by Folsom, Tina
“That’s the best we can do,” Samson insisted. “The nearest vampire physician is in Los Angeles. We don’t have time to get him up here.”
“Fine, but I want you to sign a waiver that I won’t be sued if she doesn’t make it. I can’t be held responsible if -“
Gabriel seized Drake by the throat and cut him off in mid sentence.
“If you don’t stop babbling, you won’t have to worry about a lawsuit, because you won’t be around to appear in court. Are we clear on that?”
“Gabriel!” Samson’s reprimand cut through the tension in the room.
Gabriel released the doctor, who cut him a sour glance.
“Fine.” With a jerky movement, Drake approached the bed and looked at the woman. Gabriel watched his every movement, for some inexplicable reason feeling protective toward her. And why shouldn’t he, since Samson had assigned him this case? It was just like in the old days when he’d started working for Samson’s company as a bodyguard, long before he’d worked his way up to his current powerful position as Scanguards’ number two. He was merely acting as her bodyguard.
Only, he’d never guarded a body as perfect as hers.
Drake lifted one eyelid then the other to look at Maya’s pupils before he pried her lips apart and examined her teeth. He slid his finger along her upper teeth and probed.
“Hmm.”
“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked, impatient to hear the doctor’s assessment.
Drake turned to him and Samson. “Her fangs aren’t growing, and the white in her eyes is not returning. Samson, you said your men found her and think they interrupted the vampire who did this?”
Samson nodded. “Yes, they saw somebody run away, but weren’t fast enough to catch him. They were more concerned with getting her to safety first.”
“Makes sense. I think he wasn’t finished. The turning is only halfway done. She probably barely received any vampire blood. Her human body is fighting it. And her vampire side isn’t strong enough. It’s not sufficient to turn her, but it’s sufficient to make her remaining human impossible. You have to make a choice.”
“A choice?” Gabriel heard himself ask, then felt both the doctor’s and Samson’s stares on him. Did they realize that he had more than a passing interest in her?
“Either turn her fully or let her die.”
Gabriel gasped. He took a step toward the doctor, ready to throttle him. “Let her die?” Before he could lay hands on Drake, Samson put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder.
“Gabriel. Stop.”
He spun around facing Samson. “You can’t let her die.” Even as he said it, he knew what he was planning to do was against his own beliefs: to give a human a choice. But he wasn’t planning on giving her that choice. Hell, she wasn’t conscious to make this choice for herself.
Samson gave him a sad smile. “Then we have to turn her fully. Do you want that responsibility?”
Gabriel swallowed. “You would prefer dealing with the guilt of letting her die?” He’d rather deal with the guilt of knowing he kept her alive as a vampire.
“Turning her means imposing your will on her. She wasn’t given a choice in this.” As if Gabriel didn’t know that himself.
Samson continued, “Are you prepared to make that choice for her?
What if she’d rather die?”
“What if she’d rather live?” Gabriel countered.
What if I want her to live?
“Do you really want to play God?”
While he knew Samson to be a man who believed in God, Gabriel had lost his faith a long time ago. But he’d never lost his sense of right and wrong, good and bad. Letting her die now was wrong. “I’m prepared to play Devil if it means she’ll live.” Gabriel’s decision was clear. Under no circumstances would he let her die. Consequences be damned. If she hated him for it later, so be it. But while she couldn’t make a decision, he would make it for her. And he hoped she would agree with him in the end.
A resigned nod was Samson’s answer. “Drake, what do you suggest?”
Drake cleared his throat. “She’ll need to be fed more vampire blood.”
“How much?” Gabriel asked, even though it didn’t matter. He’d give her as much as she needed. However many pints of his blood she wanted, he would happily supply it.
“I don’t know yet. I’m afraid we’ll have to wing it.” The doctor gave a shrug.
Gabriel unbuttoned his left sleeve and shoved the fabric back to his elbow. “I’m ready.”
“When did you last feed?” the doctor asked, concern edging his face. Suddenly he was all focused, his flippant attitude gone.
“A few hours ago.”
“Good.” He waved Gabriel to the other side of the bed. “Get onto the bed and sit next to her. I need you to open your vein. I’ll hold her mouth open and you’ll have to start dripping the blood into her.”
Gabriel nodded and did as the doctor asked. He sat next to her on the bed. Willing his fangs to extend, he pierced his own wrist with them.
Droplets of blood instantly appeared.
In the background he heard the door open and close. Samson had obviously decided not to watch. Gabriel didn’t care – he didn’t need his boss’ approval. This was his decision to make. His case. But Gabriel knew full well that this was not merely a case for him – this woman meant more. He didn’t know why, but he trusted his instinct enough to know what he had to do. And his instinct had never failed him.
Keeping her alive was his mission now.
* * *
Maya was cold. A shiver racked her frame. She tried to curl into a ball to preserve her body’s heat, but all her muscles felt stiff and unresponsive to her brain’s demand. She felt paralyzed. When she sensed a movement next to her, she realized she lay on a bed. As the mattress depressed next to her, heat reached her. Whoever or whatever was next to her provided warmth, and she craved it.
Trying to move the millstone holding down her chest, she fought against the heaviness of her body and shifted herself ever so slightly to her left. As if the heat source knew what she wanted, it came closer and a moment later it pressed against her side. Suddenly warmth flooded into her, and she let out a content sigh.
But the moment she tried to take a deep breath, her lungs stung from the effort and a bolt of pain shot through her body. Pressure built in her lungs as they were unable to expel the carbon dioxide. She felt like drowning.
She opened her mouth to force herself to cough, to push out the used air, but before she could do so, she felt a hand at her mouth holding it open. Then drops of warm liquid hit her tongue. She wanted to scream.
But all she could do was to swallow before the liquid would drown her.
The more she swallowed, the more liquid entered her mouth. She couldn’t taste anything, but she knew it wasn’t water. It was thicker, almost creamy. And to her surprise it eased the pressure in her chest.
Then she knew it was medicine. Somebody was giving her medicine. So she opened wider and arched toward the source of the liquid.
“Slowly, slowly,” a deep voice cautioned.
Softness touched her lips. Warm skin – and from it came the liquid that eased her body’s pain. She didn’t care what it was, didn’t even want to speculate. All she knew was it was helping. Greedily, she sucked, wanting more and more before somebody would deny her and stop the flow. She had to get enough before there was no more.
The more she drank, the more aware she became of her own body and the source of heat next to her, the way it cradled her, protected her.
Now that the burning pain in her body started to subside, she recognized the heat source as a man’s body, a very large man’s body. Who was he?
Her eyelids felt as heavy as an iron door. Nevertheless, she tried to lift them. She succeeded just enough to see the shape of the man beside her – the man whose wrist she was still drinking from.
Shock coursed through her. He hadn’t given he
r medicine – he’d fed her his blood!
Maya tried to pull away from him, but her body wouldn’t obey. It stayed close to his broad chest that warmed her and his wrist that fed her. She forced herself to lift her lids further to look at his face and wished she hadn’t.
With horror, she stared at his disfigured profile with an ugly scar from his chin to his ear. At this close a distance, it throbbed menacingly.
His long brown hair was swept back in a ponytail. Some strands had struggled free of it and framed his square face.
She squeezed her eyes shut. No – she was not lying in bed being fed blood by a monster. It had to be a bizarre dream. There was no other explanation. More than eighty hours of work a week could do that to anybody. Long shifts, then nights of calls after calls would bring anybody to the point of complete and utter exhaustion. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened to her.
During her three-year-residency, she’d broken down a couple of times and had needed twenty-four hours of sleep to recover. She would call in sick tomorrow. Yes, her body was definitely telling her she needed rest.
If she was making up bloodsucking monsters, then it was time for a little downtime.
She sighed deeply. Now that she’d made the decision to take a day off, she suddenly felt better – it certainly couldn’t be because she still felt the warm body of the scarred man pressed against her. No monster would have this kind of calming effect on her. And for that matter, maybe it was time to change her movie rentals to romantic comedies rather than horror flicks – since clearly she couldn’t handle the latter.
Had she watched a romantic comedy on the weekend rather than the latest B-movie in the horror genre, surely the man in her dream would have been handsome and not so horribly disfigured. Maya shuddered at the memory of the man’s face.
Four
“How is she?” Samson’s voice came from the door.
Gabriel looked up from Maya’s sleeping body and gestured for Samson to come in. He’d let her keep her clothes, too worried that once she woke and found herself undressed, her panic would be even greater.
She would have enough to deal with – thinking a stranger had seen her naked wouldn’t help the situation. “She has a chance now.”
“You look tired. Here, I brought you some blood. You need to replenish.” Samson handed him two bottles of red liquid.
Gabriel looked at the labels – O negative – and made an appreciative grunt. “The good stuff.”
“Only the best for my people. Listen, I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. But you know what I think about creating new vampires against their will. And I thought you felt the same.”
Gabriel looked at him and saw the concern in his boss’ eyes. “I do.
But there are times when we have no choice about what to do. It’s a life – either way. What she’ll do with it is going to be her choice. But at least she’ll have a choice.”
Gabriel popped open the bottle and took a big gulp. The thick liquid coated his throat. Damn it felt good. He’d felt drained. Maya had taken a good two pints out of him, but he hadn’t had the heart to stop her. The doc had warned him, but he knew that her instinct would tell her how much she needed. When she’d finally stopped, she’d fallen back into a deep sleep. Her breathing was better now, and her heartbeat had sped up. The signs were good.
“You’re right,” his boss agreed. “Gabriel, I want you to do something for me.”
Gabriel looked straight at him. “What’s that?”
“I’ve decided to take Delilah on a short vacation until Maya is more stable. Call me overly cautious, but I could never forgive myself if she got attacked just because Maya can’t control her urges yet. After all, Delilah is the only human in the house and Maya will be drawn to her blood.”
There was a small pause and Gabriel noticed how a soft smile crept around Samson’s lips. With a twinkle in his eyes, Samson continued, “And I of all people know how tempting her blood is.”
“You’re one lucky son of a bitch, Samson.” Gabriel grinned and for a moment forgot all his troubles. It was good to see his friend so happy.
“Don’t I know it. I want you to stay here – Carl is making up the master bedroom for you. We’re taking Oliver with us.”
“You’re taking a human bodyguard?” Oliver, a human, was Samson’s personal assistant and took care of all his daytime needs.
“For Delilah. I’m sure she’ll want to see some sights during the day while I have to stay indoors. I don’t want to deprive her of the occasion.
Oliver will keep her safe.”
“I understand.”
Samson looked back at the bed. “Maya needs to be watched twenty-four-seven. Thomas, Zane and Yvette will be around to assist you. I’m sending Quinn back to New York. He can run headquarters during your absence.”
Gabriel had no reservations about Quinn taking over New York, yet – “You sure about Zane?”
“He’s your best man. You know how to keep him in line.”
Samson was right, but having Zane around Maya made Gabriel feel uneasy. He couldn’t pinpoint why. Zane was the meanest fighting machine he’d ever met, and having him on his side meant having the best protection available.
“I’ve also alerted Amaury, and he’s offered to help, even though I’m sure he’d rather do something else.”
Gabriel smirked. “I’ll avoid calling him in on this – I’d rather not be at the receiving end of Nina’s wrath. That woman sure has a mouth on her.”
Samson laughed. “And she needs it to tame Amaury. But honestly, if you need him, call him. I’m sure he’s got his ways of calming Nina down when she gets a little too wild.”
Gabriel didn’t want to think of it, since for certain Amaury’s ways would involve sweaty marathon sex – it wasn’t an image he needed right now. Not with the most perfect woman lying only feet away from him – helpless and vulnerable. His groin tightened at the memory of how her body had felt pressed to his when he’d fed her.
“You okay?” Samson asked.
Gabriel shifted in his chair to hide his growing erection. “Sure. I’ll take care of things. Once she’s awake and has accepted the change, I’ll find out what happened. Maybe she can give us a description of the guy.
She has to have seen something.”
“Good. Carl will be here when you need him, and Drake is supposed to stop by every night to check on her. He called a few minutes ago.”
Gabriel raised his eyebrows in inquiry. Yet, he felt no guilt for having been so harsh with the doctor earlier. “What did he want?”
“He forgot to tell you what to do when she comes round. She needs to get human blood within six hours of waking or her thirst will get too much for her and she’ll turn crazy. I doubt it will be a problem feeding her – she’ll be famished, and her instincts in the first few hours will be so sharp that you won’t be able to keep her away from the blood. I suggest giving her the bottled stuff. It worked well for Carl.”
Gabriel nodded. “Is the pantry stocked?”
“I’ve sent Carl out for more supplies, but there’s plenty for you and her.”
A sound from downstairs made them both look toward the door.
“And another thing,” Samson added, “keep Ricky out of it. I think the breakup with Holly is really hitting him hard. Frankly, I was a little surprised when he told me that she broke it off with him. I always thought she was the one who was really into the relationship.”
“Goes to show, you never know what goes on inside a person,”
Gabriel agreed.
“Anyway, I’ve instructed everybody to give him some space. The guys will only take orders from you.”
“Understood.”
Voices drifted upstairs. With a move of his head, Samson pointed downstairs. “Looks like we’ve got company. Let’s fill them in.”
* * *
The voices in her dream didn’t completely disappear. While they
seemed to have left her immediate area, Maya could still hear them further away. She chuckled in her sleep, feeling like the bionic woman who could hear people talking from two-hundred yards away. How funny would that be? She would be able to hear what her patients said before she even entered the exam room.
She couldn’t remember when she’d called in sick to let her colleagues know to cover for her, but she was sure she had. She must have – she was the responsible type and would never let her colleagues down.
Voices came and went, doors opened and closed. She heard car engines start and garage doors open and close. Footsteps everywhere on this floor and below, like an army was trampling through her apartment building. She’d have to complain to the landlord about her noisy neighbors. Couldn’t they just quiet down and let her sleep?
She let herself fall deeper into her dream. A warm hand caressed her cheek and brushed her hair out of her face. She felt safe. Encouraging words she forgot as soon as she heard them echoed in her head.
Somebody spoke to her softly, whispering, almost breathing words into her ear. The words soothed her.
One dream led into the next and the next. And with each dream came more awareness.
Maya’s body felt rested and strangely rejuvenated, almost as if she’d spent twenty-four hours at a luxury spa. Her bed felt more comfortable than it ever had before. The mattress felt softer, the linen fresher. And larger – somehow her bed seemed larger to her, too large for her small bedroom, where all she’d been able to fit in was a full size bed to still have space for her dresser.
Maya reached her arms out to her sides and still didn’t meet the edge of the bed. Was she still dreaming? Maybe she wasn’t even awake yet.
With more effort than she expected, she opened her eyes.
A scream pierced the silence, and with horror she realized it was her own.
Five
Her ear-piercing scream made the man leaning over her jolt backwards.
