There's more than meets the eye 'round here

Dan got them back to Christina’s apartment in less than 15 minutes, half due to skilful driving and the other half due to pure luck. Gates scooped Christina into his arms and practically flew up the stairs to her apartment. He began to bang furiously on the door with his elbow.

“Zacky!!”

No answer.

“Zacky for fuck sake answer the goddamn door!!”

He kicked the door repeatedly. Zacky finally opened the door and stared at Christina’s limp form in Gates arms.

“Holy shit, what did you do to her?!”

Gates shoved him out of the way and ran to the bathroom.

“Zacky, don’t just stand there! I need your help! Run me the coldest bath you can, add extra ice if you have it. Then find me every bottle of holy water in this place!”

Zacky nodded in compliance, turned on the cold water and ran out of the room. He returned moments later with a bucketful of ice.

“Throw it into the bath then go find the damn holy water!”

Zacky did what he was told. Gates set to work removing Christina’s outer layers. Once she was in her underwear, he gently lowered her into the freezing water. She lay unmoving in the clear water.

“Come on Chrissie, wake up.”

He shook her gently, but nothing.

“I’m sorry I have to do this….”

He pushed her under the water momentarily before pulling her back above the surface. She opened her eyes, gasping for air and spluttering just as Zacky ran back into the room, juggling several bottles of holy water in his arms.

“Oh thank fuck Chrissie, you’re awake!”

“Zacky, shut up and put the bottles on the ledge there, then climb in behind her and hold her shoulders still. She won’t like this one bit.”

He gave Gates a concerned look and climbed into the icy water behind Christina, holding her upper half against his legs. Gates climbed in, sitting across her legs. She looked worriedly between the both of them.

“What are you going to do to me?”

Zacky stroked her hair soothingly.

“Sweetie, you know you were bitten by a nasty vampire?”

“Yeah…”

“We have to cleanse the wound, and it’s gonna hurt. It will probably feel like acid on your skin.”

“Just do what has to be done…”

She squeezed her eyes shut as Gates picked up a bottle from the ledge. He opened it and took a deep breath in before pouring a drop onto the open wound on Christina’s neck. The wound hissed and bubbled, causing Christina to scream loudly. She tried to squirm away from under the guys.

“Chrissie, please relax, it’ll be over soon, I promise.”

Zacky wrapped his arms tightly around her chest.

“Dig your nails into my arms if it helps with the pain.”

She did just that when Gates poured the next drops on. It felt like someone shoving a red hot fire poker into her neck. Tears streamed down her cheeks in hot droplets. A cold sweat had broken out on her brow, but as the minutes ticked bye and each drop landed on her skin, she felt the pain subsiding. Gates stopped and looked at her a few minutes later.

“Does it burn anymore?”

She shook her head gently and sat up gingerly in the water.

“Thank you guys so much, you pretty much saved my life.”

She glanced at Zackys arms and her hand flew to her mouth when she saw the small trails of blood running down his arms from the crescent shaped indentations her nails had left in his skin.

“Oh my god Zack, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Chrissie, it doesn’t hurt. Don’t be sorry.”

He hugged her tightly.

“You’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

Gates stepped out of the bath and handed Christina a towel.

“Zack, can I borrow a pair of sweatpants just until my clothes dry off?”

“Sure thing man. I’ll grab them for you now.”

Gates watched the other man leave the room, a trail of water left in his wake. Christina carefully stood up and wrapped the towel tightly around herself. She was still shivering from the temperature of the bath. Gates scooped her up into his arms and held her body tightly to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Come on beautiful, let’s get you into bed and warm you up.”

He carried her into her room and laid her on the bed. Zacky walked in and handed Gates the sweatpants.

“Listen man, any problems, or if you need me, call me. I’m right next door.”

He bid the pair goodnight and closed the door. Gates quickly peeled off his wet clothes and changed into the sweatpants before sitting back on the edge of the bed. Christina was under the bedcovers by now but she was still shivering profusely.

“Chrissie, are you okay?”

“I’m freezing, Gates.”

Her teeth started chattering together loudly. Without a second thought, Gates climbed under the covers and pressed his body against hers, wrapping his arm around her waist.

“Holy shit Gates, you’re roasting!”

She cuddled closer to him, wrapping her legs around his.

“Wolves have a higher body temperature range than humans; the cold bath brought it up this high, so I’m your personal radiator for the night.”

“Thanks Gates.”

He gave her a soothing kiss on the forehead.

“My pleasure. Now try get some sleep. You’ve had a traumatic experience and rest will do you good. Me and Zack are here to protect you, and Dan is watching outside, so don’t worry your pretty little head.”

He stroked her hair gently for several minutes until she had finally nodded off against his chest, and he finally felt comfortable enough to sleep himself.

Notes