Chapter Text
Finan barely had the door to his room closed before he heard Serpent-Breath clang to the floor, and Aisling threw herself into his arms. He hissed and winced at the pain that came from holding her and having her hands and arms touch his wounds, but he didn't care.
He was not going to let her down.
“I want to hurt him for what he has done to you,” she cried as she pulled away and pressed her hands to his cheeks.
Finan sighed and gave her a soft smile. “It does not matter,” he whispered. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. “Ya are here with me, and that is all I care about right now.”
She kissed him back, and he tasted her tears on his lips. He held her tight in his arms, never wanting to let her go. He only pulled away from her when she did. She took his hand and tugged him behind her further into the room. He knew she was leading him towards the bathroom.
“Aisling,” he started as he tried to pull her towards the bed. He needed to be balls deep inside of her.
Now.
“I want to clean and mend your wounds as much as I can,” she answered.
He sighed, not having the heart to tell her that the only thing that would heal his wounds was time. He would let Aisling administer care to them, however. He knew it would make her feel better.
He followed her into the bathroom and let her push him towards the counter. She pulled out the stool and gestured for him to sit. He sighed but did as she asked. He looked in the mirror and watched as she took in his back. He saw the tears come to her eyes. He looked away and rubbed his face. It hurt him to see the worry and emotion in her eyes.
It reminded him how much worse it could have been.
“I survived, my dream,” he told her softly.
“I want to kill him,” she answered as he felt her soft fingers against his skin. “All this because of stupid fucking laws,” she muttered.
He turned and met her eyes in the mirror again. “It was worth it,” he muttered. “I would have suffered worse to keep ya alive and safe,” he added.
She didn't say anything. She just nodded and stepped away from him. He closed her eyes and listened as she walked around the bathroom getting what she needed. It soothed her, and that was all he needed and cared about in the moment.
Anything for his dream.
So, he sat and winced as Aisling slowly washed his wounds. He ached but admitted as she worked, that it did feel good to have the dried blood cleaned away that was sticking to his skin. She was gentle, making sure not to press too hard on the wounds. He looked around and tried not to notice the pile of bloody clothes that grew around the base of his stool. After several minutes, Aisling finally sighed and stepped back from him.
“I think that is as good as it is going to get,” she answered.
Finan looked over his shoulder and looked at his back. It did not look better, the wounds were still open and angry, but at least they were not seeping and bleeding heavily. And the dried blood was gone and cleaned away, though, so it did look better in that sense.
“Thank ya, my dream,” he said as he stood from his stool. He turned and looked at her. “And now, for what I really need to heal my soul,” he responded.
She laughed as he grabbed her and pinned her to the counter. He leaned down and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back and pressed her hands to his chest, her fingers playing and tugging on his chest hair. He growled as his hands shoved up her dress and grabbed those boy cut shorts that had teased him and ripped them off. He dug his fingers into her bare skin after, loving the feel of her against him.
“Finan,” she moaned as his fingers played with her wetness before pressing against her clit and stroking it. Her body trembled and came alive with his touch.
“I need to be inside of ya,” he muttered against her lips as he kissed her and nipped at her lips. He pressed a finger into her, and she moaned. “I need to feel you around me.”
“Yes,” she breathed out as her nails dug into his chest and she raked them down.
Finan wasted no time in pulling his finger from her and turning her around, and bunching the skirt of her dress up around her waist. He made quick work of his pants, opening them and allowing his thick, hard cock to come out. He moved closer to her, rubbing his tip up and down her folds before he pressed his tip into her.
“I could not breathe without knowing that ya were all right,” he muttered in her ear as he pressed into her completely and filled her.
She whined and pushed back against him. “I needed to hold you and touch you,” she whimpered.
Finan leaned down as he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her tight against him. He ran his nose along her jaw and lower to her neck. He let his tongue lick her neck before he gently bit down. Drinking her blood again would reconnect the sire bond; and this time it could not be broken or severed.
“Finan,” she moaned as she pressed against him with every one of his thrusts, over and over.
He drank her blood as he thrusted into her over and over. He met her eyes in the mirror, watching her face as he drank her blood and fucked her. She moaned as she reached up and grabbed her breasts, and kneading them over and over. She smirked and moaned louder as he growled. Her blood rolled down her shoulder, and he held her closer.
He was never going to let her go.
Fuck what Uhtred wanted or decided.
Aisling was his.
***
“They are fucking,” Uhtred growled loudly.
Thyra rolled her eyes. “Unsurprising,” she muttered. She looked at Osferth. “You were saying,” she went on.
Osferth nodded and cleared his throat. He stepped closer to Uhtred, knowing how the other man was still angry and in a rage, but needing him to hear what he had to say. Uhtred looked up and met Osferth's eyes.
“Uhtred, all we have to let anyone know is that you gave your permission for Finan to turn Aisling,” he said. “They do not need to know anything else.”
Osferth looked at Uhtred, his King. His mind thought back to a time when his father, Alfred, had been his king. That had been hard and hurtful in all the ways having Uhtred as his King was not. Alfred had been so regretful of Osferth's very being; a reminder that Alfred had been lustful and sinned.
It was why when Uhtred had turned Alfred, trying to save him, Alfred had not made a good vampire. No, it had barely been a decade later before Osferth and Sihtric had done Alfred the kindness that Uhtred could not; they killed him.
Now, looking at Uhtred, and seeing the anger and rage on his face, Osferth wondered if Uhtred was more like Alfred than he would like. Uhtred was being stubborn and cold. He was acting like Finan and Aisling purposely went out of their way to hurt him.
That it was a targeted strike and plan.
And not just two people finding each other and falling in love.
“Finan should be punished,” Uhtred pushed as his cold eyes looked at Osferth.
“I think you have punished him enough,” Sihtric answered, the usually quiet Dane only speaking when he had a point to make. Osferth looked at him and saw the concern on Sihtric's face. “You have marked him for weeks, Uhtred,” Sihtric pressed on. “He will not forget anytime soon that he angered you. Let that be lesson enough.”
Osferth saw some of the anger slip from Uhtred's face, but not the hurt. He crossed his arms on his chest and cursed. Osferth heard Aisling and Finan's moans drifting down to them, and Osferth wished that the couple would have at least had some self-control.
But he knew what it was to be in love. He did not fault them for that. And he even understood how they may feel the need to touch each other and love each other close; least Uhtred order them both to die.
He just hoped Uhtred saw that.
“Sihtric is right,” Thyra said softly. “Finan has not been this happy in centuries, Uhtred. I know you can see that,” she added. “Do not punish him because your pride cannot handle being bested.”
Silence echoed in the room, and the tension rose. Osferth worried about Uhtred lashing out against his sister. It would not be the first time Thyra had said the truth, but it was the first time she had done so when Uhtred's emotions were so high.
“My pride?!” he hissed as he stepped towards Thyra. “He turned her in my home! He-.”
“He saved her,” Thyra stepped closer to him and held her chin up. “Her parents put her as the sacrifice, Uhtred. Your blood. They wanted Finan to eat her and be done with it. Ingrith would have, she was all for it. The only reason Aisling lives now, to defy you and give you a piece of your own medicine, is because of Finan. He kept her alive. Yes, he turned her, but because she asked him, Uhtred. Open your eyes and look at her,” Thyra stepped closer to him, “she is not Leifi,” she whispered softly. “She wishes to be a vampire and be with Finan, with us for eternity,” she held his eyes. She reached up and pressed her hand to his cheek. “She will, however, change her mind if you take away Finan. And if you make Finan walk away from her, he will never forgive you either.”
Osferth looked from Thyra to Uhtred. Neither blinked as they looked deep into each other's eyes; ice blue clashing with warm brown. Silence echoed around the Ragnarson siblings, and the tension rose. Osferth looked at Sihtric and saw the other man's mismatched eyes looked at him. Sihtric raised an eyebrow when Uhtred stepped back and rubbed his face.
“I cannot lose Finan,” he finally admitted. He lowered his hands and looked at them all. “I cannot lose any of you,” he added. Osferth saw his eyes fill with tears. “And seeing Aisling that first time, it,” he swallowed and Osferth could see the pain and ache in his eyes. “It made me miss Leifi again,” he admitted.
Thyra stepped closer to him and hugged him. Osferth saw how tightly Uhtred held her. He buried his face in her neck, and Osferth heard the sniffles. He looked down at his feet and held his hands in front of him. He waited and let the siblings have their moment.
“She is not Leifi, Uhtred,” Thyra whispered to him softly. She stepped back and cupped his face with her hands. “She is her very own person and,” she smiled, “she reminds me very much of how you were, all those centuries ago. When you were wild and free.”
“Stubborn, she means,” Sihtric pointed out.
Osferth chuckled along with Thyra, even Uhtred had a smile at that. He pulled away from Thyra and looked at them.
“I need some time to think this over,” he said as he stood straighter. He looked at Thyra. “I will tell you my decision and then together, we can tell Finan and Aisling.”
“And we will knock this time,” Thyra told him.
Osferth snorted and shook his head. He walked out of the room with the others. Sihtric was silent and his face a mask. Thyra turned and met his eyes and she gave him a soft smile. Osferth offered one back. He knew what that smile meant.
Thyra was hopeful they had gotten through to Uhtred.
Osferth was as well.
For all their sakes.
***
Aisling moaned as she settled on Finan's lap, his hard cock deep inside of her. She let her head fall back and sighed as Finan buried his face in her neck, his nose rubbing against her skin. She felt his arms tighten around her as he held her on his lap. The bed around them was a mess of sheets; most of them needing to be washed because some of Finan's wounds started bleeding again. She turned and nuzzled her face in his hair as she let her fingers dance along his shoulders.
“I do not want to lose this,” she muttered as they just held each other close. “I don't want to lose you,” she whispered.
She felt Finan hold her closer and tighter. He turned his face and looked at her. She pressed her hands to his cheeks and scratched his beard. She saw feeling and worry in his eyes. She felt his fingers stroke her skin as his cock twitched inside of her.
“I am sorry,” he whispered softly. She watched as he searched her face. “I just took you from your life and pulled you into mine. I did not give a second thought for what ya may have wanted. If ya wanted a family, children,” he pressed his forehead against hers. “All I thought about was saving ya.”
“Shh,” she whispered softly as she pressed a kiss to his lips. “You did save me, Finan. You saved me from a life of being left behind and unloved,” she muttered. She sighed and closed her eyes. She swallowed, knowing that she needed to admit something to him. She opened her eyes and held his. “My parents had decided I would be the sacrifice, but I was,” she swallowed, “relieved.”
Finan frowned. “Relieved?” he whispered.
She nodded as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I was relieved because I believed that,” she blinked as more tears rolled down her cheeks. She gave him a soft smile as he pressed a hand to her cheek and began to brush her tears away. She felt his other hand stroking her back, his fingers running up and down her spine. “I would die,” she finished.
Finan was quiet. He looked at her and pulled her closer. She moaned slightly as his cock pressed deep into her and her breasts pressed against his chest. His thumb stroked her cheek as he just looked at her. She saw love in his eyes and acceptance.
“You wished to die?” he asked softly.
She nodded gently. “I wanted to die because I knew, then at least, my pain would be over. My parents, they,” she looked down again, “they did not love me. I was never their favourite child, and while they clothed me and fed me, I think from a very early age, they decided to be rid of me. And I was more than ready to be rid of them as well.”
Aisling watched as Finan's eyes grew wild and he growled. His vampire side was coming out with his anger. She stroked his cheeks to soothe him and moved up and down on his cock, trying to keep his attention on her and not her parents.
“I will kill them,” he muttered when she kissed him. She felt his fangs press against her bottom lip and tongue. “I will rip them limb from limb for hurting you,” he growled as he thrusted into her.
Aisling kissed him and ran her fingers up into his hair and tugged on it, pulling his face away from hers. She looked into his eyes.
“We will kill them together,” she whispered as she met his thrusts, moving up and down his cock. She pressed her forehead to his again. “I no longer have a wish to die, Finan,” she told him as he thrusted up into her, “I wish to live with you. Forever,” she added.
He growled and yanked her closer to him. “I fucking love you,” he said as he ran his hand up to the back of her neck and grabbed it, holding her tightly as he thrusted up into her.
“I fucking love you,” she moaned as she dug her nails into his shoulders and rode him.
They fell into their lovemaking then, forgetting everything else and just being with each other. Aisling tugged on his hair as she moved faster up and down on his lap. Finan pressed a hand on her thigh, tugging her down harder every time he thrusted up; over and over. She felt her body tremble and shake as the pleasure washed over her.
The sounds of their lovemaking echoed in the room as their bodies trembled and shook, seeking release. Aisling fell into her climax first, moaning his name as she clung to him, her body shaking. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the pleasure mixed with fear. She nuzzled her face in his hair as he leaned forward and kissed the brand on her chest. She moaned and closed her eyes, holding him closer.
Moments later, he thrusted up into her, and his seed warmed her womb. He held her tight, pressing his hands on her back as he looked up at her and sought her lips again. She kissed him, smiling as he hummed and pulled her closer to him. She felt his lips curl into a smile as well. She felt his fingers run up her back and play with her hair.
“Never leave me,” he begged softly. “I cannot breathe without ya.”
“I swear,” she muttered back. “And you are to never leave me,” she added.
“I would never,” he answered. He nuzzled his nose along her jaw. She laughed as she felt his beard rub against her cheek. “Ya are mine. Forever.”
She loved the sound of that word.
Forever.
They both jumped as they heard a knock on the door. Aisling looked at him and held his eyes. He looked at her. She saw worry in his brown depths. She felt it in her bones as well. She knew that on the other side of the door was the one person who could rip them apart. She cupped Finan's face in her hands.
“Forever, my love,” she muttered against his lips.
He kissed her, and she lost herself in his kiss. She held him tight and heard another knock, harder. She pushed it from her mind.
She would remember the feel of Finan against her, his hands on her body, just in case the worst happened. She pulled herself away from him and nodded. She saw him nod as well.
They took their time pulling on their clothing, even though they could fast if they wished. They both wanted more time together, just in case the answer was not one they wanted. Aisling wore only one of Finan's dress shirts, wanting to have his scent engulf her. She held his hand as they walked towards the door. Finan wore a pair of sweatpants. He looked at her, and she nodded. He smiled and squeezed her hand. He turned back and opened the door.
On the other side stood Uhtred and Thyra. They both looked at Finan and Aisling. Aisling stepped back, and Finan stepped back with her. She wrapped her arm around his and rested her cheek on his shoulder. She saw Uhtred's cold eyes watching them.
“I have come to a decision,” he said.
Aisling frowned. His voice was softer than it had been before, calmer. She held Finan's arm tighter and squeezed his hand.
She waited for the decision that could break her in two.