He had to live! He couldn’t leave Vicki alone. But pushing only made it worse. The pain in both his shoulder and chest felt like hot pokers and his breath became shallower as the edges of his vision became dark.
The moment before he lost consciousness again, the weight was lifted from his body.
The last thing he saw was a familiar face leaning frantically over him. He thought he saw an angel illuminated by the moonlight, though he knew better. If only he had come a few minutes earlier…
***
Oh, no! He was too late!
His instincts told him that something would happen tonight and when he checked Vicki’s office and saw Coreen pacing impatiently, he knew something was up.
In spite of the low profile he was trying to maintain, he went inside and confronted Coreen.
The gothette had been so relieved to see him she almost hugged him. Then she told him the whole story of Vicki continuing alone and getting more reckless by the day, Mike shadowing her, Mike and Coreen’s arrangement, and, of course, the details of the current case.
The moment Henry heard werewolf he was beside himself. How could Vicki be so careless? He quickly asked the young woman where Vicki had gone and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Finding the abandoned house had not been a problem. After arriving, he soon found Vicki safe. However, there was no werewolf in the vicinity. Suspiciously, neither was Celluci. Coreen had assured Henry the blond would guard Vicki’s back, so where was he?
Listening closely, he soon heard a suspicious growling some distance away. When he also realized that a human was in close proximity to what he supposed to be the werewolf, the vampire became horrified.
Moving at vampire speed, he raced in that direction. Seeing Michael Celluci lying under the unmoving werewolf froze his blood. A soft heartbeat gave him hope that the stubborn mortal had somehow been victorious despite the odds. He lifted the heavy beast off the police officer just in time to see those expressive blue eyes close and Mike’s head roll to the side.
Initially panicking, the vampire feared that he had been too late, but he quickly realized that the man had simply passed out. From the black rings under the detective’s eyes and his ashen pallor, Henry guessed Mike to be completely exhausted. On closer examination, Henry discovered that Mike had a dislocated shoulder, a few broken ribs, and countless bruises, scratches and grazes.
After resetting the mortal’s shoulder, he yanked the sword out of the beast’s black heart and decapitated it with a mighty blow.
To ensure its demise, he set the corpse on fire and watched it burn. When the detective began showing signs of reawakening, the vampire knelt by the blond’s side and was relieved when the officer began complaining.
“Ohhh, Christ that hurts!”
“Detective! What the hell were you thinking to attack a werewolf by yourself? You could have been killed and very nearly were!” Henry berated the blond.
Mike looked him straight in the eye and stated firmly:
“Better me than her!” before looking off in the distance.
Henry was speechless because he could easily picture Vicki stating the same words. Those two would die for each other. Henry wished he had someone who felt the same about him.
Quickly recovering, he helped the other man stand. They had to leave before Vicki found them and started asking questions neither of them wanted to answer.
He only hoped that the detective had hidden his car well because they had to leave it behind. Mike was in no condition to drive.
Walking to Henry’s Jaguar, the vampire had a feeling of déjà-vu as he recalled the other time he had also helped the cop from a fight scene. Only then the beast that had hurt the man had been him.
It was clear that the police officer painfully suffered with every step that he took, but he stayed silent.
Typical! He’s too proud and hardheaded to admit that he hurts! the prince thought as they finally reached the car and Mike climbed in under his own power.
It took them ten minutes to reach Mike’s home and another ten to get Mike inside.
Wordlessly, Henry retrieved the first aid kit and patched the other man up. Surprisingly, Celluci endured the whole procedure in silence except for a few hisses and groans.
The human was so exhausted that he did not resist as the vampire tucked him in. When his savior turned to leave, Mike caught the smaller man’s wrist and whispered sleepily:
“Thank you!” before finally succumbing to his fatigue.
Taking the hand that still rested on his wrist and tenderly laying it on the mortal’s stomach, Henry swallowed once before he answered softly, but from the bottom of his heart:
“You are welcome!”
***
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