by Dale Mayer
"Well, are you coming, or are you going to sit in here until they come back with more drugs?"
Ian's gaze widened and he bolted to the other side of the door, his loose hospital gown flapping around his legs. "That's what I thought." Motre shut and locked the door behind him. Then motioned to the far end of the hallway. "Let's go. They are having a big meeting right now. We need to get clear before they come to check on you."
"What about the others?
"I've got some men releasing prisoners on the lower floors. I came up here because I overheard Wendy earlier. Figured you must be in one of the rooms they'd hastily pulled together to accommodate new patients."
Ian barely heard the rest after Wendy's name was mentioned. "Wendy, is she all right?"
Motre shook his head. "I have no idea. I just heard on the radio that a Council truck was involved in a big vehicle accident. There is a fatality." Motre snorted. "However, according to the human news, some female managed to drag almost everyone out of the vehicle before it blew up."
He shot a sideways look at Ian. "Can't imagine what female that was, can you?"
"Tessa." Ian crowed. "Oh my God. That's so awesome."
"Yeah, now it would be really good if we find out she didn't cause the accident in the first place. Cause damn, that woman can get herself into trouble."
Ian laughed and laughed. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He might not be completely free, and Wendy might not be completely safe, but the status quo had changed and things were finally swinging in his favor.
He'd get out of this yet.
Chapter 16
Tessa woke up to a splitting headache, partly from the yelling somewhere close by. She groaned softly, wishing they would all just shut up.
Shh. Easy. Don't move. That blast apparently did more damage than you first thought.
Cody? She smiled and nestled deeper into the pillows. She was glad he was here with her.
I'm there in spirit. But I'm actually sitting beside my father. He's not pulling out of this spell very well. We've got good medics here, including Taz, but Dad is still unconscious. He smiled, a ripple of a movement in her head that was almost palpable. How cool was that? I'm really glad you've woken up. A wave of love washed through her. She didn't know if it was her love for him or his love for her – regardless of what they were willing to admit – but it filled her to the brim and brought tears to her eyes.
She sniffled them back.
Are you hurting? he said in alarm.
No, she whispered. Just glad to be alive and hearing your voice.
You say the nicest things, he said. Then again, you are also the nicest vampire I've ever met.
Ha, that's not necessarily a good thing. Certainly not in the vamp world.
It's a good thing, he said firmly. Besides, it's who you are. Don't ever change. You are you and personally, I can't imagine you being any different.
As long as you like me, then…
Oh, I do. This time she could see his smile in her mind's eye. How weird was that? It was also special. She knew she couldn't be actually seeing his smile because he wasn't there with her, but to know that she knew his face so well that she could picture every twist of his lips…yeah, that was special.
I wish they'd stop arguing, she whispered. It's killing my head.
Can't you tell them to stop? To take it elsewhere?
She gave a mental shrug. I don't know who they are.
It's not your mom?
I don't think so. It's a woman and a man, but I don't recognize either voice.
Hmmm. Your mother is supposed to be standing guard.
She probably just stepped out for a moment.
We've been talking longer than that. I wonder where she is.
I don't know. She groaned. Now they are really going at it.
She tried to sit up, but everything hurt. It was as if her body wouldn't listen to her commands. She didn't get it. She tried to roll over.
And froze.
Cody?
Yeah, I'm here. What's wrong?
I'm chained to the bed. Her heart jackhammered against her ribs. She tried to stay calm… tried but didn't succeed. Cody! I'm like seriously chained to the bed!
Chained? As in you can't move chained? he asked cautiously, as if not wanting to jump to any conclusions, As in you're a prisoner?
Yes, she cried. As in there are links around my wrist and a small chain around the metal bed post.
What the hell?
His shocked voice made her feel somewhat calmer. But not by much. I gather you didn't know?
Obviously!
She studied the shackles. Some sanity returned. There had to be a reason. Not a good one obviously, but still a reason. She was at the Council Hall after all. As she half listened to the argument going on, she realized the chains were a hot topic. Good. Someone was on her side.
Your mom grabbed you and ran. Your dad carried my father and I stayed behind to help unload all the injured vamps we'd placed into the back of the truck. Once that was all taken care of, I came to find my father and Serus went to you and your mother.
Hmmm. She tried not to let her panic overwhelm her. Just the thought of being a captive again was enough to make her want to kill the two people screaming beside her. She opened her eyes a tiny bit. It was Gittoria and a stranger. Why hadn't she recognized her aunt's voice? Then again, screaming like she was, no one would have recognized her.
Tessa tried to study the man's features, but she couldn’t see him clearly. Neither could she see her aunt very well. She wished they'd come closer. Maybe she'd be able to see their energy. Figure out if they were good guys or bad guys.
Cody, it's my aunt Gittoria and a strange male.
A new voice jumped into the fray. "Stop that. You're going to wake her up. If you have to argue, do it in the hallway," Rhia snapped, her voice cutting and frustrated. "She needs to heal."
"Ha. Wait until she wakes up and finds out that you're the one who chained her up."
"If that's what I have to do to keep my daughter safe, then that's what I have to do," Rhia snapped. "I love her and she is not going to continue gallivanting around the world getting injured all the time. She needs peace and quiet and rest."
Tessa lay on the bed, reeling from her mother's words. She quickly told Cody.
What? Surely not.
Yes. What I don't know is if she's under the influence of those damn drugs. His shocked voice helped. She didn't feel quite so alone. She sounds like my mother, she's acting like a concerned mother, but damn, who chains their daughter up to a bed to stop her from hurting herself?
There was a long dark silence before Cody said, I wonder if she's really Rhia.
You mean like an imposter? That scared her. The vamps aren't doing that kind of stuff, are they? Cloning specific people. To replace the real ones in all ways. No, can't be. Cloning doesn’t work that way. You can't guarantee that a clone will look exactly the same as the original one you've taken the cells from.
Maybe they couldn’t before, but what if they can now? he said.
No. She rejected that idea immediately. No way. This is my mom. I just don't get why she'd go to these lengths to keep me safe.
Ah, that's easy. She loves you and she's lost enough people in this world that she doesn’t feel she can lose you, too.
I wonder if my father knows. Or David?
I don't know. But I think I'll go and see. Don't struggle. Don’t try to escape. As long as you are there, we should be able to find you. But don't let them know that you are conscious.
Got it.
And he left her mind.
They were getting better at that part. Being there but not being there. Together but still apart. It was smoother now. They were closer too – if that was possible. It was such a weird feeling but at the same time, she couldn't imagine life without it.
She snuggled down into the bed.
There was an abrupt halt to the conversation. Foots
teps walked over to the bed. "Tessa honey?" her mother asked. "Are you awake?"
Tessa lay quietly. She wasn't going to give the game away. But damn, she wished she could open her eyes enough to see her mother's energy. And the energy of the other two.
It was the only way she knew to understand the influences here. Even then, it didn't tell her who willfully signed up for the drug program, but at least she'd have an inkling as to why their behavior seemed so odd.
All she could do was wait.
***
Cody took one last look at his father. Pale and still, it was the closest he'd seen his father to death's door. And he didn't understand why. Neither did the doctors apparently. What happened in that truck?
He mulled it over as he searched out Serus. He found doctors moving amongst the other patients. Wendy had crashed and was sleeping on the couch in one of the Council rooms, reminding him that they had no word about Ian or Jewel yet. Speaking of which, where the hell was David? They were supposed to plan their next move to rescue Jewel and Ian from the hospital.
He continued to search until he found Serus. Relieved, he walked over to where Tessa's father was deep in conversation with several Councilmen.
He coughed lightly. Serus turned, saw Cody, and worry immediately filled his face.
Cody immediately said, "No change in Goran's condition."
The frown deepened. "Damn," he said softly. With the other two men listening in, he didn't feel comfortable mentioning Tessa's condition. He took a deep breath. "Can I speak with you privately, sir?"
Serus nodded and walked Cody over to the far side of the room. "What's up?"
He winced. "It's Tessa. She's awake." Serus's face lit up. Cody held out a restraining hand. "Wait. She hasn't told anyone she's awake, and now she's really scared. "
"Why the devil would she be scared? Her mother is with her. Even her dratted bitchy aunt is there."
Well, that answered some of Tessa's questions. "Yes, sir. That's true. She's also been chained to the bed."
Serus's gaze widened. He shook his head.
Cody nodded.
Serus started to growl deep in the back of his throat. He spun and raced down the hallway.
Cody was right on his heels.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind as he raced behind Serus. Where the hell was David?
***
David thought he had at least an hour before anyone noticed he wasn't upstairs in the main Council hall with the injured vamps. He'd fed quickly, then returned to the parking lot where he thanked the truck driver for bringing the vamps in, gotten the guy's name and number, and waited until he'd driven away.
Then he'd gotten inside his own car and followed the man out of the underground parking lot. It was getting late, but not late enough for him to be outside yet. He'd grabbed several of the blankets used to wrap the injured vamps up in and had thrown them into the back of the car. Who knew how many vamps he could free up at the hospital? Given the time of day, they'd need to wrap up. He hoped night would have fallen by the time he managed to get there and figure out a plan, but he was going to be prepared if his luck held. He'd tried to call Jewel again – several times. And he'd tried to call the main hospital. No answer at either number.
He drove steadily, his mind racing. He knew there was an underground parking lot. Had to be. Most visitors used the outside lot as there were many long covered walkways that gave the necessary protection in daytime as well. But he wanted the privacy of an underground lot. He also wanted the service entrance. Not the public one.
He'd thought long and hard about going alone. He wished he could've told someone, but with Tessa and Goran out, it meant that Cody needed to stay behind. Serus and Rhia were organizing some kind of task force to retake the hospital. And Wendy, well, she was still feeling the effect of the car accident.
He was too, but he'd never live with himself if anything happened to Jewel. He was terrified that Ian was already lost to them, but if he could save Jewel, he'd do anything he could to make that happen.
She had to be terrified. If she was even conscious. When they'd come out of the mountain, they'd been exhausted. Healing, but slowly. Too slowly. Ian was a little worse. The powers that be deemed it best for both of them to rest in the hospital where tests could be done to determine just what drugs they'd been given.
David hadn't questioned that wisdom. It had made sense to him at the time.
But Jewel had been sleeping almost every damn time he'd gone to see her. Was that normal? Now that he thought about it, he figured that should have been the first sign of trouble.
Ian had been moved. Even though he'd been walking and talking and doing fine, he'd been moved. According to what the doctors had said to Wendy, he'd had a major setback and was now in intensive care.
That David didn't believe.
Ian was a loveable oaf, but he was not stupid. And he was very careful to make sure no one got close enough to him to do any more harm. So they'd done something to him to stop him from leaving. Last thing David remembered while sitting between Jewel and Ian was him telling Wendy to grab his clothes and be back in an hour so he could get out of the place. David had left just after that.
That certainly didn't sound like a man on a downward slide. In fact, it was probably because of what he'd said that got him into trouble. If they hadn’t realized he was planning on leaving so fast, they wouldn't have taken measures to have him stuffed away where he couldn't be found and likely where he couldn't escape.
The hospital appeared up ahead. Nice and creepy. On a hill like that, he wondered idly if they had more underground than anyone suspected.
Like what if they had a way out of the hospital into some underground tunnel?
Nah, he was just remembering the crazy blood farm mess. That didn't make any sense in this situation.
But he couldn’t help that little voice at the back of his mind asking him if he was sure. After all, they never did find all the other blood farms. This was a perfect place for one. Right under all their noses.
***
Ian followed Motre down the hallway. Questions rolled through his head, but Motre had made it clear to stay silent. Besides, Ian was free again and that's all he cared about. Questions could wait. Although he could really use some damn clothes. Up ahead was a laundry cart. It only contained bedding from what he could see. He gave it a quick search, then turned to follow Motre. And saw his grin. He glared at the big man, who was lucky enough to be fully dressed and not running down the hallway with his bare cheeks hanging out. He was grateful the front of him was covered, but sheesh.
"It's not funny," he growled in a low undertone.
Motre's grin widened. "Actually, it's damn funny. You've got huge knobby knees. Who knew?" With that, he picked up the pace, damn near flying down the hallway.
Knobby knees? Ian glanced down at his legs below the hospital gown. He was tall and lanky. He could use an extra twenty pounds. He'd always been that way. What the hell? Now he had to be worried about things like feet and knees? He snorted. Hell no. Wendy loved him just as he was. And when he saw her again and got her into a private corner with just the two of them, he'd asked her about those body parts. Maybe. Because he didn't want to hear her laugh, too.
Did girls notice feet and knees? Hell, maybe he should ask Tessa. She'd give him the straight goods. She'd grin, but she wouldn't mock him.
Motre came to a dead stop just short of the next corner. He put a hand out to stop Ian's headlong rush.
"Orderlies up ahead," he whispered.
"Let me at him," Ian snapped.
"I know you want to kill these guys, but remember, we don't know whose side anyone is on."
"Screw killing them. I'm going to knock them out and steal their pants."
***
Jared didn't know where to go. He'd checked out the news on his phone, and there were sketchy details of the accident. He wanted to know for sure, but how? He could only think to go the vamp hospital or the human hospi
tal. And honestly, the vamp hospital gave him the willies. Vamps. Blood. Needles. Hospital. Hell no.
He turned his feet toward the human hospital. Maybe he could find Taz and find out what was going on. How hard could it be to stay in touch with everyone? He should have gotten Cody's number. It would have hurt to call him, but right now, he'd do it. Ian was part of the whole group, too. Why hadn't he gotten everyone's number? Then again, Ian and Jewel had been hauled off for medical treatment, so who knew what condition they were in?
As he walked the few blocks to the hospital, he wondered at the several items missing from the news.
The two deaths in the group home and his uncle's death.
But who'd report his uncle's death? The man had no friends. It would likely be his sister. Jared frowned. Unless his aunt had been given the same treatment as his uncle – meaning she'd likely been murdered, too.
His steps slowed down. Damn. Should he go check?
He didn't have her number, but he knew where she lived. He didn't want to break into the house but wasn't sure how else he'd find out. Given the amount of trouble that could possibly be laid at his feet, it might not matter if he broke in or not.
Shit.
She was still family.
He turned toward his aunt's house. What he should have done was grabbed his uncle's car keys and borrowed his damn car.
All this walking was getting seriously old.
Chapter 17
Tessa lay quietly in bed. Everyone had long since left. Her mother appeared to be pacing the hallway. Tessa's patience had gone the same way. Cody had told her he was following her dad and they were both on their way here. Except that was at least twenty minutes ago. She'd tried to contact Cody since, but the door between them was closed. Not from her side. He wasn't as good at opening and closing that door and often closed it when he needed to concentrate. Or when he was getting ripped by someone. Although she usually could sense the emotion in him at times like this.
