Chapter Text
The door to the office burst open and Charles shouldered his way through it, carrying something that shimmered and rippled. Edwin followed him in and swung the door closed behind them. When he turned back to the room, Charles had already set down what he’d been carrying and whipped off the enchanted shroud to reveal an unconscious Crystal. There was still blood smeared on her neck and Charles stepped back from her, clutching at his hair.
“Fuck, Edwin, the shroud’s covered in blood.” He spun to Edwin, his eyes wide and filled with panic. Edwin quickly moved closer, wanting desperately to calm him down, but knew he wouldn’t be successful. “We should have taken her to a hospital!”
Edwin shook his head. “We can’t. What are we going to tell them? A vampire we were tracking to stop them from killing during the darkest days of winter attacked her? That they got a couple of good gulps from her before we managed to chase him off? Besides which, whether they believed us or not, they would call the authorities, and they’d have to investigate. They would end up being killed themselves!”
“Well, we can’t do nothing! Those plasters aren’t gonna cut it, Edwin.”
“She merely needs some rest,” Edwin told him. “And fluids. Soup, tea… That sort of thing.”
“She needs a blood transfusion!”
“Well, seeing as we cannot give her any of ours, we are stuck with bed rest” - Edwin glanced at the couch - “of a sort - and making sure she has plenty of water. Her body will replenish her blood in good time.”
“Fuck!” Charles shouted and Edwin jolted with surprise. His friend turned and kicked at the rug and, when that wasn’t satisfying enough, kicked the chair that their clients sat in. “I was supposed to protect her,” he snapped.
“I-” Edwin began.
“I can protect myself,” snapped Crystal, her voice still groggy. “He just surprised me, is all. With his… hypnotic thing.”
“His thrall,” Edwin corrected, absently. He crossed over to her. “So it was a male vampire? I was unsure, since a couple of his victims have been men, while the majority have been female.”
Crystal snorted and tried to push herself upright. “There’s such a thing as bisexuality, you know.” She slipped and fell back down onto the couch. Charles gasped and rushed to help her, his hands on her shoulders, her arms - until Crystal pushed him away. “Stop it!” she snapped. “I’m fine.” Biting his lip, Charles stepped back and allowed Crystal the room she needed to breathe. Crystal finally pushed herself up until she was propped against the back of the couch. She let her head fall back and let out a long, breathy groan.
Edwin waited until all movement had ceased, and another beat to make sure neither Charles nor Crystal would speak, before he said, “What do you remember from the attack, Crystal?”
“Jesus, Eds,” Charles said, frowning at him. “Let her breathe. She only just woke up. And she’s lost a lot of blood, remember?”
“I hardly need the reminder,” Edwin told him. He looked away from Charles and when he looked down he saw that his fists were pressing together. Sighing, he let his hands drop to his sides. “But you seem to be forgetting that we let the vampire escape and that the nights are steadily getting shorter. He will be able to attack more and more people unless we stop him right now.”
“I know that,” Charles protested. “But a few minutes of breathing room for Crystal to, like, gather her thoughts isn’t gonna make the difference, yeah?”
“I don’t need a few minutes,” Crystal told them. She lifted her head to glare at Charles for some reason. “I’m fine. Edwin.” He blinked as Crystal turned to him and her expression changed from irritation to concentration. “I remember that you two decided to go in, since you thought it was oh, so dangerous. As soon as I couldn’t see or hear you, I felt something… enticing. And then I could almost hear… music. Romantic, dramatic music. Like the sort you hear them using for a tango or a paso doble on Strictly.”
“What is a ‘paso doble’?” Edwin asked with a frown, his notebook in hand.
“Never mind,” said Crystal. “I wanted to investigate it, to begin with, and began to follow it. Just when I realised that it meant going down the alley next to the building, I wanted to follow it, no matter what. Everything else had become background noise. And then he was there, in the darkness, and he pulled me in and… Everything gets a little fuzzy after that.”
Edwin nodded and flipped back a page. “Yes, that would likely be a result of the… Well, for lack of a better word, ‘venom’.”
“Venom?!” Charles exclaimed.
“Yes, Charles,” said Edwin in exasperation. “It’s not harmful. In fact, it helps victims relax and, should the vampire only drink from them a little, will keep them sweet on them.”
“Excuse me?” said Crystal, eyebrow raised.
“If the vampire were to somehow manage to appear here right now, you would offer yourself to him without any fuss,” Edwin explained. “That is why you should either remain in the office, or go home. Charles, you should accompany her in the latter case - I do not think it wise for Crystal to be wandering around London on her own for the foreseeable future.”
“I’m not going to be sidelined just because of a bite mark!” Crystal protested.
“Edwin knows what he’s talking about,” Charles quickly argued. “If he thinks you’re far more vulnerable than before, then you probably are. You should go home.”
“You need my help!” Crystal snapped, fire in her eyes. “If we don’t stop this thing, then more innocent people are going to be killed!”
Seeing that this argument was going to escalate, Edwin held up a hand. “We can discuss this in more depth momentarily. Before that, we should really see that Crystal gets some fluids.”
Charles subsided at the clear mission that wouldn’t involve battling supernatural creatures. “Right,” he said. “I can go get some soup from the Chinese you like. Some tea, too. And bottles of water.”
“Thank you, Charles,” said Edwin with a small, encouraging smile. “Would you like me to accompany you?”
“No,” Charles said. “You keep Crystal company. Just in case.” Before Edwin or Crystal could reply, he turned and quickly stepped through their mirror.
With him gone, Edwin turned back to Crystal who was eyeing the door. She looked rather nervous suddenly, as if she didn’t want Charles to know how upset she was about her situation. Edwin couldn’t figure out what was going on with the two of them. Since Port Townsend, they had been together - or so he assumed, as neither of them had mentioned anything about their relationship. It was not something Edwin was keen to discuss either. But, in the last few days, perhaps the last fortnight, they had been arguing more and more.
“He is worried,” Edwin told her. “He means well.”
“I know,” said Crystal, tearing her eyes away from the door. “But I have powers. I don’t need him to throw himself into danger to save me.”
“They didn’t help you this time,” Edwin pointed out.
“I know,” Crystal snapped. She sighed. “I know. But his self-sacrificing protective streak has been getting worse lately. Ever since that case with the creepy doll.”
The case she was referring to had been horrid, for all of them. Crystal had communicated with the spirit, but it had turned out that the spirit was malevolent. It had latched onto Crystal and possessed her. After throwing Charles and Edwin around, the spirit had taken to hurting Crystal herself - until Crystal and her ancestors flung it out. Edwin had been able to banish the spirit to another realm in lieu of destroying it, but Charles had been unable to help. He hadn’t even been able to catch Crystal when she had collapsed.
Edwin supposed that he could see why Charles was reacting so intensely. He had been in a different room when Niko had died, hadn’t seen the horrifying suddenness of it. And, though he loved Niko as much as the rest of them did, Charles had been the one to hold it all together when Edwin and Crystal were grieving. Now, he had experienced the fear of nearly losing someone else and he was constantly on edge, waiting for it to happen.
Perhaps Edwin should take him aside after they had finished with the vampire and reassure him that he didn’t have to take responsibility for them all.
“And it doesn’t help,” Crystal said, “with that music. Where’s it coming from? It sounds… so familiar…” Crystal trailed off, her voice growing more indistinct with each word. Alarmed, Edwin looked at her and found that she was dazed, staring at the door again.
Of course, at that moment, the bell rang to announce a client. At least, it usually announced a client. In this instance, it seemed to be announcing a vampire. Edwin stayed very still, as if the vampire would be able to tell he was there if he made a noise. He suspected that the vampire might be able to sense him, since Edwin had sent a fireball at him, close enough to singe but sadly not enough to burn.
Crystal suddenly sat up properly and Edwin knew that she was once more in its thrall. She had an adoring expression upon her face and Edwin hoped that Charles would never see that directed upon anyone but him. He would be angry that someone was taking Crystal’s will away. Edwin would have to act fast.
First, he grabbed Crystal by the shoulders and pushed her back down so that she was laying on the couch. “Stay still, Crystal. I will deal with this.” Then he strode towards the scrying glass they had installed so that they could tell clients whether they could enter or not. He would tell the vampire that he was not invited in and that would keep him out until Charles returned and they could work out a way to trap and stake the thing.
When he looked into the glass, however, he paused, eyes wide. Except for Charles, Edwin had never seen a more handsome man. He had a young face with a charming smile, slender and smooth. His hair was a messy bundle of black curls which fell to his chin. Pretty, chocolate brown eyes blinked into the corresponding scrying glass, entirely guileless. Just like Charles, he was wearing eyeliner, but his was blue and made an interesting contrast against his dark skin. A dangling earring glinted in the light that was above the door, a little skull and crossbones. He was wearing a long, black coat and a blue scarf, though Edwin supposed he didn’t need it.
Edwin blinked, surprised. Crystal had told them that she’d been in his thrall, but he hadn’t expected someone so attractive. It made him feel rather flustered and, for a long moment, he was unable to speak. Eventually, the man - vampire - spoke up.
“Hello?” he said, his voice deep and melodic. “Is anyone there?”
Clearing his throat, Edwin said, “Ah, yes. I do apologise. We are currently dealing with a bit of a mishap at the moment and are not entertaining clients presently. Therefore, I cannot invite you in.” He made sure to enunciate each word so it was clear that the vampire had no way inside.
“You can’t,” the vampire said. “But you want to. Don’t you?”
“I…” Edwin stopped himself from saying anything else. He shook his head to clear it. This was rapidly turning into a Cat King situation and he had to nip it in the bud. “I have to return to our work. If you could kindly leave our premises.”
“The thing is,” the vampire said, rather sweetly, “I can tell that no-one owns this building. It’s not yours. And I don’t need an invitation.” With that, he strode towards the door and out of sight of the glass.
“Oh, dear,” said Edwin. He turned on his heel and briskly made his way to Crystal’s side. There was no way to move her; she couldn’t travel through the mirrors. All he could do would be to prevent her from being found.
Grabbing the shroud, Edwin also grabbed a book called Home Invasions; Magical Preventions and Revenge Spells . He made his way back to Crystal’s side where she was still lying down, her eyelashes fluttering. She seemed to be fighting against the thrall. “He’s here, isn’t he?” she asked, breathlessly.
“Yes,” Edwin informed her. “And I am afraid that he has managed to invite himself in. I do not have much time, but I am going to use two spells on you. One to keep you stuck to the couch, the other to keep him from getting close to you. The former will not be terribly strong, though it should do the job; I do not want you to feel trapped. And I’ll cover you with this to keep him from seeing you. He will not bite you again.”
Crystal gave him a faint smile. Edwin did as he had said. It was a quick, clumsy casting and he hoped it would hold against the vampire. He had barely settled the shroud over Crystal when the door burst open once more.
Edwin spun around and took a surreptitious couple of steps away from the couch. “Good evening,” he said. “Like I said, we cannot accommodate your request at the moment. Perhaps you can come at another-”
“I’m afraid,” said the vampire, “that I’m not here for you.” He looked straight at the couch.
Eyes wide, Edwin quickly stepped between the vampire and the couch. “And I am afraid that I must ask you to leave before I-”
The vampire merely reached out to Edwin and shoved him aside. Edwin flew across the room with a gasp and collided with the bookshelf. He willed himself incorporeal just as several books fell on top of, then through, him. Feeling a little dazed, he pulled himself to his feet and looked around. A satisfied smile spread across his lips.
His spell to keep the vampire away from Crystal had held and he was currently struggling against it. As he stepped to and fro, trying to find a weak point, Edwin took his time to right himself. Once he was ready, he moved across the room. “As I was saying, I must ask you to leave. I do know several fire spells, and I am sure each one would be effective on you.”
Edwin hadn’t been expecting the vampire to stop, so he was surprised when the vampire froze. Then he turned to Edwin with sudden interest. Raising an eyebrow, Edwin waited for a further reaction - a retort, more violence, a threatening retreat. Instead, the vampire smiled and Edwin was stunned by how beautiful he was.
So stunned was he, that the vampire was able to walk right up to him. There was something at the edge of Edwin’s awareness and he strained to figure out what it was. But it didn’t matter once the vampire was staring right into Edwin’s eyes, his hand raised. Edwin blinked at it and waited for whatever might come, his eyes lidded.
Slowly, those fingers caressed Edwin’s cheek. Edwin knew that something was wrong. The boy - man - vampire - before him wasn’t the right person. There was no cheeky grin or caring gaze. Instead, there was a smug glint in his eye and lips that were being poked by fangs. But Edwin couldn’t remember why he shouldn’t let the boy kiss him.
And kiss him he did, with a firm press. Edwin, who had never really been able to kiss someone back, jumped at the chance to do so. It was a very sharp kiss, though Edwin could barely feel anything. Still, there was a part of him that could. Just like Charles had said, once upon a time, about Crystal.
Sudden realisation flooded Edwin and he pulled back. “Wha-?” he began, but the vampire used the fingers on Edwin’s face to tilt Edwin’s head. He couldn’t fight it, feeling quite weak at the knees. He tried to speak again but gasped instead when the vampire ducked down and suddenly bit Edwin’s neck.
It shouldn’t have mattered. Edwin didn’t have blood. Vampires fed on blood. But several old tomes spoke to the fact that vampires fed on the energy in the blood. That there were different kinds of vampires who fed on different kinds of energy. And ghosts were made of energy.
Edwin gasped again and grasped the vampire’s arms. He tried to shove him off, but he suddenly felt weak. After a few more tries, Edwin realised that his form was flickering. If this kept up, the vampire could drain him entirely. In a last ditch attempt to stop him, Edwin began to recite a spell.
A hand suddenly covered Edwin’s mouth. At the same time, Edwin felt something strangely hot spread from his neck to his entire body. Edwin’s gasp was muffled as his knees gave out. He turned his head willingly and knew that the venom had entered his system - somehow - before his resistance completely crumbled.
“Oi!” a voice suddenly shouted from the corner of the room. “Get offa him, prick!”
There was a thump, a brief pain in Edwin’s neck, a crash. Edwin felt his spells fail. Another thud. Edwin struggled to open his eyes, breathing heavily. A soft caress, voices. Edwin reached for one of them, though he couldn’t tell which one.
Then someone spoke into his ear. “Let’s have a bit of fun,” said the deep, melodic voice. “Come find me, if you can. Then, on the solstice, you will come to me. Leave your friends behind and come to me.”
With a whooshing sound, everything seemed to still. Edwin’s eyes flickered open and his head swam as he tried to get up from where he lay. That voice… What voice? There was something he had to tell Charles who was already at his side, fussing over him. Something about the solstice, something he had to do. But he couldn’t quite remember… Maybe it would come back to him in time for the solstice and he would be able to solve the case.
For now, he had to rest, and he let his form shrink down into an orb that Charles would easily be able to look after.