New Beginnings

Maria left Rachel in the bed and headed directly to their "patient". Stepping into Ethan's room, Maria's anxiety was quickly replaced by relief as she observed his evident recovery, affirming her prior intuition. Compared to his normal state he still looked like shit with pale skin and black circles around his eyes but his current state was a significant improvement from the previous night.

She cautiously settled on the edge of his bed, extending her hand to his forehead.

No fever. I suppose that's... a good sign? I really should have looked up something about blood loss by now. I'm the worst...

"Ethan?" she whispered, receiving no response. Maria's gentle touch brushed his cheek as she tried again, this time with a normal voice. "Ethan, can you hear me?"

Deep, incoherent moans escaped his mouth, and he turned his head toward her touch, yearning for more of her comforting presence. Maria obliged, continuing her soothing caresses until his heavy-lidded eyes finally opened. His gaze, clouded with confusion, wandered around the room as he attempted to discern his surroundings.

"It's alright, Ethan. I'm here with you; there's no need to fear," she reassured him, her voice a warm balm.

His eyes traced the sound of her calming voice, and then he saw her—the dark angel from his dreams.

"You... you're here... you... saved me..." he stammered, struggling to articulate his muddled thoughts.

Maria offered a reassuring smile and spoke with kindness. "It was just a dream, Ethan, but yes—it was me. I didn't exactly save you; you managed that on your own. I merely guided you. Now, tell me, how are you feeling? And what can you recall from last night?"

"I... I don't know," he muttered, trying to divert his attention away from her captivating golden eyes, unsuccessfully. "I'm so... tired. Where am I? And who are you? Wait, I remember your name... it's Maria! Are you an angel? Am I... dead?"

Oh boy, his mind is totally scrambled. It will take some time for him to fully recover. I just hope we have enough time for that...

"No, Ethan, you're far from dead," Maria assured him, maintaining her comforting demeanor. "And I'm even farther from being an angel, ha ha. But I am here to help you, so please, trust me and put your worries aside, alright?"

Ethan nodded, his trust in Maria unwavering, despite his inability to grasp the full extent of the situation. Maria assisted him, guiding him to the bathroom, spoon-feeding him, preparing tea, and administering his medications and vitamins Nikolai gave her weeks ago. He was entirely compliant, grateful for her care, even if he couldn't fully comprehend the circumstances.

He soon drifted back into sleep, his breathing growing deep and even. Maria quietly slipped out of his room, careful not to disturb his rest. As she closed the door behind her Rachel just walked into the living room with a worried expression. "Maria! How's he doing?" Rachel asked with concern.

Maria nodded and reassured her, "he's alright, Rachel. Much better than yesterday. He ate, I gave him medicine, and helped him in the bathroom. He doesn't remember much yet."

Relief washed over Rachel's face, and she let out a long, relieved sigh. "Good. Thanks for taking care of him, Maria. I should've helped. Can I see him?"

Maria shook her head and walked over to the sofa, motioning for Rachel to follow. "He's asleep now. He's still pretty tired..."

"Oh. But he'll be okay, right?" Rachel asked as she joined her.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. But it'll take some time for him to fully recover."

"Good to hear that. So, do you think he changed his mind about us? Or is he angry about what happened?"

"Well, it's too early to tell, but all of this definitely had an impact on him. I'm not sure how it'll affect him once his memory comes back, but until then, we'll take good care of him. That means no feeding on him for now, obviously."

"Sure thing, no need to spell it out."

"No offense, Rachel, but we need to be clear about this. Having a live human around us all the time is a constant temptation. One slip, one moment of weakness, and we could give in to our desires. As I mentioned yesterday, we have to be vigilant moving forward. You get me?"

Rachel looked down and nodded, fully understanding the seriousness of Maria's words.

"Alright, don't worry about me, boss," Rachel said with a hint of humor, trying to lighten the mood. However, when she met Maria's determined gaze, she realized Maria was dead serious. A brief, tense silence filled the room before Maria relaxed on the sofa and continued in a more casual tone. "So, did you rest well? How are you feeling?"

Rachel offered a weak smile, glad to have the pressure eased off her shoulders. "I'm great, full of energy, like... I don't know, Wonder Woman or some superhero. I don't feel super hungry for blood, but I kinda... still want some. Is that normal? I mean, I nearly drained poor Ethan yesterday, but I still don't feel completely satisfied."

"You'll have to get used to that feeling. Remember what we talked about? It's this constant hunger for more that'll always be there," Maria replied.

"Right, but if you drink... everything, it goes away, right?" Rachel asked, hinting at her desire.

Maria gave her a stern look once more and answered firmly, "Yes, but we're not doing that! Draining a victim means killing them, and we've agreed not to hurt anyone, remember?"

"Uhm, sure, I was just talking in general, you know, clarifying our boundaries..." Rachel began to explain herself but was interrupted by Maria.

"Let's be crystal clear, Rachel. We need blood, and we'll take it when we must, but without killing anyone. If possible, we'll make it enjoyable for them. You understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course. We're not monsters," Rachel replied, surprised by Maria's strong defense of humans. But she was even more surprised by her own thoughts, wondering how she'd even considered draining victims in the first place. Her lack of restraint both terrified and intrigued her, and the conversation about feeding was only increasing her craving for blood.

"Alright, that's settled then. I've been thinking that now that Ethan's on the mend, it might be a good idea for us to head out tonight. We could take a stroll downtown and get you used to being around humans and the city. It's quite different being constantly surrounded by the scent of warm blood; it takes a lot of self-control. What do you say?" Maria asked.

Rachel's eyes sparkled with anticipation. She definitely wanted to go out and experience the world in her new state. She nodded enthusiastically and said, "Yes, that sounds awesome!"

"Great, then let's see what the night has in store for us!"