“Sort of like Men in Black. I’ll have to look into the light.” He hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Huthwiat laughed, and it sounded like dried leaves rustling on a pre-storm breeze. His head turned to the side as he appraised the detective. “We leave in a few hours for North America. The Royal House of Krieger holds the daughter of our keeper.”
“Royal House of Krieger? I need more information here. I can’t just go jetting off with you. Do you even jet? I mean do you just beam over there or something?”
“I could, but you could not. Your body is terrestrial bound, it would not move through the ether as ours.”
He was starting to realize that Huthwiat didn’t understand the concept of sarcasm. “The daughter, you mean Lily Ayres?”
“Yes, it would seem that she is quite extraordinary.”
Okay, there was so much more he wanted to know, but he had a hunch that old Huthwiat wasn’t going to elaborate any more on that particular subject.
“What about my job, money, place to stay,” he said, raising his hands. “You know, the essentials. How am I to just up and leave everything?”
“Everything you desire will be provided.” Huthwiat lifted his chin, and then smiled. “There are boundaries, you understand. Some things one must do for themselves.”
Hunter actually blushed. He’d been thinking about a harem.
“You shall not want for the ‘essentials’ as you call them,” Huthwiat continued. “You have only to ask. I rule the world of the Others, both Seen and Unseen.” Huthwiat extended his hand, opening it to reveal a silver ring with a large red stone. “Wear this.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything. You could be hypnotizing me, or maybe you drugged me, or I’m hallucinating this.”
“I have not hypnotized you. I have not drugged you. You are of sound and rational mind, at the moment.” Huthwiat swung his hair over his shoulder and ran his hand through the silky strands. “You must go where your heart takes you.”
Oh fuck, Hunter thought. That was the exact advice his mother always gave him.
“What’s so special about the ring?”
“It marks you as under my personal protection.”
“What is your title? I mean Huthwiat of the Others?” It came out churlish but he hadn’t meant it that way.
“Supreme Leader, or the Elder, either is appropriate.”
“Okay, so what should I call you?”
“Since you are human, and I find you infinitely delightful, you shall choose. And you, what do you prefer to be called?”
It took him a few moments to sort out what Huthwiat had just asked. The man spoke in a sing-song way which lulled him.
Taking the ring from his hand, careful not to touch him, Hunter placed it on his left middle finger. “Dale or Hunter, whatever works for you.” He shrugged.
“As the whim takes me, then.”
Chapter Seven
“Sire, please, I’d rather not know how you acquired her medical records.” Dr. Caanan quickly looked up from the pile of folders. “I mean no disrespect.”
“None taken,” Krieger replied.
The doctor had attended medical school and later practiced medicine at Johns Hopkins. After his father died, he took over as the Royal Medicus. By then he was already in his mid-fifties, not eager to continue his human practice, yet not ready to retire. It had been the perfect fit for him.
“Do you have everything you need?” Krieger asked.
Dr. Caanan spread out the folders on the table. “Everything,” he said, absently opening and then shutting files.
“Why isn’t she awake?” Krieger asked.
The previous night, Lily had become delirious with a high fever after he’d given her his blood. He’d had to trance a few people in order for them to leave Waverly undetected. Because it was after dawn when they left, he’d sustained a few burns, nothing severe, and nothing that had not already healed.
“Her body is metabolizing your blood well.” The doctor found the sheet he was looking for. “I also gave her a sedative.” He took off his reading glasses and made eye contact with Krieger. “On her last doctor’s visit she weighed ninety-two pounds.” He shook his head. “Unbelievable. If it weren’t for…” The doctor slipped his glasses back on to read the file. “…Ms. Best, she’d probably be dead by now.”
“Martha,” Krieger said.
“Yes, Martha took your Lily to specialist after specialist. They read all her symptoms correctly, but had no idea how to cure her.”
“Precisely what is wrong with her?” Krieger looked over at Merlin, who hadn’t joined them at the table, preferring to stand.
“Merlin conveyed your worry about her mental stability. I see nothing abnormal or worrisome in that area. She is a highly intelligent young woman.”
“Why doesn’t she talk?” Merlin asked.
“She spoke to you, correct?” Dr. Caanan looked at Krieger.
“Very little.”
Dr. Caanan pointed to the stack of files. “Each doctor has a different diagnosis: Selective Mutism, Progressive Mutism, Autism, Asperger Syndrome.” He leaned back and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Is she fixable?”
“She isn’t a doll that needs her leg sewn back on.” Merlin laughed, coughed, and then bowed.
Krieger chose to ignore that particular remark from his advisor. Merlin was predisposed to black moods.
“Sire, I don’t mean to be impertinent, but given her state of health, wouldn’t it be better if I took her back to her home and cared for her there?”
Krieger was surprised by the doctor’s suggestion. “I’m sure you read my announcement. She will stay here, with me. Now explain to me what you know.”
“Of course,” the doctor said.
Merlin poured himself a drink and sat down.
“She has what doctors refer to as a Failure to Thrive. It’s used mainly for children, but I think it applies in this case. For unknown reasons, the patient is unable to utilize the calories she ingests. Per your orders, sire, I performed a full physical examination of her. Mentally she is a twenty-two year old woman; physically she is underdeveloped, stunted even.”
“How so?” Krieger wanted to be sure he understood what the doctor was saying.
The doctor pointed towards the files. “The answers are all there.”
“And they are?” Krieger asked.
“Her bones are weak. She cannot maintain a healthy weight. She is anemic and hypoglycemic.” Dr. Caanan rolled his hand. He obviously thought this was enough. When neither man responded he sighed. “She’s malnourished.”
“Malnourished, impossible.” Krieger shook his head in disbelief. “She lacks for nothing.”
The doctor slowly got up from his chair, bent his leg back and forth a few times, and walked around the room. “Arthritis. Getting old stinks.” He smiled uncomfortably and continued. “I thought exactly as you, until I got her test results back. Your blood not only healed her clavicle, but improved her overall health.”
Merlin rolled his eyes. “And this is news? That’s what vampire blood does to humans, among other things.”
Krieger gave his advisor a harsh look. “If you have more pressing issues, I suggest you attend to them.” He didn’t wait for a response before turning his attention back to the doctor. “Neither of us cares to know the medical idiosyncrasies of the human body. Tell me what I need to know.”
“Of course.” The doctor cleared his throat. “Lily’s case is unlike any I have seen before. I reviewed my father’s case files, ran a search of her symptoms through the Medicus database, but there was nothing remotely close.” He paused and took a sip of water. “Lily is a young woman whose growth has been limited by a lack of nutrients. All the specialists put her on a regimen of protein shakes and vitamins, and one even gave her hormone injections. There is no medical reason for her malnourishment.”
Krieger leaned back in his seat. “You’re saying she needed vampire blood.”
Krieger shook his head. “No.”
“Well, I had hoped her condition would be familiar to you.” The doctor sighed. “No matter, we know your blood is beneficial and that the human medical community has nothing further to offer her.” He paused to straighten his shoulders. “Lily is clearly human, but her conditions mimic those of an Other. Maybe she straddles both worlds in a way not recorded before. It’s obvious her body attempted to adapt when she didn’t receive the nutrients found in vampire blood.” He shrugged. “At least, that’s my most educated opinion. When you gave her your blood, it shocked her system, which is why she slipped into a high fever.”
Clear, precise, and now totally sober, Merlin asked, “What do you suggest?”
“If her current condition is any indication, and I think it clearly is, blood, often, under my supervision.”
“And this will fix her?” Krieger asked.
“Yes, I think it will.”
Krieger knew the doctor and Merlin were waiting for his response. “What will the adverse effects of this be to Lily, and to me?”
“You felt the spark of her being?” The doctor rummaged through the papers to find his reading glasses.
At the time, Merlin’s warnings about the consequences of his actions with Lily had fallen on deaf ears. Now, knowing what he did, would he have rushed to save her? “I felt her, immediately.”
“The Royal Prerogative grants the right for you to bond through the blood. As you have never bonded, I do not have any first-hand knowledge. The Medicus database has a few cases I used for reference. With each new feeding, Lily’s state of being will become more of a factor in your own wellbeing. You’ve been vampire for more than two millennia. Over time you’ve adapted to maintain emotional equilibrium. Her emotions may seep into your consciousness.”
“Tell the king how many of these bondings exist today,” Merlin said.
“Only one other,” the doctor replied.
Merlin pushed his point. “Only one? Surely there have been more.”
Krieger dismissed his question. “I know of the one case, and I have no desire to hear anything further than what I already know. Now, the frequent feeding you prescribe. That is radical.” He lifted his eyebrow.
“Yes, but necessary. She might need this only for two weeks, or for six months.” The doctor took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I will evaluate her closely to ensure there are no negative consequences to either of you.”
“Negative consequences,” Krieger repeated. “These feedings, how much should she ingest?”
“If my theory is correct, then she should instinctively know how much to drink. If it is acceptable to you, let her choose when and how often. She may find this unpleasant. I could facilitate the exchange through injections.”
“I’m sure it will be more than acceptable to the king,” Merlin said, dipping his head towards him. “The question is whether it will be acceptable to Ms. Ayres.”
“Tell me, Doctor,” said Krieger, “in your opinion, how likely is she to mentally accept drinking blood from a vampire? There are taboos in the human culture regarding such things.”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” He adjusted his glasses. “I have a daughter not much older than Lily. She is strong and fragile and a dozen other contradictions at once. Give Lily time and kindness and understanding. In the end, what more is there?”
Krieger knew there was a lot more. No relationship was ever simple between vampire and human.
“This failure to thrive that you mentioned, could it be the cause of her intense shyness?”
“That is something I’ve thought a great deal about. From what I’ve read, Lily was never a loquacious child, always reserved, but nothing that seemed to bother the physicians or Ms. Best.” The doctor rummaged through the pile and found the folder he wanted. “The first entry regarding Lily’s lack of speech was in the fall of her sixth year. According to Ms. Best, suddenly and with no explanation Lily stopped speaking. All of her behaviors became more exaggerated. She rarely made eye contact, became increasingly aloof, any loud noise frightened her, especially bells and chimes, and she experienced bouts of night terrors.” The doctor pulled out a cotton handkerchief and wiped his forehead. “These are all the symptoms of psychological trauma. Up to that time, Lily’s physician had been the family doctor.” He scanned through another file. “Dr. Nabb saw no physical explanation for her condition and stressed that Lily should see a therapist immediately. He gave Ms. Best two very good referrals. Dr. Nabb was so concerned that he made repeated phone calls to convince Ms. Best that Lily needed help.”
Dr. Caanan looked at Krieger. “I found no record of Dr. Nabb ever seeing Lily again.” His eyes held concern. “Another thing I found disturbing was that all the doctors were told that Lily had always been this way. Why would Ms. Best lie?”
Krieger didn’t want to divulge that Martha had been tranced and that whatever had happened to Lily was probably erased from both their minds.
The doctor’s shoulders slumped slightly with fatigue. “She is a voluntary mute, or what the medical community calls a selective mute. Unable to speak in social situations, very shy, lack of expression, anxious, intense, an obsessive need to maintain a routine, sound sensitivity, and aversion to crowds. Untreated for so many years, her condition has only worsened. She may be more communicative with you. It’s a shame she didn’t get help earlier.”
Krieger sat back, retreating into his thoughts. He’d seen men struck dumb on the battlefield, and knew exactly how much damage could be caused by mental trauma. What had happened to her? Did Walter know? Had he done it? Frustrated by the lack of answers, Krieger stood up. “What we have discussed here shall stay between us. Do you understand?”
“Of course, sire. I understand,” Dr. Caanan replied.
“I want no record, of any kind, about your theories or her condition. Nothing. Merlin will keep the files safe.”
“As you wish.” The doctor nervously started to organize them.
“Good.” He would assign a guard to the doctor. He looked to his closest advisor. “Merlin, what say you?”
“I say what I’ve always said in regards to Ms. Ayres. She is not what she seems. There is something dark hovering around her that I cannot see.” Merlin shook his head.
He hadn’t felt it at first, this presence Merlin sensed around Lily, but he had to admit that there was something. “I expect daily reports on her condition.” He felt Lily stir through their bond. “That will be all.”
He was by her bedside in seconds. The steady inhale and exhale of her breathing soothed him. As the minutes slipped by, he toyed with their connection. What the doctor didn’t know was that he could block the flow of her emotions and his to her.
He sat down in the oversized chair, letting his arms hang down almost to the floor, and inhaled deeply of her scent, now richer, more complex than it had been before. He’d never encountered anyone who smelled so enticing. Her blood beguiled him, like a flower lures the bee to its sweet nectar. He wished to sink his fangs into her soft skin, to feel the first spurt of blood hit his tongue. He groaned with anticipation. To a vampire, blood and sex were intertwined. When he’d healed her with his blood it had taken a great deal of restraint not to seek his own physical fulfillment. He was ill prepared to deal with an innocent. His fingers wrapped around the legs of the chair, and the sound of wood snapping under pressure made him release his grip.
Her eyelids fluttered. It took a few attempts before she turned her head and stared at him. He remained motionless.
“You had a bad fall at the party, remember?” He raised his hands, palms facing towards her. “You’re safe, at my home.”
Her face, already flushed, became a deep shade of red. He could hear her heart beating hard and strong. He fought the urge to taste her.
“You came for me.” Lily spoke softly. “I was afraid
you wouldn’t.”
He remembered what the doctor had said, and knew the volume was not important, but that she was speaking meant a great deal.
“How do you feel?”
She took stock of her body. She raised the once injured shoulder, and then looked down, amazed.
“I healed you.”
She slid up, clutching the sheet to her neck, and rested her back against the headboard. The rose tones of the coverlet highlighted the perfection of her skin. He pondered going to sit on the bed next to her, but decided she needed to feel comfortable and safe in his presence, not hunted into a corner.
She spoke out the word, “How,” on a long breath.
He liked how she didn’t ask ridiculous questions. She cut straight to the point.
“With my blood.”
Lily glanced into his eyes, maybe gauging the truth of his words. She nodded and looked down at her hands. He had anticipated some sort of feminine theatrics, but she showed no emotion that he could decipher.
“I don’t remember that.”
“When did you remember me?”
“On the mountain,” she said, staccato quick.
He kept his face impassive.
“I’m not–” She ran her hand over her shoulder again. “Am I?”
“Vampire,” he finished her question. “No.”
The sigh of relief made her thoughts clear. He wondered if she would be more receptive to the idea after the years had ravaged her beautiful face.
“Did Walter leave this for you?” He laid the small watercolor painting on the bed.
She nodded.
Standing up, careful to move at human speed, he motioned towards the hallway leading to the bathroom and dressing area. “Everything you need will be provided. For now, you should rest.”
Lily shook her head. “I feel fine.” She started to get up, looked down, and tightened her hold on the coverlet.
“Clothes are in the dressing area. Do you need assistance?”
Her expression said she did not.
“Can you walk?” Krieger asked.
She nodded.
He went to the French doors and turned his back to her. “Go on. Call out if you feel weak.” Modesty was something foreign to Others. They did not feel shamed or embarrassed by nudity. He hadn’t thought about this and wished the doctor had clothed her. He heard the lock mechanism on the connecting door click into place. If it made her feel safe then what harm could it do?
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