[Victor]Ever since Dennis helped bind Echo to Grayson and me, we shared dreams. It didn’t need to be renewed and it meant that I would dream if Echo was sleeping at the same time I took my rest. It was an interesting experience. As the investigation into the suspicious community grew, we gathered more information. What we were mainly doing was getting as much as we could while Harmony trained. When we went in to clear out the darkness and everything else, we were going to be prepared for everything. So far, we had learned that the people in the community worshipped some sort of god. There were steps for them to be able to see him and none of our spies had gotten to that point. Methods of punishment and reward drove followers to obey. The fae spy reported that the leader really did run the community like a cult. He was called ‘the prophet’ and was the only one who could speak to the god and get a response. It was said that it was because he was a powerful moral fae, but the fae spy hadn’t met him yet. They were far more suspicious of her than of the others. Our spy had disappeared, though. After a week in the community, coming and going as he pleased, he suddenly stopped showing up for the meet ups we planned. None of the other spies knew anything. No matter how much I wanted to go find him, I knew I couldn’t. He put his life on the line to gain information for us and it seemed that he may have lost that life. It was a pity, but he knew the risks when he volunteered. My phone started ringing as I tore my attention away from the computer screen. I picked up the land line. “Hello?” “Victor, I was hoping I didn’t call too late,” Alpha Trent said. “I lost track of the time. I was trying to figure out... all of it. How did a supernatural cult even come to be? Could we have stopped it if I had arrived sooner?” “Don’t do that to yourself, Victor. No one had any idea of what was going on. I’ve been Alpha for over five years and I had no clue. My father had no clue either. There’s no telling what caused it, but it wasn’t the lack of a master vampire in the area,” he replied. “I am sorry. It’s in my nature to think I could have fixed things. That wasn’t what you were calling about. How can I help you before I have my rest, Alpha?” I asked. “Our spy managed to sneak off to the area where the vampires live in the cult. He gave me his report and told me it may be a while before we hear from him again. Apparently, his visit agitated the vampires and the prophet is trying to figure out who bothered them. “If he figures out my spy did it, then my spy expects to be locked up for a while. He said he didn’t know what the punishment would be, but he was certain that it would happen.” “Right, I can imagine that it’s to keep people in line. I have been researching how cult leaders among humans keep control. It’s abusive and manipulative. If this man is following their example, then your wolf will definitely be punished for disturbing the vampires. What did he see?” I asked. “He didn’t get too close, but he did manage to see that the vampires were being kept in a separate area from the rest of the community. They were being treated like prisoners, locked up and guarded at all times. Our spy said it looked like they didn’t mind it, though,” Alpha Trent replied.“They didn’t mind having their freedom taken?” That was impossible. Vampires hated being imprisoned. We were one of the strongest beings on Earth and we never stayed where we didn’t want to be. Of course, that was what made vampires being involved in this community even harder to believe. The draw of the territory, before I arrived, was the fact that it was essentially lawless for vampires. They could do as they pleased whenever they pleased. “He said all of the vampires were docile. They didn’t speak, they were obedient to the people who were directing them, and there was this feeling of peace in the area. He said it was like peace was radiating from somewhere and all of the vampires were caught up in it.” As Alpha Trent spoke, I could feel my unease growing. This was not how vampires acted, especially not when they were locked up and treated like prisoners. The feeling of peace was also something that seemed off, as if it was being forced upon the vampires.“Some sort of brain washing?” I asked. “Possibly. I know vampires can be susceptible to brain washing from a more powerful vampire, but do you think it might be something like vampire hypnosis?” “There are more creatures in the world that use hypnosis and mind control. Only very few vampires are immune to it, especially from something like a fae. Harmony should be immune, though. None of the triplets can be controlled by anyone as far as we’ve seen.” “I’ll make sure to talk to her about it. Mind control could make this fight a lot harder, Victor. This isn’t just the typical mental and emotional abuse done by humans. Depending on the situation, he might be able to control people on our side,” Trent said. “We should talk to the witches about charms against mind control. It would give them plenty of time to get enough made for everyone,” I suggested. “Great idea. I’ll get in touch with Queen Maeve and see if she has any ideas about fae who can mind control. It would be helpful if we could get a description of the prophet without his glamour, but we may not get that chance before Harmony is ready,” he replied. “Did the warlock tell you how her training is going?” Trent sighed. “Slow. He said it will take quite a while because of all the pushback he’s gotten from her. Harmony doesn’t like Rhett and it causes her to lose focus and react to him. Part of it is the hormones. The other part is being a dominant wolf and Rhett is a threat she can’t assess properly.” Harmony was stubborn in a lot of things. She had been the most vocal of Echo’s siblings in regards to my relationship with Echo. Though we were getting along better lately, I still knew Harmony thought I wasn’t worthy of being with Echo, especially with Grayson in the picture. Her stubbornness when it came to Rhett would need to be dealt with. If she was the only way we could defeat the cult leader, then she needed to focus on that. I wasn’t angry, though. She was a child. We were asking a lot of a child who had been raised human. She was only just learning about the wider world at large. At the same time, she was dealing with being on her own, being married, and a pregnancy. Harmony was trying her hardest and I would always remind people of that fact. She would always have me in her corner. I was her brother-in-law, whether she wanted me or not. “Harmony is doing her best. She is still learning everything. I trust that she will figure it all out before this is a problem she can’t help with anymore,” I told him. “It’s hard to remember that she doesn’t know anything about the supernatural world at her age. I look at her and see an adult werewolf. Sometimes I forget she is practically human.” “I understand. As soon as she’s ready, we’ll prepare our attack. I won’t be sending any more vampires in. It seems like they have a way to control them and I don’t want too much of our plan getting out. It’s a good thing that we didn’t tell the spies anything about our plan. The sun is getting rather high. I need to go take my rest, Alpha. Thank you for the call,” I said. “No problem, Master Nightshade. Our alliance is very important to me and I promised to keep you updated. Go get some sleep. I’ll call you in the evening if we learn anything.” With that, we ended the call. Many people had been against an alliance between the vampires and the werewolves. Several vampires told me it wouldn’t work because werewolves were little better than animals. Back when I decided on it, I hadn’t realized I would be sharing my life, my home, and my wife with a werewolf. I locked my computer and headed up to the bedroom. The door opened before I could touch the handle. Grayson came out of our room and closed the door gently. He seemed slightly startled to see me. “I was going to go get some breakfast for Echo. She’s still sleeping. I don’t know why she’s so tired all the time still, but she woke up just long enough to tell me her stomach was ‘twisty’. Is there some sort of bug vampires or dhampyrs can get?” Grayson asked. “We are immune from most viruses and bacteria. The ones we are vulnerable to, she hasn’t come in contact with. Make sure it’s nothing too heavy. Let her rest with me if she needs it. Perhaps a lack of sleep has made her susceptible to a cold or flu.” He nodded. “Yeah, I don’t want her getting sicker. Looks like I’m on my own for my day off.” I smiled and patted his shoulder. Grayson had become more like a friend over the months since we married Echo. He fought by my side when we fought the hunters last May and I had never trusted a werewolf more. “I’m sure you’ll find something to occupy your time,” I said. Grayson nodded and gave me a small smile before heading down the stairs. I continued into our bedroom where I found Echo still asleep. She looked peaceful, the only movement being the rise and fall of her chest. I sat down on the bed beside her and ran my hand through her hair. She stirred but didn’t wake up. It was strange to see Echo so tired. She had always been full of energy and life. Leaning down, I kissed her forehead, then got up to dress for bed. After I was ready, I climbed into the bed with her and wrapped my arms around my sleeping Solus Amor. Echo’s sweet scent filled my senses. It had been over a month since I tasted her blood and it was as if I were going through withdrawals. The power of a dhampyr’s blood, especially Echo’s, was addictive to a vampire. I would never take her blood without permission, though. Echo groaned and snuggled into my arms. “I don’t feel good, Victor,” she whispered. I frowned, concern for my wife filling me. “What’s wrong, my love? Do you need me to call a doctor?” She shook her head, her eyes still closed. “No, I just feel sick to my stomach. And tired. So tired.” I brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead. “Is there anything I can do to help? Should I get you some water or a damp cloth?” Echo let out a small sigh. “No, thank you, Victor. Just holding me like this is enough. You’re so nice and cool to the touch.” I held her close, feeling the warmth of her body against mine. It was strange to see her like this. Echo was always vibrant, but she seemed weaker right now. “When is the last time you had blood?” I asked her. “I don’t remember,” she murmured. Grayson came in with a tray and went to the other side of the bed. I helped Echo sit up and he put the tray on her lap. On the tray was a small plate of eggs, a piece of toast, and a cup of ginger tea. Echo wrinkled her nose and pushed the eggs away from her. Grayson frowned. I understood his feelings. Echo never passed up on eggs. She nibbled on the toast and sipped the tea. “Grayson, will you put a few drops of blood into the tea?” I asked. “Sure,” he replied. Echo held her cup close. “He’s O-type blood. That won’t taste very good.” “I know O-type blood and ginger isn’t the best combination, but you need blood and I don’t want to send him down for a spoonful of the A-type blood in the fridge. Come on, Princess. The next cup of tea will have A blood. I promise.” She sighed and held out the cup. Grayson pierced the tip of his finger with his claw and carefully let the blood drip into Echo’s cup of tea. When there was enough, I took his hand and sealed the wound. Grayson made sure to focus on Echo whenever I sealed his wounds. It would make him blush if he looked at me and Echo would encourage us to kiss. She loved when Grayson blushed, especially if I was the cause of it. That made us both uncomfortable. Echo drank the blood infused tea, but she didn’t seem to be too happy about it. Once she was finished, Grayson removed the tray and we laid down. Echo rested her head on my chest and was asleep again in moments. Grayson tucked some hair behind her ear and gazed at her with a loving expression that I was sure I was mimicking. “Will she be okay? Was it just that she didn’t have enough blood?” Grayson asked. “It’s possible. She must have stopped having blood when the nightmares were at their worst last month and forgot to restart.” Grayson nodded, his expression serious. “I’ll make sure she’s having blood every morning from now on.”“Thank you, Grayson,” I said, grateful for his thoughtfulness.We fell silent, both lost in our thoughts. It was strange to see Echo like this, weakened and vulnerable. I had always known she was strong, but I realized now that I had taken her resilience for granted.“I’ll go take care of the dishes. You’ll be falling asleep soon. I’ll keep an eye on Echo throughout the day. Don’t worry about her,” he whispered, then picked up the tray from the bed and left the room. The sun pulled at my consciousness. I could feel myself drifting into my rest. At least it wouldn’t be a world of darkness again. I would have the dreams I shared with Echo.