de Sang: Embrace Your Blood Lust

by Hussey, C. D.

  The sound of police yelling at him to halt was the only thing keeping him from bashing Lohr's skull in. That and knowing Kate sat helpless in the passenger seat.

  He lurched toward her, his feet so unstable he couldn't keep them moving in a straight line. He ignored the urgent demands of the police, not caring if they put another bullet in him or not. There was only one thing that mattered.

  Collapsing to his knees at Kate's side, Slade had to steady himself on all fours before finally using the lip of the car door to heave himself upright. Her light blue eyes locked on him, she flopped her hand out and he grabbed it. Intense emotion washed over him as he pulled her hand to his mouth, kissing the palm.

  "Slade," she whispered.

  He let his head fall against her thigh and she stroked his hair with unsteady fingers. "Kate, I'm..." He lifted his hundred pound head. Her face was twisted with anguish. He didn't know how to process the helplessness at the horrors that had been done to her. His head suddenly spun and he closed his eyes against it, desperately trying to regain some semblance of control over his body. "I..."

  She lifted a heavy finger to his lips, silencing him. "Thank you," she said, bending forward to press her lips against his.

  He wanted to wrap her in his arms, he wanted to pull her close, but his pathetic body was useless, and he could only weakly return her soft kiss.

  The effort was more than he could handle. He was only able to savor the taste of her kiss for a few meager seconds before the world disappeared.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Still gripping Slade's hand, Kate watched the cops pour into the parking lot. Guns drawn, they surrounded the car. One approached Lohr lying spread eagle on the hood of his car, and the other came at Slade. "Show me your hands!" the cop demanded, pointing his gun threateningly at Slade.

  "He's been shot," she said, her voice barely air squeaking from her lungs.

  The barrel of the gun inched closer. "Show me your hands!"

  She knew he couldn't hear her. Holding her free hand up in surrender, she shielded Slade's body with hers, pulling him as close as she could.

  The hand she raised topped a wrist Lohr had drunk from. The cop must've gotten a good look at the cuts and teeth marks, as well as the bruises from her restraints because she suddenly heard him mutter, "Jesus", and then holster his gun. After radioing for ambulances, he knelt at the car. Leaning close he asked, "Darlin', who did this to you?"

  She lofted her head toward Lohr. "There's a body upstairs," she whispered hoarsely. Remembering Melanie, she swallowed hard. "Maybe two." She looked down at Slade. "And he's been shot."

  Gently, the cop pushed her back so he could examine Slade, taking his pulse and peering under his shirt at the bullet hole. "Don't worry, darlin'," he said. "Help is on the way."

  She nodded, leaning her aching body over Slade's. When her hand brushed against his blood soaked shirt, she choked back a sob. Dry tears fell silently into his thick, black hair. Even passed out, his entire body quivered with an unconscious shiver. There was nothing she could do, no way to help, no comfort she could offer. If it was in her power to help, she never wanted to see him helpless again.

  The ambulances arrived moments later. It took two EMTs and the cop to get Slade onto the gurney. Kate begged to ride with him, but the paramedic was too busy strapping her onto her own gurney and sliding an IV needle into her arm to hear her pleas. It was only minutes later that the back door of Slade's ambulance slammed shut and it sped off, sirens blaring.

  To get her attention, Kate grabbed the EMT's arm. "We're going to the same hospital, right?"

  The woman patted Kate's arm. "Don't worry. You'll be together soon."

  Kate closed her eyes and tried to relax, but all she could think about was the hole in Slade's chest. She should be with him right now. She'd be fine, she was sure of it, but Slade? He'd lost a lot more blood than she had, and there was something about the way he'd been trembling that didn't sit right with her. Something was off with his body, and it wasn't just the bullet.

  She was unable to dwell on it. Paramedics were wheeling her into the ambulance, and her head was becoming heavier and heavier. By the time the doors closed and the ambulance pulled away, the heaviness had pulled her down.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When Kate woke again, her head felt clear and the exhaustion had eased from her body. She was lying in a hospital bed, an IV dangling from her arm and a dozen gauze bandages dotting her skin. A woman reading a book was sitting in the corner.

  "Hello?" Kate's voice was raspy. She needed a drink of water. Luckily, there was a bottle on the tray next to the bed.

  With quite a bit of effort, she reached over and grabbed it. Cracking the seal, she took a sip. The water felt so good it hurt as it chilled her raw throat.

  "Glad to see you're awake, Kate," the woman said, setting her book aside and rising from the chair. A warm, inviting smile on her pretty face, she approached the bed. With her perfectly smooth hair, light tan, and features that were neither ordinary nor extraordinary, she looked like a grown up version of the high school girl who fit in everywhere. She could have been one of Kate's sister's cheerleader friends, a girl in band, the valedictorian or the science geek. Kate wasn't sure what to think of her. "How are you feeling?"

  "Okay. How long have I been out?"

  "A little over twenty-four hours." Kate groaned. "Don't be too disappointed," the woman said. "Your body needed the rest. The good news is the doctor said they should be able to discharge you this evening."

  Kate rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and then turned sharply to the woman. "Who are you?"

  "I'm Julia. A friend of Slade's."

  Maybe it was an irrational reaction, but the statement sent a jab of jealously through Kate. After all, she had no idea who this woman was to Slade. She swallowed against it. "How is he?"

  Julia's face scrunched up briefly before she smoothed away the grimace with a smile.

  Kate felt her heart stop. "Oh my God..."

  "No!" Julia held up her hands. "No, he's alive. He's just not doing…as well as we'd like."

  It stammered, but Kate's heart resumed some semblance of steady pumping. "What about Melanie?"

  Julia sat gingerly on the bed, barely using the corner of one butt cheek to balance herself. "Your friend is…okay." Julia's eyes drifted to the wall. "The doctors think she'll probably recover, but it's been rough. She had a lot of drugs in her system."

  Kate didn't like the way Julia said probably.

  Fresh guilt washed over her. She knew Melanie's demons and she'd not only thrown her friend to the wolves, she'd thrown her to the biggest wolf of all. She stared at her hands, suddenly ashamed to look the other woman in the eye.

  "Can I see them?" Kate asked weakly.

  "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Specifically Slade." Kate's eyes snapped up. "Like I said earlier, he's not doing as well as we'd like. In fact, he's not doing well at all. He's just…not healing like he should. Or at all." Julia's brown gaze leveled on her. "He needs blood."

  Kate wasn't sure why Julia was watching her so carefully. "Can't they find a match?"

  "Um, that's not quite it." Julia chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I don't know how to ask this…"

  "Just ask," Kate replied impatiently.

  Julia raked fingers through her long brown hair as she appeared to consider her words. "Okay." She flopped her hands into her lap. "How well do you know Slade?"

  "Well enough," Kate snapped.

  The bite in Kate's tone made Julia flinch. She gave Kate a calming smile. "I'm just asking because the situation is a little…different."

  "If this is about the Human Vampire stuff, I know about that." The realization hit Kate firmly in the gut. "Oh! That kind of blood."

  "He's refusing it," Julia said.

  "Why?"

  "We don't know. But he won't take it from anyone. Me, I understand..."

  "Aren't you his Donor?"

  "What? No. Oh! God,
no. I mean, I'd be happy to help if he needed it, but no, it wouldn't…I'm just..." She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "My husband owns Luxure," she said. It was all the explanation Kate needed.

  "Oh." The word came out like a sigh.

  Julia gave her an understanding smile. "He won't take it from Nikki, his Donor, either. But he's been saying your name. A lot. We thought..."

  Kate jerked into a sitting position. "Of course. I'll go right now." The abrupt change in direction made her head swoon and she closed her eyes to fight it before tossing the blankets off her legs. The amount of gauze covering them was disturbing. A memory of Lohr's mouth on her flesh entered her mind and she pushed it far, far away.

  Placing a hand on her arm, Julia stopped her. "Doc, Dr. Anderson, wants you to wait," she glanced at the clock, "another hour. He's…Family, but not everyone here is accepting. In an hour, visiting hours will be over and night shift will be on, plus you need to eat dinner, make sure your strength is up." Julia rose, sliding the bedside tray closer to Kate.

  She wasn't sure she could wait an hour to see him. But at the mention of food, her stomach grumbled angrily. She hadn't noticed before, but the tray where she'd gotten the water was filled with miscellaneous edibles. Julia watched her until she grudgingly picked up an apple and took a bite.

  As Julia returned to her chair, Kate devoured the fruit and then some chocolate pudding. A very bland and slightly stale sandwich was next. Taking a bite, Kate leaned back against the inclined bed.

  "If you don't mind me saying so, you don't quite look like a woman whose husband owns a blood bar."

  Julia smiled. "And you don't look like a woman who's sleeping with a Human Vampire."

  Kate immediately liked her. She took another bite of the sandwich. "Well, I guess that makes us both judgmental bitches."

  Julia laughed. "Apparently."

  Kate didn't have a chance to lament about the length of an hour. As she was washing down the last of the dry sandwich with some orange juice, a knock sounded on the door and a nurse peeked around the corner.

  "Miss Miller? How are you feeling?"

  "All right."

  "There's a detective here to see you. Are you up to speaking with him?"

  "No." She knew she'd have to relieve the hours she spent strapped to Lohr's bed at some point, she just wasn't ready for that point to be now. There were too many other important things to dwell on, like Slade needing blood and Melanie's recovery. She'd barely given the memories a passing thought and she really didn't want to give them any more of her brainwaves than that.

  The nurse smiled at her like she was joking and opened the door. The man who stepped through it looked like he'd walked off the set for a TV police show and into her hospital room. He was tall and lean, with short but shaggy brown hair, a five o'clock shadow, cleft chin, piercing blue eyes and possibly hadn't slept for days.

  He glanced at Julia as he passed her. "You want to give us a minute?"

  She nodded. "Of course. Kate, I'll be right in the hall if you need me."

  It seemed like a strange thing for a virtual stranger to offer, but Kate smiled her thanks anyway.

  "Miss Miller, I'm Detective McCoy." He offered her a forced smile. "I'll only take a minute of your time."

  "Probably more than a minute, Detective. Did you arrest Lohr Varius?"

  "He is in custody, yes, and I believe we have enough evidence to hold him. However, your statement will help immensely."

  She nodded grimly. "Anything to keep that asshole in jail."

  The detective pulled up a chair and a pad of paper from his pocket. His hands trembled slightly and she wondered if he looked so tired because he hit the bottle a little too often. "Good." He clicked on his pen. "Whenever you're ready. Start from the beginning."

  Kate did just that. She wasn't about to leave out an ounce of information, fearful omitting the tiniest detail might allow Lohr to go free. She started with the gallery and Lohr's invitation to Forever Dark, moving quickly to the night there. Detective McCoy stopped her when she got to the blood orgy.

  "How did you know to find him in this…blood orgy room?"

  "Angel took us."

  "Angel…" He flipped through his notes. "Ah yes, Angela Hopkins." His sharp eyes narrowed. "How do you know Ms. Hopkins?"

  "I met her the night before, at La Luxure."

  "The bar on St. Philip?"

  "Yes."

  "Ah." He scribbled something, or several somethings, in his notepad. "Go on," he prompted.

  She had a difficult time with the next part, because she had to admit she abandoned Melanie to Lohr and his orgy to have sex with Slade. The revelation dumped a conflict of emotions at her feet. The guilt she felt about leaving Mel, and even bringing her to La Luxure in the first place, was at odds with the happiness being with Slade brought her.

  "How did...Slade know to find you at Lohr's warehouse?" Detective McCoy obviously didn't care for the pseudonyms.

  "I don't know."

  "You didn't tell him you were going to pick up Melanie?" She shook her head. He wrote something down. "Interesting..." He lifted his eyes to her. "Please continue."

  If she thought talking about the Forever Dark Vampire Ball was difficult, reliving the moment Lohr shot the woman from La Luxure was even harder. Her memories weren't especially clear but she described as much detail as she could. The detective did not press her when she was forced to pause to collect herself and remained silent until her story was finished.

  After jotting down a few more notes, he rose. "Can I count on your testimony against Mr. Varius should we need it?"

  As much as she loathed the idea of reliving this nightmare again, she would happily do it to give Lohr everything he deserved. "Absolutely."

  "Wonderful. I'll let you rest now, Miss Miller. If I need anything else, may I contact you?" She nodded. His smile was much more genuine this time, although his eyes looked even wearier. The circles under them were pronounced and she hadn't appreciated how thoroughly exhausted he looked before. If someone told her he had a terminal disease she wouldn't be surprised. "And Miss Miller, you have my word I will do everything possible to make sure everyone involved in this atrocity is punished."

  She wasn't sure what to say, so she just nodded again.

  As Detective McCoy left the room, she saw him give someone a long once over before disappearing from view. Julia replaced him in the doorway, followed by a tall man with shoulder length hair and bright hazel eyes. Kate knew immediately he was the owner of La Luxure. It wasn't merely the familiar way he stood beside Julia but his presence was unmistakable. If there was ever a man who perfectly embodied the romantic vampire archetype, it was this man.

  He smiled graciously at her. "Kate, it my pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Armand."

  "Pleasure's mine. Can we go see Slade now?"

  "Are you feeling well enough?"

  "Never better." Not only had the food made a huge difference in her energy level but after reliving the last several days, Kate was extremely anxious to see Slade, and then Melanie. Kicking her legs over the side of the bed, she started to rise and then realized there was an IV stuck in her arm. From the shit she'd seen in the blood room at La Luxure, she was pretty sure Armand was capable of removing it. She glanced at the needle. "Do you think?" She left the invitation open.

  He glanced at her arm. The look in his hazel eyes told her it was old hat to him but he wasn't putting it on. "I'll call Doc." Maybe there was some sort of legal ramification.

  Armand disappeared for a couple minutes before returning with an everyman. There might not have been anything extraordinary about the doctor, but he looked at Kate like she was some sort of goddess.

  "What?" she asked as he slid the IV needle from her arm. The word snapped from her mouth. She didn't mean for it to but he was staring at her like she had the cure for cancer swimming in her veins.

  He just shook his head. "Don't doubt that he, Slade, needs this. Please. Not for a
second. He's not healing like he should be and he's developed an infection that isn't responding to treatment. There's no other explanation for it except he hasn't..." Dr. Anderson swallowed against the end of his sentence. "Even if there isn't an ounce of evidence in the medical journals to prove it, you must believe me when I say there is no doubt in my mind it is a real, physical need."

  This cryptic bullshit was driving her crazy. "Look," she said. "I don't doubt anything when it comes to Slade. Y'all need to relax." She didn't mean for the Texan in her to come out with fists raised but if she didn't get to Slade soon, she was going to claw someone's eyes out. "I'm fully aware of his needs, and if you don't mind, I'd like to tend to them."

  It was Armand who laughed. He offered her his hand and she took it, letting him pull her upright. "I cannot imagine anyone more perfect for the task," he told her.

  She didn't know why Armand's approval should matter, but somehow it did.

  "Please," she pleaded. "Can we go now?"

  * * * *

  She entered Slade's room alone.

  Lying motionless on the bed, his face was turned away from the door. There was only one light on, and at first, she though he might be asleep. But as she got closer she realized he was staring unblinking at the wall. He didn't look well at all. In fact, he looked like shit — about like the detective. His skin had lost all color and actually had a gray sheen. Thankfully, the tremors that gripped him earlier had subsided, but there was still a subtle quiver to his skin.

  He didn't turn to her until she sat on the bed and said, "Hey."

  The red contacts he wore were out and his deep brown eyes were so troubled, it made her chest hurt. "Thank God," he murmured, grabbing her hand and kissing it. "I was worried about you."

  "I'm fine," she said dismissively. "I'm more worried about you."

  He snorted and smiled sadly. "Don't be."