I sighed as James still had not fallen back to sleep and I bit my lip as I looked at him as he had rolled over to his side every now and then he would whine in pain but otherwise he was talking with us. I bit my lip thinking about it. "Onyx," I said softly pulling him aside.
"Yes, Princess?" He asked me.
I grabbed the map and the cash mother gave me. "This place is a butcher go get some fresh blood and this should pay for it," I said holding up the money.
"Okay, how much do you want."
"At least a pint no more than a gallon," I tell him.
"Yes, Princess." He said as he stepped out and I went and sat back down with them.
"What are you thinking Dia?" James asked me.
"I think that we need to get some blood in you so that way the venom can have something to eat," I tell him.
"What kind of blood?" He asked me.
"Animal," I tell him. "I have never had human blood and I never plan on it," I tell him as I reach over and play with one of his curls. "I am hoping that we can get you back to sleep before you finally step of turning."
"Why?" He asked.
I sighed as I ran my fingers through his hair. "It's extremely painful because of how the venom finishes eating the last of your blood and your heart will stop. From what I have heard from the caretakers is it's similar to a heart attack and it's about 10 times more painful."
"Oh great." He groaned as he hissed as his eyes started bleeding red. "Oh, goddess everything is so loud."
"Fuck." I said as I pulled the earings off I would have less of a heard time than a new born. " I am sorry if this hurts," I said as I rolled him onto his back pinning him and pricing his ears with the blunt studs but it would stop the heartbeats.
"Why did you do that?" He asked whining.
"Because young one's like you heartbeats drive your hunger and there are so many heartbeats here that it's safer for you to have the heartbeat stoppers than me," I tell him softly as I got off him as Onyx came in.
"Princess we have an issue." He said as he shut the door.
"What issue?" I asked.
"Your Uncle is on his way up." I sighed as I rubbed my face.
"That's a good thing maybe they know how to put him back to sleep," I said taking the blood from him.
"He also knows you left the room." He said softly.
"Then he also knows why I left the room." I huffed.
"Besides I stayed!" Xaver said with a grin.
"Diana are you okay?" Mother asked as the door slammed open.
"Yes mother I am fine but where is Father and Uncle Var we have a bit of an issue here."
"I am an issue," James asked me.
"You're up before your heart stopped yes I call that an issue," I tell him.
"Diana!" My uncle hissed as he comes into the room.
"Before you start a nest," I said pointing at James. Uncle's eyes widen as he sees James awake.
"You should not be awake yet." He said moving to sit with him.
While he was distracted I turned to Mother. "I need a new set of earrings I gave mine to James."
"Give me an hour and I will have you a new set." She nods and leaves the room.
"Are you alright?" Father asked me as I rubbed my ears as the heartbeats sound like drums.
"I am fine Father," I said softly as I poured out a cup of blood.
"Diana, what is with you and armed gunmen?" He asked me.
"I really wish I had an answer for that," I said as I walked over to them and sat beside him and gave him the cup.
"Is that?" Uncle said.
"It's the only thing I can think of that may put him back to sleep for the last stage of the turning," I said softly.
Uncle nods. "Point." He agreed then he sighed and looked at me. "Why?" He asked.
"I wasn't going to I was just going to hold them in the er but there was Kid's uncle. And that's when someone woke up and told me to go protect them." I tell him making James blush as he drank the blood.
"I did tell her to help the kids." He agreed.
He sighed and looked at Xavier. "Did you stay with him during this time?" He asked him.
"Yup I did." He said smiling and Uncle sighed as he looked at me than James then Xavier.
"I am torn I want to be mad at you let him be vulnerable but you did leave a family member with him and proud that you protected the children." He sighed.
"I know I know." I agreed with him. "I was about to send in a strick team of the available guards when he woke up and told me to go," I tell him.
Uncle hummed then he sighed. "You also left Onyx here yes?" He asked me.
"Yes, I did." I agreed with him.
He sighed as he looks at me. "I cannot be mad that you did the very thing you were always taught to do to protect the children." I smiled at him as James rubbed his eyes and yawned.
"Well it looks like your idea worked," James said. "I am so tired." He said as he curls back up into the nest of blankets he had moved and round and covered up.
"Rest James we will be here when you wake," Uncle tells him.
"Okay." He muttered as his breathing leveled out and he fell back to sleep and I sighed as I leaned back against the post of the nest and sighed.
"Smart thinking," Father said.
"I was thinking maybe because of how much blood loss he had the venom didn't have enough to eat for the turning," I tell him.
"That is very likely." Father agreed.
"I am sure your mate will be happy to have you back," Uncle said with a smirk.
"I am sure he will. I am sure he will be happier to have me as his guard over Loren I know she can be a handful." I laughed at him.
"I know she not very good at keeping her mouth shut during breaks." Uncle sighs.
"I know she is better than Kat though." I chuckle.
"I have had to nearly ground her to the hotel the other day Kat was about ready to take someone's head off for touching her ass," Father said.
"Can you blame her?" I asked him.
"No, but she can't take someone's head off." He sighed as I crawled up behind James to rest knowing what is going to come was not going to be pretty. Xavier curled up behind me and yawned as he fell almost right to sleep.
"Father makes sure Onyx talks to Mother please," I said before dropping off to sleep as best I could before I had the heartbeat blockers.
"Rest then lovely. Now, why do you need to speak to Cornelia?"
I got woken up to a shriek and I came up and James was seizing. "He is turning," Uncle said as he pushed him back onto the nest and the door slammed open.
"Caretaker please leave now is not a good time," Father said as we cradled him as the beeping machine made a knows and he stills and his eyes open and they are pitch blank.
"Good James you are almost done your okay," Uncle said as he patted his head and I hummed softly. After ten minutes his body stopped moving and the black slowly bleed from his eyes he started breathing again as he groaned. "James son can you hear me?" He asked softly.
"Head and mouth hurts." He whined.
"Father let the caretaker turn off the beeping thing please." I said to him.
"Right." He said and then I hear her foot seeps and looked up and she pressed buttons on the thing.
"Is it over?" James asked.
"Yea the turning is over." Uncle said.
"I see why you said it was best to try and sleep thought that." He said as he curled into uncle. "Is it normal to e tired?"
I snorted. "I spent a week in my nest gaining my strength back from my turning." I tell him.
"Yes but you had a lot more damage for your turning to fix." Father said as Xavier blinked at us.
"That was scary." He said softly.
"The turning can be scary." Uncle said as he helped James sit up.
"I will say." Caretaker Lily said with a hard look. "Are you planning on letting anyone younger then 17 be turned?" She demanded.
"Personally no one younger then 15 should ever be turned." Uncle said.
"14 is pushing it but if its the only way to save them." I shrugged. "Anyone younger then that you end up cursing to a half life where they mind will grow and develop but their bodies never grow."