Buried Treasure - 20. Chapter 20

We all looked on as Jamie and Casey worked on Jackson. They were holding hands over Jackson’s unresponsive body and muttering too fast for me to even guess at what they were saying.

The door opened quietly to admit Ben. He looked fearfully at the bed before heading straight to Adam and burying his face in the vampire’s chest.

I had started pacing and I felt Craig’s arms come round me. I leaned back into him, as he laid his chin on my shoulder.

“Let go love. Come on, you're exhausted.” He said into my ear.

He led me back to the chair and pulled me back into his lap. I couldn’t let myself sleep because I needed to know Jackson was okay, but I did allow myself to slowly relax in his captive embrace again.

Finally, Casey dropped his hands and let out a breath.

“Okay, we’ve repaired all the damage from the psychic blast and the fall, all he needs now is blood to replace what he’s lost and to finish the healing process.

Jamie had moved to a cabinet and pulled out an IV setup. He uncapped the needle and rubbed Jackson's arm with a swab before pressing the needle against his arm.

A snap echoed in the room as the needle broke in two.

Jamie stared in shock, “But that was a silver needle. It should have gone straight in.”

Adam stepped forward, “Ah, you may have a problem there, as Jackson is a high council member he is also immune to silver. He can even go out in sunlight for very short amounts of time, although he very rarely does.”

“So how do we get him to take any blood?” Casey asked in frustration.

“He needs it straight from the source. Here let me try, hand me a silver scalpel.”

Adam rolled up his sleeve and after accepting the scalpel from Jamie, he sliced a line across his wrist.

Casey pried Jackson’s mouth open and Adam laid his wrist over on top.

But Jackson didn’t respond, the blood just ran straight out the sides of his mouth.

Adam frowned and took his wrist away, licking the wound to seal it.

Turning slightly he beckoned, “Craig, can I have your help here a moment?”

Craig lifted me off his lap and set me in the chair as he got up.

“I need you to check his brain activity,” Adam told Craig. “Is he actually aware of what’s going on?”

Craig nodded and laid a hand on Jackson’s head. Concentrating I felt him reach his mind out but I was too tired to join him and so I waited with the others while he worked.

After a couple of minutes he lifted his hand but he didn’t look happy.

“He is aware of what’s going on, but he has decided to refuse all blood.” Craig told the shocked room, “He believes he has failed as a leader because he was so easily controlled.”

“Oh what utter nonsense,” Casey exclaimed. “He fought the compulsion with everything he had. That's why the damage was so bad in his brain and why it took so long for Jamie and I to heal him. I did not expend all that energy so he could up and let himself die.”

Adam cleared his throat, “Well, there is one way but I know for a fact Jackson will be furious if I tell you.”

Casey rounded on him, “Unless you want to find out what happens when you have an angry witch out for your blood you will tell me right now. Or of course, I can just get Jaydon to force you to tell me. I know you’re mostly protected by your bond but he did say it would just take more energy to break through.”

Adam looked shocked for a moment and glanced at me a bit fearfully before nodding, “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. A mate’s blood is irresistible to a vampire. If he tastes his mate’s blood he won’t be able to not feed.”

Casey was shaking his head, “But no one knows who his mate is. He is over two thousand years old and even he has never found the person.”

Adam shook his head, “You know for an intelligent person you can be so short-sighted sometimes. He knows who his mate is and so do most of the people in this room.”

Casey looked around at us and then turned on his brother. “Well! Who is it?”

Jamie looked at him a moment and then Casey’s face went white, “You have got to be kidding.”

Jamie shook his head and then spoke out loud, “Well bro, there’s one way to prove us all wrong. Give me your arm.”

Jamie held out his hand and Casey seemed dazed as he placed his arm in it. Jamie drew a fresh scalpel along his twin’s arm and guided Casey’s arm to Jackson’s mouth.

There were a few moments when we all held our breaths and then a flurry of movement as Jackson reached out blindly to hold Casey’s arm to his mouth. We could see his mouth working on pulling strongly on Casey’s blood and for a moment I was worried Casey was going to pass out either from the shock or blood loss.

Jackson let go of Casey’s arm and opened his eyes. When he saw who was leaning over him his mouth fell open. “Oh, shit. Why would you do this?” He gasped.

Casey seemed to shake off his shock and got shakily to his feet, “Apparently I’m your fucking mate and everyone knew but me.”

With his last words, he disappeared out the door.

“I think that’s our cue to get ourselves to our own rooms,” Jamie stated and we all filed out leaving Adam and Ben behind.

“What did you tell them, Adam?” was the last thing I heard Jackson saying as the door swung closed.