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Dietrich

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We were running now, as fast as we possibly could. I would have liked to shadow walk, but I did not know where Shawn was.

On the way to the location that my love was waiting for us, hurt, Trinity sent a mental message to Griffin, the healer, so that he could come and help us save my Herzchen, my Liebling, my lover, mein Seelenverwandter.

When we reached the clearing that Shawn was in my senses became overloaded. Shawn was here, and he had been all over the clearing. But also, his blood had been spilled as well. I was moving fast, looking for where he was laying. Trinity reached his side first but I was less than a second behind her. She had the added benefit of having seen where he had fallen.

"Shawn?"

"Mein Wolfsliebe." There were tears in my eyes as Trinity and I both yelled out for my love. With a hand on his pale, pale cheek I began to sob. "Bleib bitte bei mir. Bleib für immer bei mir." I felt as if I had no heart left to break as I begged Shawn to stay with me and to not leave me ever.

"Shawn, come on, wake up. Speak to us Shawn." Trinity was trying to wake him as well.

My love was not moving, he was barely breathing. But finally, the healer had arrived and he would help us save my mate.

"Griffin, hurry." Trinity called out to him.

"I'm coming. Lana, you check the others."

"Reece, get the others to help you find anyone who may be hurt and need help. Also, count the dead and gather their bodies. They deserve a proper burial." Trinity sounded diplomatic and authoritative, but all I could focus on was Shawn.

"Alright." Reece nodded at her words as he turned to leave and begin his task.

Griffin shooed us away from my Shawn so he could get to work. It nearly broke me to leave his side, the tears were flowing and I could not stop them at all.

"What kind of animal attacked him?" Griffin asked almost immediately after beginning his examination. "These wounds are deep.

"It wasn't an animal. It was another human monster created by Edmond." Trinity's voice held anger and rage.

"Will we never be rid of him?" Griffin's voice sounded tired and sad as he spoke.

"We are." That was all it took. The light that lit inside Griffin's eyes was like a rising sun.

"Are you sure? He's really gone?"

"I have his head as proof." There was joy now, replacing the anger in Trinity's voice.

I found it difficult to join their talk. All I could do was watch as the healer examined my mate as he laid motionless on the ground.

"He will be alright Dietrich, I know he will. He's strong." Trinity was trying to calm me down it seemed.

"He's stronger than I am." My voice cracked on the emotions I was fighting hard to hold back.

Griffin began to move Shawn's clothes aside to examine things more intently.

"What is that Griffin? It looks like he's been poisoned." Trinity's voice seemed far away as she spoke.

"That's exactly it. Those creatures must have been venomous. He's been infected and it's spreading fast."

"What does that mean? Can't you stop it? Can't you use your power to heal him?" I didn't know what it was he was trying to tell me, to tell us.

"I'm trying, but the venom is spreading faster than I can heal him. I'm worried it will reach his heart before I have the chance to rid his body of it all."

"What can we do? What are our options?" I could hear the fear thickening Trinity's voice.

"I don't know." Griffin looked like he was at a loss. "I don't know what to do."

"Would having two of you help? Should we get Lana?"

"I really don't know. It might, but I don't know if he would make it, he might not last that long."

"Why did I have to send them away?" She was beating herself up over the decisions she had made because it was impacting us here.

"I might have an idea." I felt myself stiffen in fear as I said those words. "But it is not something I had discussed with Shawn yet. I do not know if he would accept it, even to save his life."

"Dietrich, whatever it is, I am sure that Shawn would choose to stay with you instead of dying. He loves you and he would want to be with you."

"It's not that simple, he might reject what it is when he wakes. And I admit, I do not know what all it will entail."

"Will it save his life? Will it stop him from dying?"

"I believe it will, yes." I nodded slowly as I answered.

"Then do it. If Shawn takes an issue with it, then have him talk to me. I will explain everything to him."

"Alright. I will do it." I finally conceded to do what I knew might save my love even if he hated me for it.

Slowly I walked back to his side and knelt next to him before pulling him into my arms. I wrapped my arms around him, cradling him close to me, hugging him tight.

"Ich liebe dich Liebling." I whispered that I loved him before I gently kissed Shawn's forehead.

I felt the shift take over me then, changing my eye color and bringing out my fangs. And after one last deep breath for courage I lowered my head to Shawn's neck.

I bit him then, right at the place where wolves mark their mates. I bit into his soft tender flesh and let his blood flow into my mouth. For nearly a minute I drew his blood into my me with long, slow draws. The blood was tainted, I could taste it, but it wouldn't affect me and I needed to do this. I could not live without my Shawn, not for a day, not for an hour, not for a minute. I needed him.

I nearly sighed when I finally released him, when I stopped pulling the blood from him. But it wasn't over yet. I still had more to do.

I didn't care about moving anything out of the way first, I just brought my wrist to my mouth and bit down on the soft flesh over the artery there. When my blood started to flow I tilted Shawn's head back and placed his lips against the cut I had made. Shawn's mouth was partially opened and the blood flowed from my wrist and into his opened mouth.

I nearly cried out in joy when I saw that Shawn had swallowed reflexively. It was going to work, it had to. I was going to save my lover, my mate, my Shawn.

The moment I pulled my wrist away from Shawn's mouth I willed the cut on my wrist to close instantly. Immediately after pulling the blood away from him Shawn started to spasm. The transformation had started.

Shawn's body shook violently but he also finally took a deep shuddering breath as his eyes fluttered open.

"Liebling." Shawn seemed to whisper as he looked into my eyes.

"Wolfsliebe." I felt relieved when I saw my mate wake up. "How do you feel?"

"I think I'm fi-." That was as far as Shawn got before he was hit with a sudden spasm of pain and he jerked violently in my arms. "Ahhhh!" He screamed in pain, his head thrown back with the long, loud cry.

"Shawn?" Trinity ran forward, her voice cracking.

"Shawn, my darling, what is wrong?" Fear wracked through me as I tried to help him.

"It hurts, it all hurts." Shawn was shaking uncontrollably.

"It's the changing." Trinity looked at me knowingly.

"I did not know it would be this painful." Shawn seemed too far gone, wracked with too much pain to even hear what we were saying.

"Selene told me it would be hard, but that he had you there to help him."

"Selene?" I couldn't believe what I had just heard her say to me. "You spoke with the Goddess Selene, the mother of vampires?"

"Yes, while you were giving Shawn your blood she came to me and spoke to me. And she told me something else."

"What? Will it help Shawn?"

"Yes, Dietrich, I think it will. She told me you are her chosen one, you are the Vampire King."

"I didn't know we had such a thing." I wanted to laugh, I truly did, but I couldn't bring that sort of joy out of me while my love was shaking in pain.

"But this means you are Goddess blessed the same as I am, you will have new abilities now. And you can use them to help Shawn."

"I hope you're right."

I scooped Shawn into my arms then, cradling him close as I shadow walked back to the estate. I needed to get him somewhere safe and comfortable. I knew the others would be there to see us later.