Jule awoke in a haze of hot and cold. His body shook uncontrollably, and something warmed his side. He pushed himself up, glancing at the Magician's body. She was curled up beside him in a tight ball. His tingling senses awoke him, but he was too weak to do more than look around the room.
A hand clamped on his shoulder. Too weak to push it off, he let his head drop back onto the cushion behind him. He couldn't focus on the face, but he saw the glowing red eyes. Vamp. Adrenaline spun through him, and he staggered up, ready to fight it off.
"Easy," the vamp said. Maybe it was his delirium, but Jule thought the vamp looked larger than even Damian. "You don't remember me."
"Fucking vamp," Jule slurred. His head spun, and his legs belted. "Wait one minute. I'll kill you."
The vamp chuckled. "No need. Look closer."
Jule rested where he'd fallen and tried to concentrate. The vamp wasn't attacking. In fact, it sat calmly on the couch across the room from him.
"I don't know you," Jule said. "Should I?"
The vamp frowned. "Yes, you should. We all know each other."
"Define we," Jule replied.
"The Originals."
Jule sighed. "You're a dream. The Original Beings are locked up. The Watchers said so."
"What happened to you?" the vamp asked, leaning forward in interest. Jule had the sense of a memory at the edge of his fevered mind. He focused on it, trying to recall why he felt he should recognize the vamp.
"Xander," he said. "Your name is Xander."
"They wiped your mind," the vamp said. "I hope whatever you traded for your freedom was worth living like this, if you call this living."
"Cassandra," Jule murmured.
"No, she wasn't why you were exiled. No human could've caused this."
"Original Vamp," Jule said, barely registering the creature's words. His body was on fire again, and sweat trickled down his face. Xander's face faded in and out of focus, and his thoughts kept drifting away. Jule tried hard to follow the conversation.
"You freed all of us," the vamp continued. "It just took the rest of us a while to shake off the bonds."
Jule shook his head. None of the vamp's words made sense. Darkness was creeping from the edges of his mind.
"Find me when you're ready," the vamp said. He stood. "The Oracle will know where I am."