Midnight City (boyxboy)

|Thirty One: Run Cried the Crawling|

Claudia didn't think she had ever been more furious in her life. 

"What the hell happened?" 

Theo was the one who greeted her at the door, a small townhouse in Moonlight City where Dolphus and his girlfriend Avery resided. The former was inside, taking care of the attack from one of his fellow pack members, and the latter had gone out to retrieve more ingredients for some healing lotions. 

The look in the Princess's eyes was animal, the snarl feral as she stormed through the front door, heels clicking loudly on the wooden floorboards. A warning to the people inside that she was here and not in a good mood. A shudder zipped down his spine before Theo quickly turned to follow her, a lost puppy trailing his master. 

Unlike the werewolf den, the townhouse was homely, with a lit fireplace, flames burning in the hearth to warm the great room. Claudia had always suspected that if it wasn't for his elf girlfriend, Dolphus would live in filth and squalor like any other wolf. Yet the place was immaculate, kept clean by a typical busybody elf who for some reason picked the dirtiest species to share a bed with. 

Nothing against Avery, of course. They were good friends, after all. 

However, Cassius had called her in a panic. Asking for her help. Asking for her. She'd listened to her brother's request without hesitation, still without having heard the full story. Cassius had hung up before she could question him. Instead, the Prince had opted to wait until she arrived before he explained anything about what was going on. 

Luckily, when she entered the home, she couldn't scent the angel who admittedly, she couldn't stand the thought of. Only a lingering scent of him remained on her brother, who was leaning against the mantel with his fingers rubbing his temples. She sensed his hunger immediately, noticing the drained appearance, the bloodless lips, the vacant look in his golden eyes. 

Claudia didn't say hello before throwing him a blood bag, ignoring the grateful look he gave her before he devoured the entire bag in less than two seconds. Snorting, his sister finally surveyed the room, and what she saw had her body submitting to complete stillness.

The human was unconscious, his eyes closed and face expressionless. A face that would have been handsome were it not for the deep gash on his cheek, which she suspected would have expelled a hefty amount of blood before the wound clotted. But that wasn't what had her body stilling. It was the wound on his stomach, gory, still a mess despite his guts no longer hanging out of him. 

The vampire allowed her body to take a step forward, knowing everybody's eyes were on her as she moved, but she was unable to take her eyes off the mauled human. The blood... His blood... It didn't smell human anymore, and her swallow was audible, loud in her ears that listened to the small, strained breaths that he struggled to make. The rise and fall of his pale, exposed chest was the only other indication that he was still alive, barely. 

"What's his name?" She asked softly, her voice breathy like the wind. 

Cassius rarely heard that softness, and was shocked she had used it on someone she would likely call a 'pathetic human' in passing. Yet she was kneeling now, a dainty hand hesitantly brushing the cheek that hadn't been clawed open. Her golden eyes took in every one of his features, beginning with his full mouth. 

Still, he remained unmoving. Still, he remained as still as death, his brown hair matted to his sickly pale skin. 

"Nick," Theo said. Claudia didn't look at anyone but Nick. A pang of jealousy thrummed through the wizard, undeserving to feel that way, he knew. But it didn't prevent the hideous feeling from flowing through his magical veins.