Luckily, they’d prepared for this attack, even though they hadn’t known it was coming.The pack had been preparing for war for months, and considering how many different species had participated, Kieran had planned for many different scenarios, including for vampires needing blood after the fight.Now that the fighting was over, people were rushing around, carrying containers filled with bags of blood.Rex grabbed two, biting into one and grimacing at the taste of cold blood.There hadn’t been time to warm it or make it more palatable, but he doubted that any of the wounded vampires would care about that.
He was one of the lucky ones.He had a few scratches and aches, but he’d come out of this fight in one piece and not bleeding much.The same couldn’t be said for some of the people around him.
That included Harmon.The vampire barely reacted when Rex stopped next to him.His head rolled against the tree again, and he blinked up, but he didn’t say anything.His eyes were a little dazed, and he was so pale that no one would be surprised to find out he was a vampire.
He was also one of the most beautiful men Rex had ever seen.His long hair had initially been bound behind his neck, but it had come free at one point, and strands were plastered against his sweaty face.Some of the hair was dirty with blood, sticking to Harmon’s clothes and skin in a way that couldn’t be comfortable.
No one was comfortable right now.Maybe Rex could help make Harmon feel a bit better, though.
* * * *
HARMON WAS FLOATING.He’d been through enough fights that he knew it was because he’d lost a lot of blood, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.He should move, try to get blood or help of any kind, but it was beyond him.He didn’t even have the energy to yell for someone to help him.
He glanced down at his arm.It was still bleeding, though it had become more sluggish now.He was pretty sure that if he’d been human, he’d be dead already.It was just his luck that hewasn’thuman, but that luck might not hold much longer.
He wasn’t in a state that would allow him to find blood, which was a problem.When he’d been thinking that he wanted to retire as coven leader, this wasn’t what he’d had in mind.Hell, he hadn’t really had anything in mind.He’d just known that being a coven leader was starting to weigh heavily on his shoulders and that he wanted out, or at least, that he wanted help.
This was one way to get out of it, though.
At least he didn’t have to be afraid of being attacked again.He’d watched the fight between the two dragons.He was glad that Merrick had won and that he hadn’t had to watch a man he considered his brother die with his throat torn out.It hadn’t been a pretty sight, even though Harmon was used to dealing with blood.
“Hey there,” someone said.
Harmon rolled his head against the trunk of the tree he was leaning on.It scratched his skull and stung, but compared to the pain pulsing in his arm, it was nothing.
He stared at the tall man standing in front of him for a second.His sluggish brain was trying to make sense of what he was seeing and fit a name with the face, but it was taking him longer than it normally would have.
The man was tall and slender.His dark hair was messy, but his dark eyes were soft as they watched Harmon.The man’s shirt was torn and missing a piece at the bottom, and there was blood on his hands, but he seemed to be okay.
Good.
The man crouched next to Harmon and reached for him, but he stopped before touching him.“I’m Rex.My brother Alpin is dating Merrick.”
Harmon smiled.“I like Alpin.”
Rex snorted.“Everyone does, which is why it was so funny that Merrick initially hated him on sight.Alpin really has a knack for getting everyone to love him, though.”
“Merrick does love him a lot.”
“That’s what I said.”
He raised something he was holding, and Harmon blinked at it.His stomach growled, and he reached for the blood bag before he could even think about it.Rex pulled it back, causing Harmon to growl at him.
“You can have it,” he quickly said.“I’m just going to help you sit up a bit.I don’t want you to choke.You’re already in bad shape, you don’t need to add that to your problems.”
He wasn’t wrong.Harmon had been sliding down more and more as time passed.He wouldn’t be surprised to find himself flat on his back in five minutes.He was just so tired that he didn’t have the energy to keep himself up.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to do anything.Rex moved him gently, but it still hurt.Harmon told himself not to complain.The man was helping him, after all.It would’ve been easy for him to turn his attention to his family and ignore Harmon, but instead, he was here, offering him a blood bag.
“There,” Rex murmured as he held out the bag.
Harmon stared at it.He wanted to grab it, but he wasn’t sure he could raise his hands.Thankfully, Rex seemed to understand.He tore into the bag with his fangs before holding it up to Harmon’s lips.
Harmon felt better as soon as the blood hit his tongue.He drank it down greedily, knowing his body needed it.He wasn’t dying, but he might if he didn’t replenish the blood he’d lost.He’d been wondering how he was supposed to do that when he could barely move, and he was grateful for Rex’s help.He hadn’t expected it.
The blood helped.Harmon couldn’t say that he felt like new once he was done drinking, but he did feel better.It would take a few days and several more bags of blood to heal, but at least he didn’t feel like he was about to die on the forest ground anymore.
He’d been lucky.The wound was deep, but he could’ve been hurt in many different other ways that would have killed him sooner.He also could’ve been ignored until he died.He was pretty sure that was what would’ve happened if Rex hadn’t stepped in.Everyone was busy checking on their loved ones, and the only person Harmon was close to here was Merrick.Right now, he was getting fussed over by his boyfriend, and while he would have noticed that Harmon was down eventually, Harmon was glad his condition wouldn’t take Merrick away from Alpin.
