Chapter Text
Ming Yue drops into a crouch and launches herself at the creature almost as fast as a vampire would. Finn can't feel any fear in her at all, and the fist she slams into the creature's face has all the impact of a boulder. It rocks back -not as much as he would have thought, but enough – and then she's going for her knives.
She's relentless in her attacks, but not foolish, trusting Finn to get in close when she needs to dodge, trading off grabbing the creature's attention so that neither of them is overwhelmed and the thing never gets near Ezra. Despite never having fought before together, they do well. Ezra casts spells that call on the forest, tangling vines around the creature's feet or wreath around its arms. Finn is much more direct. He fights with claws and brute force and speed, all three of which he has in abundance.
The fight goes well... Right up until it doesn't.
The damn thing shrieks with enough power that the concussive wave sends both him and Ming Yue ass over teakettle fifteen feet away. He hits a tree with a splintering crunch that makes his brain rattle and it's a damn good thing he doesn't need to breathe, or he'd be in trouble. As it is, it feels like at least one rib has caved in.
Ezra. Ezra is calling him. Calling her. His angel sounds afraid. No. He’s terrified. That's wrong... very wrong. Ezra should never be afraid. I'm supposed to protect you. I will protect you. But wait... Ming Yue. Where is his Hunter?
When he looks, Ming Yue is still sprawled on the ground some distance away. Finn doesn't need his enhanced senses to smell blood.
“Get up!" He roars it, pouring his will into the command. "Ming Yue!"
The creature smashes at him, and he blocks the blow, grunting under the impact that sings up his prosthetic and into his shoulder. He can still smell worrying amounts of fresh blood. This thing won't die, dammit. Ming Yue staggers to her feet but she doesn't move after that, not even to pick up her knives. The thing cants its head at an odd angle and smiles at her with its misshapen mouth.
And lunges.
Fuck. It's been toying with them.
Ezra's suddenly at his side, casting spells that flare in the darkness. The earth answers him, growing vines to trap the creature, but they do almost nothing to stop the thing charging toward the woman they both love.
She's not moving. Fucking hell, she's not getting out of the way. It's thralled her.
"Finn!" He hears Ezra's voice begging him to do something, but all Finn sees is the lightning-quick motion of the creature’s arm as it claws at her. There’s the sound of rending metal and tearing leather, and then he smells an explosion of blood spoor.
Finn is moving before he's realized it, calling on all his power in a way he hasn't done since he lost his arm. He is moonlit death, launching himself through the air at the thing that's dared spill his love's blood, a rattling growl shaking his chest and clawed hands reaching for its throat...
...It’s not enough.
The creature turns on him and lashes out, even faster than it has before. It smashes him out of the air with a massive, clawed hand; Finn feels his own flesh tear open, feels cool, thick blood splatter his skin. The impact slams him into the ground hard enough to leave a solid indentation on the forest floor. There's a light around him, cool green and yet warm with life, and somewhere in the feral recesses of his mind, Finn can still recognize Ezra's magic bolstering him as best he can.
And then he hears a guttural scream of absolute rage.
Ming Yue.
On the heels of that predatory cry comes another eruption of blood smell... This time it's sludgy, disgusting ichor that reeks of decay.
The creature howls in rage again, but the voice sounds smaller, almost as if it can’t get enough breath to scream. Finn can hear another sickening crunch, and there’s another burst of nauseating blood spoor. He can smell death, but there’s nothing beneath his claws and it's driving him mad.
Finn loses himself for a second, fighting the conflicting imperatives of survival and absolute murder. He wants to rend rotting flesh and hear the creature scream, but the human form closest to him has blood that glows in its veins and a hot star pulsating in its chest.
Ezra.
Finn would never attack Ezra. Never. But the smell of blood is strong enough to make him dizzy. Finn pushes himself into a crouch and realizes that the earth around him is damp and reeks of copper.
“Finn! Finnegan! Hold still, that thing crushed your ribs. Stop moving.”
He can hear Ezra talking, but it sounds as if he's underwater. Finn presses an experimental hand to his ribs and realizes that two are jutting out oddly. His hand comes away wet.
Oh. That’s the blood.
Good. He’s hungry. Finn licks his fingers clean, aware of Ezra’s magic swirling around him in vines and sigils. Magic is all well and good but his body requires blood to truly heal. He’ll never touch Ezra’s precious starblood when he’s like this, not again, not after the first time but he doesn’t need to... there’s another source of blood. Close by and fresh and tempting…
His throat burns. His fangs ache and throb.
He tilts his head slowly, precisely, vampire sight fixating him on the wounded prey. There’s a damaged female nearby with blood that glitters like diamond dust in her veins and on her skin.
"Finn... It's okay."
Not yet, little prey. But it will be. When I have you under me, twitching and dying and tasting gloriously of adrenaline.
Finn moves without consciously thinking about it, and he can smell the female’s fear spike, cinnamon, cloves, and orange spicing the coppery tang of blood.
Fuck, she’d taste divine…
Levi's voice is in his head. Weak boy. Eat the thing and be done with it. Like I taught you. You know that everything exists to be used by something stronger.
Something in his chest seizes painfully.
NO. Not her.
Finn blinks, and though his vision doesn't shift from the enhanced vampire hunting spectrum, his mind is clearer. Ezra is still by his side - Finn has no idea of what it will take to get Ezra to leave him and has no interest in ever finding out - and Ming Yue is standing a few feet away.
It’s not enough to keep her safe from him and they all know it.
God, he wants to hold her. Hold them both. But... is it safe? Is he safe for them? Appalled at his own weakness, Finn closes his eyes tight, his hands balling into fists at his sides.
What predator feels so much terror toward their prey?
"Let us help you. We're here." Ezra. His angel. His conscience. His peace. Close by and soothing. "We're not going anywhere."
"You're hurt. You need help. Let us help, please. Trust us. Trust Ezra." Ming Yue's voice is soft.
She reaches out to him. Her hand on his icy cheek is unbearably warm, and her blood still sings to him.
He forces himself to ignore it and leans into her touch, a purr rumbling deep in his chest as something in him loosens and warms and the atavism recedes like a black tide.
Head finally clearing, Finn looks at his Hunter again, at the blood all over her armor. A lot of it is the creature’s, but there’s enough of hers that it’s painfully tempting. “Ming Yue.” His voice is still deep and grinding, a vampire’s voice, but he’s in control, not his instincts. "We got it, didn’t we?"
Their beloved laughs, a wobbly, shaky sound. "We did it. It's dead. It's over."
When he looks at her again, the amount of blood on her scares him. “You need to let Ezra look at you.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” She blows out a shaky breath. “It’s dead. August will be thrilled.”
Does she not know she's still bleeding? "August can wait, Ming Yue." He shoots a look at Ezra, who’s looking exhausted but increasingly concerned. “That bastard got you good.”
She sighs, the sound so soft that it terrifies him. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay. We did it… It’s really dead.”
Ezra's already beginning his chants, his shaking hands starting to glow when their Hunter wobbles on her feet. Her hand falls from her side, and the wound she's been clamping closed reopens. The smell of blood almost blinding.
And so is his terror as her eyes roll back in her head so far that all he can see are the whites, and she collapses like a puppet whose strings have been cut.