:: Syrath POV ::
I stared in horror as Puck told me what I needed to do in order to save Quinn. I don't think anyone noticed that one of the members of the medical team is the elusive trickster we've all been so wary of. I don't know how Puck managed to fool Orion but I'm amazed he's seriously sticking around to see this through.
The barrier was placed in order to stop Puck and others like him, who are after Quinn's life. But Puck has been hiding under our noses all along. He's been busy putting up spells and hexes all around the house, especially in Quinn's room for the past few days. When I asked him what it's for, he explained it's to ward off the unseelie creatures that are lured by the invisible power currently emanating from Quinn.
I never thought he'd be an unlikely ally. I never imagined Puck would switch sides so easily since he's been known to be loyal only to his master, the king of faeries, Oberon. But then again, all these could just be a trick to lull me to an illusion and a false sense of trust and security. Puck could be using my desperation to save Quinn while bidding his time. And at the last moment, he'd make me do the dirty deed of killing Quinn for him.
I kept thinking about my deal with him. Forming bargains with a fae of Robin Goodfellow's caliber is like making a deal with Satan himself. You never really know what you're going to get because there's too many loopholes to his fucking logic.
And now that Puck told me what I have to do, I feel like I've been duped into commitment and I bartered my soul for absolutely nothing!
"You fucking liar!" I hissed angrily. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!"
"Now, now, my lord." Puck smirked and his sly expression fanned my anger. "No need for name calling. I have not lied to you. Not yet anyway…"
"Damn you! Do you think I'd believe what you just said?" My hand shot out before I could consider what I was doing and grabbed Puck's damned neck. "Tell me truth or I swear, to everything I hold dear, I'd tear you to fucking shreds!"
"Don't be hasty, my lord," he breathed out harshly. He held my wrist desperately trying to pry it off but instead of letting go, I tightened my hold. "I'm not lying. I want to save my princess as much as you, perhaps even more!"
"And why should I believe you?" I growled. "You tried to kill her once. And now you're going to make me do it for you!"
I should have known better than to bargain with the devil. But it's done, I'm trapped. The deal is sealed and there's no other way around it. But I'd be damned if I let Puck have his way. If I kill him now we'd be even. I'd die too. Since I still owe him a favor, our bargain is still in effect. But Quinn and the children would be safe from him.
"My princess has dragon's blood in her!" Puck reasoned. "My future queen, her daughter, is draining the fae magic Titania gifted her. If you or your brother bites her, my princess' dragon blood would awaken and heal her dying body!"
"And if it doesn't?" I asked menacingly. "What then?"
"Well, I never said this plan is without risks..." Puck shrugged nonchalantly. Damn him!
A dragon's bite is lethal to any creature, supernatural or otherwise. If I do as Puck said and bite Quinn after the children are born, my venom would kill her in an instant. With Quinn's weakened physical state, she would not be able to withstand the poison from the bite.
And even if what Puck said is true, that with dragon's blood in her system Quinn would be immune to the venom, there is no guarantee that the bite would stimulate her body and heal her. There is a sixty, no, seventy percent chance that Quinn would die before her blood thickens and awakens the dragon inside her.
It is a gamble. A very terrible and low odds at that! This is Quinn's life we're dealing with and I have nothing but the word of a bona fide liar to guide me!
"I'm going to kill you!" I snarled, feeling the glacial force streaming in my veins. My fingers dug into Puck's skin and his eye color changed in tune with mine.
"Don't…" Puck breathed out as I slowly choked the life out of him.
"Give me one good reason!" I spat, unmercilessly. "Just one, Puck, and if I'm not satisfied…" I let the sentence hang and dug my nails deeper into his skin making him choke and cough out blood.
"If y-you bite the p-princess y-you'd be bound…" He choked out, desperately clawing at my arm. "Y-your life f-force w-would be hers and hers w-would be... y-yours."
"What do you mean?" I loosened my hold, just a fraction. I could feel an artery on the tip of my claws, a bit more and I could puncture it. Puck would not be able to escape but I need to hear what he has to say.
"You and her... you're connected by a magical bond. She could have chosen you and still be happy and fulfilled. With the bite, you would be able to save her life and claim her as your own." He explained. "That is what you desire most, is it not?"
I tightened my hold on Puck's neck again and lifted him off the floor. He struggled for a few seconds until he decided it's smarter to conserve his remaining strength.
"I would not betray my brother a second time!" I declared. "If someone is going to claim Quinn, it would be Raziel." I viciously threw Puck towards the nearby wall and turned to leave.
Puck coughed out more blood and started performing complicated magic to heal his injuries. I eyed him a second longer before reaching for the door.
"You would give her up just like that?" He croaked, successfully stopping me on my way out. "I'm giving you the perfect opportunity to have her for yourself. Why are you hesitating now?"
"I love Quinn, more than anything in this fucking world. Yes, I could make her happy. I have no doubt about that. But it would not be the same happiness she would share with Raziel! A greedy creature like you, who thrives in lies and deceiving others, would never understand!"
We glared at each other for some time before Puck turned away and sighed. "Very well, my lord. Have it your way." He stood on shaky knees and followed me out of the room. "Have my princess drink this before the bite." He said, handing me a vial with gold liquid swirling inside.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Phoenix's blood." He answered. "It would ensure her safety. It would speed up the change and help her heal faster while the dragon venom works its magic."
Of course, an immortal creature like the phoenix has limitless and untapped healing properties. But phoenixes have been extinct for hundreds of years. The last one was sighted over a thousand year ago.
"How did you acquire this?"
"I have my ways, my lord." He smirked arrogantly. "As you very well know."
I snorted in disgust and turned my head away, clutching the small bottle tightly in my hands. I sat outside the birthing room, leaned my elbows on my knees and rested my forehead on my closed fists. The anxiety I feel grows with every second that ticks by.
"It's almost time," Puck said after some time. "We have to go inside, every second counts and you cannot hesitate!" He warned.
Puck looked more strung than usual. Soon, I'd find out if he came through for me or guided me to eternal damnation. I don't care what happens to me after all this is done. I want Quinn to be safe. Alive. And if Puck is right and we manage to save Quinn's life, I'd gladly be his lap dog for the rest of my damned life.
"You will come away with me once my princess is safe." Puck stated flatly, staring intently at me. "I would have a hundred years of your life before I release you from our bargain."
"You don't scare me, Puck, not anymore." I sneered. "If Quinn survives, you could have your one hundred years and a day more. I would do your bidding and grant you your favor, no matter what it is. But remember this Robin Goodfellow, if by any chance you are tricking me and Quinn's life becomes forfeit because I believed in you. There would be no realm in heaven, hell or earth that you'd be able to hide from me. I will kill you. This I solemnly swear!"
"I think we'd get on famously, my lord!" Puck laughed at my threats but the color of his eyes cannot lie.
I've learned how to read Puck's emotions, a feat in itself. He could trick and fool anyone but he could never lie or fool me, not anymore.
:: Raziel POV ::
Four hours… I had to watch Quinn writhe and cry in pain for four fucking hours! By the time Nuri said it was time, I was ready to rip someone's head off just to relieve the tension coiled inside me. Quinn had gone beyond pale during those miserable hours. The light that had been blazing inside her, all through his labor, has now dulled to a faint glow.
The surgeons did what they could, as fast as they were able. Time was of the essence and every second counted. And everyone moved with efficiency and precision.
Our daughter was born first. She has a crown of golden curls on her little head, pale white skin with rosebud mouth and her eyes were purplish gray. She looked like a small replica of Quinn except for the color of her eyes. She was glowing so bright it was almost blinding. It's as if my little girl was trying to show off her magic for all to see.
Quinn took one look at her and whispered fondly, "Mauve…"
"Mauve…" I repeated the name, testing the sound and feel of it on my lips. "A beautiful name for a very beautiful girl. She looks just like you Quinn..."
Quinn smiled faintly before cringing for another contraction. Orion took my daughter and I watched as my son was born.
He has a lock of dark curls and steel grey eyes. Wyrmlings are born with perfect vision and hearing. My son looked at me with recognition in his eyes and my heart skipped a beat at the realization that I helped create this new life.
"Asher…" Quinn breathed out and Asher's small leathery wings fluttered wildly as Quinn reached out and brushed a finger on the baby's soft cheek. "Give them to me, Raziel. I want to hold them."
I nodded and placed Asher on her arm while Orion laid Mauve on the other. Quinn held them gently and securely to her chest. She kissed both their foreheads and whispered something in each of their ears that even with my enhanced hearing I couldn't make out.
I have lived for more than two hundred years. I've been through realms of humans and supernatural alike. I've seen a lot of precious and rare things in my life. But the picture, the three of them made, is the most beautiful in my eyes.
"I love you." Quinn whispered, giving me a teary smile.
"And I…"
"QUINN!" Nuri exclaimed as she started chanting furiously. Magic flowed from her hands to Quinn's body but even then, Quinn didn't stir.
I quickly handed Asher to Nuri as Orion took Mauve. The doctors moved to help revive her but something happened that none of us expected, except for my brother.
"Cease!" Robin Goodfellow declared pointing a wicked looking dagger against a doctor's neck.
Puck's eyes were burning bright red as he snarled at the unspeakable. The unspeakable is a shaman who could switch a healthy soul for a dying one by sacrificing the other's life so the host of the dying body could live. The unspeakable was my last resort to ensure Quinn's survival. With this, she would continue to live with our children, in exchange for my life. "If you so much as blink unseelie, I will kill you!"
Puck threw a spell around Nuri and Orion, placing an impenetrable barrier around them and the children.
"It was a mistake to invite this thing inside the house, my lord." Puck said as he turned to me. "It would have drained you, killed my princess and the children as well. The lot of them had been waiting for an opportunity to get their hands on the little prince and my future queen."
Before I could say anything, Syrath moved beside Quinn, checking her pulse and breathing. I could still hear Quinn's heart beating. But it's growing faint, slowing down to an alarming rate. If we don't do anything now, she'd be gone in a matter of seconds.
Syrath took out a vial with some sort of liquid inside. He removed the stopper and tilted the contents on Quinn's mouth, pouring the liquid down her throat.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I snarled at my brother pulling him away from Quinn.
"Trust me!" Syrath snarled back, shrugging me off. "Now bite her!"
I looked at him, aghast at the suggestion. Syrath knows, full well, that my bite would kill Quinn. Our venom is too potent and even with her dragon's blood, Quinn would not survive the bite in her current condition.
"I don't have time to argue, Raziel. Bite her!" Syrath screamed hysterically, his eyes were crazed as he pleaded with me to do as he bid without arguing further. "Please Raziel, just one last time. Brother please, trust me. If you won't bite her then I will!"
This is insanity!
"I will do this for you, Syrath. But know that if something happens to Quinn I would never forgive you!"
Syrath gave me a self-deprecating smile and said, "If something happens to her, I would never be able to forgive myself."
Syrath would never do anything to harm Quinn. If he thinks this way would work then I have no choice but to trust his judgment. We may have had a lot of differences lately but the only thing that would never change between us is our trust in each other. There would be time for explanations later. For now, saving Quinn is our priority.
I tilted Quinn's head to one side to give me better access and touched her skin to locate an artery.
"Make sure your venom is spread thoroughly before you retract your fangs, my lord." Puck chimed in before I could sink my fangs into Quinn's flesh. "Otherwise, there would be complications!"
So Puck is the instigator of this madness. His once blazing eyes have now changed to a stormy hue. And I finally understand that like us, Puck wants Quinn to survive this ordeal. Perhaps his desire even surpassed ours. The realization confused me but I have no time to dwell on Puck's motives right now.
I gently kissed Quinn's cold cheeks before clamping my teeth on the side of her neck, injecting her fragile body with my venom. Quinn thrashed from the invasion and the pain of the bite. I held fast and kept her down with the weight of my body, allowing my venom to flow freely in her system.
Quinn's blood filled my mouth. Her blood was sweet, intoxicating, a perfect mix of fae and dragon's blood. But there was something else lacing Quinn's bloodstream, something equally potent as my venom. But I've never encountered this sort of force before.
Once I was sure my venom was spread freely in Quinn's bloodstream, I retracted my fangs and watched Quinn thrash about, screaming and scratching at the bite. Then she went still, so still that if I couldn't hear her heart beating wildly, I would think she was already dead.
"What now?" I turned to Syrath and Puck. Both were staring at Quinn with worried expressions, mixed with hope and something else I couldn't name.
Puck was the first to look away from Quinn's inert form and answered. "And now we wait…"