by Primo, Jaz
Immediately, heavy metal barriers locked into place before all exterior doors and windows, sealing the estate’s most vulnerable access points.
Alton had already rushed upstairs, but I heard him shout, “Katrina!”
I raced upstairs, pushing my strength to its limits. Within seconds, I stood in the doorway to the upstairs bedroom where Bonnie was giving CPR to…Caleb!
I rushed to the bedside to see a bluish pallor on his face, which sent a cold stab of pain into my heart.
Oh, God, no…
Then I noticed that his arms, hands, and neck looked reddened, almost burnt.
With a single, wane gasp, I heard his heartbeat; irregular at first, then more rhythmic.
I gasped, realizing that I, too, had stopped breathing for those brief moments.
“What happened? How did he get up here?” I demanded.
“Hush,” Bonnie said as she held his wrist and placed her ear against his neck and then to his chest.
I waited as precious seconds ticked by.
She checked his pupils with a small penlight, and then sat upright on the edge of the bed. Marla stood to one side of her, an uncustomary expression of shock on her face.
“Ethan, we need you here now,” Alton spoke into his mobile phone.
My mind felt numb as I stared into Bonnie’s eyes, her expression one of shock. Alton’s continued dialogue was quickly drowned out by my own desperate musings about what had just happened to Caleb.
Why wasn’t he rousing?
“I found him basked in sunlight from the open window, and he wasn’t breathing,” Bonnie said. “The sunlight was too intense for me, so the shutters were faster…”
“You did the right thing,” I said. “How is he?”
She shrugged. “We won’t know until Dr. Reynolds gets here, but at least he’s breathing on his own.”
It seemed as if she was masking something further.
“Tell me,” I said.
“He’s not waking, so I’m a little worried about brain damage,” she said.
That was almost too painful to contemplate after having just restored his heartbeat and breathing.
“I understand,” I managed to say, though it sounded like some else’s voice rather than my own.
Alton’s dire expression conjured similar volumes of dread in me.
“Can you open the access to the doors of the house?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ll take care of that,” I said.
“I need to inform the two guards outside about what’s happened,” he said, turning to leave.
I was numb inside as I made my way to the nearest security panel.
* * *
Ethan and Paige arrived by motorcycle in what must’ve been record-setting time. Paige looked on the verge of tears as we watched Ethan examine Caleb. Together, he and Bonnie were able to perform some basic reflex tests so one could feel for muscle reaction while the other watched eye movement and listened for changes in heartbeat.
I thought Caleb stirred at one point, but Ethan discounted it as a breathing-related anomaly.
“Coma?” Alton asked.
I’d been too afraid to ask that.
“Perhaps,” Ethan said. “But it’s not a deep one, if it is a coma.”
A faint glimmer of relief attempted to foster itself in the back of my mind.
That’s when I noticed that Caleb’s arms no longer appeared as red as they had earlier. And though his face looked pale, at least it was better than its former bluish hue.
I can’t lose him.
I can’t bear it.
“What the hell was he thinking?” Paige asked.
“I can’t say for certain,” Ethan said. “But it might’ve been ingenious, if not poorly executed.”
My eyes locked onto the good doctor’s. “What?”
“You think he was trying to neutralize the vampire cells?” Alton asked.
I stared at him as if he were insane.
“It makes sense at one level,” Ethan said. “He was still half-human, so he may have gambled it would give his white blood cells a better chance if they didn’t have to fight the vampire cells.”
He was killing the part of me that was killing him?
Oh, I’m desperately going to need therapy after this.
“That was rash,” I said.
“He’s an idiot,” Paige said, though she was furiously rubbing at her eyes with her knuckles.
“He was dying anyway,” Alton said. “There was little to lose.”
I glared at him. “Well, that was a convenient omission on your part; you never shared that opinion with me.”
“I said I hoped he’d survive,” Alton said. “And that was absolutely the truth.”
Maybe I merely wanted the opportunity to focus my anger at someone or something, but I had a hard time stomaching his nuanced explanation.
“But why won’t he wake up?” Paige asked.
“Possibly shock,” Ethan said. “His body might be resetting itself. We should know more in the next twenty-four hours.”
“Are you sure it’s not brain damage?” I asked.
“I think we restored his breathing quickly enough,” Bonnie said. “I heard a commotion upstairs from the kitchen, and I was at the door in a matter of seconds. It was less than a minute later when I was able to give him CPR.”
“I concur,” Ethan said. “There likely wasn’t enough time for significant brain damage to set in.”
“But what about his brain injury?” I asked.
“Somehow, I think we’re okay there,” Ethan said.
“You’re not sure, though, are you?” Paige asked. “Shouldn’t we get him to the hospital or something?”
“I’d rather not move him, for now,” Ethan said. “But no, it’s difficult to be certain about a diagnosis in these circumstances, especially in this early stage.”
“So, we wait? For how long then?” I asked.
“As I said, let’s give things twenty-four hours,” he said. “Then we’ll reassess.”
More waiting.
Shit.
This is going to be the death of me.
The emotional strain in my body felt nearly unbearable.
I realized, of course, that I’d gladly trade places with Caleb, the love of my life, if only I could rest assured he’d survive.
Chapter 17
Caleb
Self-awareness.
I am me. I am here.
Then I heard faint voices of those I care most about, the people I love.
They sounded like they were at the end of a long tunnel in the distance.
What happened?
Where am I?
A nothingness of numbness and haziness; not disconcerting, but more like a peaceful blanket.
If this was heaven, I was sorely disappointed.
Where are the clouds and harp music?
Wait, I remember the sunlight.
It burned so much.
I wondered what I might do next, though part of me didn’t care. The nothingness was soothing and oddly reassuring.
I could stay here forever, compared to where I was before.
Time had no meaning; though I occasionally heard what I thought were the distant whispers of voices.
I floated and floated in a comforting sea of sheer weightlessness.
* * *
“Caleb?” someone asked.
It was…Ethan.
Then bright light, like standing before a spotlight; it engulfed my nothingness, though there was no heat accompanying it.
Sensations of feeling and physical awareness assailed my senses all at once; smells and sounds tingled across my skin.
My eyes fluttered. I felt them.
My first sight was bright green eyes staring back at me. The scent of cherry blossoms permeated the air.
Kat.
“I missed you,” I said, though my voice sounded hoarse and not quite my own.
“Welcome back, my love,” she said softly.
<
br /> Oh, how I missed her.
My eyes scanned the room from where I lay on the bed. Ethan looked down at me from behind Kat.
The air was filled with a series of swishing sounds, each followed by the appearances of Paige, Alton, Marla, and Bonnie, each looking down at me with expressions of relief or wonder.
My friends. My loved ones.
I missed them all.
* * *
Days passed quickly, during which time I basked in the warm affections and attentions by those around me, though occasionally laced with moments of disapproval over the fateful decision that brought me to this point.
Kat was particularly a dichotomy of both love and a degree of wrath, so torn in her emotions over what had happened. Thankfully, the moments of love outweighed those of her ire.
She told me that she understood my decision, but I didn’t have to be a mind reader to realize she was profoundly hurt by my abrupt decision. A rare bout of tears on her part emphasized that point.
It made me feel rather selfish.
To my credit, I apologized profusely while hugging her to me, all the while at a loss to know exactly the best thing so say or do.
So, I quietly held her for a time. Honestly, I think it may have done as much for me as it did for her.
At least, I hoped so.
Paige gave me an earful, though Ethan and Alton were surprisingly accepting. Following her initial rant, Paige had conceded, “Well, I’ll be damned. Our boy came up with a cure for early onset vampirism.”
Kat had groaned at that.
I endured it all in stride, merely happy to have returned to ‘the living’…and as a human, no less.
For approximately a week, my every need was catered to by vampires; certainly a memorable experience worth savoring.
Despite the strength that only slowly rebuilt in my body, I suddenly found that being human felt pretty damned good by comparison; though I missed the enhanced senses of smell, hearing, and sight that I had briefly enjoyed.
Still, little of my transitional time spent between worlds garnered similar appreciation.
It had been miserable, painful and debilitating.
I never wanted to go through that again.
Fortunately, my appetite returned with a vengeance, and my aversion to cooked meats quickly dissipated. I even enjoyed a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies Bonnie made for me.
“I should make you eat the stale original batch instead,” she had teased with an arched brow.
I adored her.
As soon as I was able to walk, I was taken to the hospital for a series brain and body scans.
Fortunately, each resulted in favorable assessments, which pleased me to no end. Essentially, my brain was healing and the remaining vampire cells in my body were progressively dissipating, destroyed by my body’s immune system.
I still experienced fleeting moments of blurriness, some body aches, and dizziness, but Ethan assured me it was relatively normal for my circumstances.
“Will I recover fully, doc?” I asked.
“I’m encouraged to think so,” he said.
It was as close to definitive as I could get from him, but it was better than nothing, given my condition.
I spent the evening of the Fourth of July watching the downtown Atlanta fireworks from the vantage point our front yard, arm-in-arm with Kat and surrounded by my friends, including Devon Archibald.
I still hadn’t got used to the guards on the property, though I appreciated their presence, given all that had happened recently.
* * *
Within ten days of waking from my coma-like state, Alton and Marla made plans to return to London in the coming week or so. Bonnie Lund said her time with us was also preparing to end.
“Dr. Reynolds is confident you’ll be fine on your own, with his and Kat’s supervision, of course,” she said.
It saddened me to see her leave, though I was more than pleased to be feeling better with each passing day. I’d grown fond of Bonnie in the short time I’d been around her.
“I’ll miss you,” I said, embracing her in a warm hug. “Nobody makes cookies like you, you know. But don’t tell Kat I said that.”
“I’ll keep in touch, Caleb,” she assured me. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope you’ll not need my services again anytime soon. Nevertheless, I’ll be here if needed.”
“Thanks,” I said. “And I feel the same way, actually. I’d prefer if this were a one-time event.”
Bonnie left the following day.
Another week passed, and I was already strong enough for moderate exercising. My body felt debilitated, and I was anxious to regain my strength and stamina. It also helped to pass the time.
I was growing restless.
Marla left within the week for London, and Alton said he’d only be staying for a few more days.
“How can I repay you for saving my life?” I asked him, once we had a moment alone together.
“Saving? I nearly cost you your life,” he said.
“I’d have died at the hospital, according to what Paige told me,” I said. “You gave me a chance, at least.”
He reached out to pat me on the shoulder in a paternal manner. “You’re here. That’s all that matters now.”
He refused to say anything further on the matter.
However, I soon discovered that Kat hadn’t been so fortunate.
One evening following dinner, I sat in our dining room, still serving as makeshift operations center for Alton, and alternated exasperated looks with him and Kat.
“Why does Kat have to go to London?” I demanded. “The debt is mine to repay, not hers.”
“The debt was mine, not yours,” Kat said sternly.
“Stop with all this talk of debts,” Alton said. “It’s pure nonsense. I need Katrina’s assistance with matters of imminent gravity, nothing more.”
“I’m going, too,” I said.
“No,” both Kat and Alton said simultaneously, each pausing to stare at the other.
Just great, denied in stereo.
“It’s too dangerous,” Kat said.
“I concur,” Alton said.
I ignored him for the moment.
“I’ll be safer with you in London,” I said, staring at Kat.
“I don’t want you there. It’s too dangerous and you’ll only distract me, Caleb,” she said flatly.
Her words stabbed into my chest like a hot knife.
She doesn’t want me there?
I stared back at her incredulously. How could she say something like that to me?
I just practically returned from the near dead, for God’s sake.
She reached out for my hand but I jerked it free from her grip.
“Don’t,” I said.
I don’t want you there…
If she didn’t want me there…well, that changed matters entirely.
Fine!
I stormed from the room, slamming shut the French doors to the dining room as I left.
“Caleb!” she called.
Pointedly ignoring her, I made for the nearest exit.
I caught Paige’s surprised look from where she stood in the kitchen as I barreled for the door leading out onto the back patio. I snatched my iPod and ear buds from a small table near the door as I darted outside.
Practically stomping my feet in anger, I proceeded through the backyard and into the night as I jammed the ear buds into place.
Seconds later, The Dresden Dolls’ “The Kill” blared in my ears.
I glanced over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of one of the suit-clad vampires following me.
Great, one of the goons is shadowing me.
I was determined to get as far as I could before my ‘safety zone’ was deemed to be exceeded.
My thoughts were jumbled and my anger coursed through me in waves. Before I knew it, I was passing through the neighborhood park, past the bench where Kat had revealed her vampire secret to me last fall.
; It seemed like a lifetime ago.
“Dammit.”
I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.
What the hell am I supposed to do now that my mate doesn’t want me around?
Chapter 18
Katrina
Caleb’s shoulders were squared and stiff as I watched him march away.
We’d only just welcomed him from the brink of oblivion, and he was already angry with me…yet again.
Once again, I’d said something that he took totally wrong, eliciting another heated reaction from him.
With practice, I could learn to be more diplomatic with him.
I need to try better, I suppose.
Being abrupt with others was another one of my less than charming attributes. It was no wonder I’ve had such a checkered past with relationships.
Of course, that tidbit of self-actualization hardly helped me at the present.
Personal faults aside, I was somewhat surprised he hadn’t permitted me time to explain further.
I rose to pursue my wayward mate, only to feel Alton’s grip tighten around my arm.
“Let him go, Katrina,” he said.
I frowned and jerked my arm from his grasp with more force than I’d intended. “Why should I? I need to reason with him.”
He spared me one of his more patient-looking expressions, which I merely found infuriating.
“Give the young man time to cool off,” he said.
“He’s acting like a spoiled teenager,” I said.
“Careful there,” he cautioned. “I remember cradling a grown woman in my arms not so long ago.”
“I was grief-stricken, thank you very much,” I responded.
An arched brow was his only response.
I rolled my eyes, though I suppose he made a good point.
“He’ll come around when he’s ready,” he added.
I hitched my hands atop my hips. “Oh, really? And just when did you become so well versed in all things Caleb?”
One of the French doors opened and I looked up to see Paige staring at me curiously.
“What the hell was that all about?” she asked. “Our boy looked like a road rage poster child.”
