I asked Ralph to lead George into the parlor. It was obvious by now that George was in a bad state. He had barely eaten any lunch, a telltale sign right there. Satyrs had voracious appetites, and not just in the bedroom. He hadn’t said a single word of his own volition. Kelson brought me the chair from my office and I rolled along behind them.
Jordan indicated for George to take a seat. “Please take off your shirt,” he said.
George stared at him, unmoving. Ralph tapped his brother on the shoulder.
“Do as the doctor orders. Take off your shirt. Here let me help you.”
George obediently held up his hands and Ralph pulled his T-shirt over his head. He set it to the side and stood back. I glanced at George. He was beefy, like his brothers, but he sure didn’t have the abs that Ralph had. Then again, he was probably twice as strong. It was like comparing power lifters to bodybuilders—apples and oranges.
Jordan listened to George’s heart, then tapped his back, listening to his lungs. “I don’t hear a problem with his heart or his lungs, except his breathing is faint.” He suddenly froze. “Wait a minute.”
Ralph stiffened. “What are you talking about, doctor? Did you find something?”
Jordan nodded, crooking his finger for Ralph to come closer. I was sitting on my chair behind the sofa, so I could see what Jordan was doing. Jordan lifted George’s hair off the nape of his neck and pointed to two rough scars. They were holes, fang marks.
“Vampire,” I whispered.
“I do believe that’s what we have here. George is in thrall. He’s probably anemic as hell. I need to do a blood test on him right now. He probably needs an immediate transfusion.” Jordan glanced out the window. The storm was blowing so hard it was hard to see beyond the rain. “I’m not sure if I can make it to the hospital. We need a heavier car than mine. I was blown all over the road when I came here.”
“You can take my CR-V,” I said. “Kelson can drive you.”
“No,” Kelson said. “I’m not leaving you here without a way to get around. And I sure as hell wouldn’t trust the twins to help you.”
“We have to get George to the hospital. If a vampire has been drinking off of him, then there’s a good chance that he’s so anemic he could die. We have no way of knowing if the vampire made him feed, which means there is a possibility George could turn if he dies.” I suddenly shut up, glancing at Ralph, who looked stricken. “I’m so sorry, Ralph. I didn’t think before I spoke.” I felt horrible.
Ralph looked like he was going to throw up. “No,” he said. “I knew there was trouble. I knew George was in trouble. I can drive. When I brought the Fadero twins over here, I used the Jeep. We can take George to the hospital in that.”
Jordan looked skeptical. “Are you sure you can drive without putting us in danger? I know you’re worried, but I don’t want to take a chance on all of our lives because of that.”
“Kelson, drive them. You’re good on the road and I’ll be fine here until you get back. I can roll around in my office chair. If George needs a transfusion, we can’t do it here. We don’t even know what blood type he is, or if anybody here is a donor.”
All the Otherkin, including witches, had their own special blood types. Most weren’t interconnected, meaning that generally a witch couldn’t donate blood for a satyr, and a satyr couldn’t donate blood for a werewolf. There was one commonality—anybody could use blood from humans who were type O. Apparently, that had been an original bloodline for so many of us, and was present in all races.
“George is type S-7. William has the same blood type, but I’m S-8. And William is on the other side of the island today.” Ralph looked at Kelson. “Do you have a blanket we can wrap him in? He’s starting to shiver and I’m worried that he’s cold.”
That seemed to decide her, because Kelson headed for the door. “I’ll get a blanket and the keys. Maddy, I want you to promise to call me if you need anything.”
“I promise. Don’t worry about me. I’m safe and secure inside, and it’s warm in here. We may lose power, but I can always light a fire in the fireplace.” I looked up at the clock. “You had better get a move on, though, before it gets much darker.”
Outside, the storm had grown so hectic that the sky was almost black. It was the color of twilight, the color of dusk, and it wasn’t even four o’clock yet.
“I wish Aegis was awake, but he won’t be up for another couple hours.” I fussed, wanting to help as Jordan led George to the door. Kelson came running back with a fleece blanket, which she wrapped around his shoulders. Ralph stopped beside me.
“Thanks, Maddy. I really appreciate your help. I can’t believe this. Where on earth did he come into contact with a vampire? He’d never willingly let anybody feed off of him, so somebody had to do this against his will. I know that Essie has bloodwhores, and Aegis never puts anybody into thrall, does he?”
Ralph was searching for answers in a world without any. I reached out and patted his arm.
“No, Aegis never hurts his victims. Hopefully, we’ve discovered this in time for George. Jordan will do everything he can for him, and he’ll probably be right as rain by tomorrow. I’ll call Delia about this.” I didn’t want to tell him about the vampire killer, since that was a secret we were still keeping. But Delia needed to know that George had nearly been drained.
By the time Jordan and Ralph got George out to the CR-V, and Kelson joined them, I was rolling toward my office. Kelson dashed in one last time.
“Are you sure you’re okay with me taking off like this?” she asked, looking worried.
“I’m fine. It won’t be long before Aegis wakes up. Call and let me know how George is. You’ll need to bring Ralph and his brother home. If Jordan wants to wait out the storm, he’s welcome here, so he can take his car home.”
Kelson gave me a long look. “Somehow, I think with as much blood as George has lost, he’s going to end up staying in the hospital. Didn’t you notice how pale he is, especially for a satyr?”
“True enough,” I said, sighing. I had hoped a simple transfusion would do the trick, but Kelson was probably right. As she slipped into her coat, Kelson met my gaze.
“I hope George doesn’t die. And I hope he didn’t drink from the vampire. Because the last thing we need is a vampire-satyr on our hands.” With that, she headed back out into the storm.
Chapter 8
I PUT IN a call to Delia. She answered on the second ring.
“I thought you needed to know this. George Greyhoof was bitten by a vampire. Jordan has taken him to the hospital for a transfusion. We’re not sure if he’s going to make it.”
“Well, shit.” Delia sounded as overjoyed as I felt. “Does he know when it happened or who bit him?”
“He’s conscious but unresponsive. I think he’s in thrall. Ralph was worried about him and came over to ask for my advice. Oh, and Ralph’s roof got smashed by a tree, by the way. He brought George over, and after talking to him, I decided to call Jordan.”
“He was able to get there in this storm? Impressive.”
“He almost didn’t. In order to take George to the hospital, Kelson had to drive them there in my CR-V. Jordan didn’t want to chance going in his car. He said the winds were so bad that he was almost knocked off the road. I hope they make it through all right.”
“Do you know if the vampire forced George to drink from him?”
Delia’s mind was going where mine had.
“We don’t know. I suppose, if George doesn’t make it, we’ll find out.” The thought of the satyr ending up as a vampire hit me in the gut. I might not be the Greyhoof boys’ biggest fan, but I didn’t wish them any ill will like that.
“I wonder why the vampire didn’t just kill George. If it’s the same one that attacked the woman the other night.”
“Maybe George managed to get away. Or maybe somebody interrupted him before he could kill George. If it is a he.” The last vampire I had tangled with
in Bedlam had been Aegis’s ex-girlfriend. I had also ended up on the wrong side of a member of the Arcānus Nocturni while on vacation at the beginning of the year.
Delia hesitated for a moment. Finally, she asked, “Do you really believe that Essie is innocent? That she’s telling the truth when she says she doesn’t know who is doing this?”
“Honestly? I can’t be sure, but in my opinion Essie doesn’t want anybody messing up her gig here. If a vampire from her nest went rogue and was running around putting the fang on people, I think she’d stake them without a second thought. Remember, Essie took the throne via assassination. She has no compunction about staking other vamps when her ass is on the line, or when she stands to gain by it. I’ll give her another call when the sun goes down. I’m not going over to her house tonight, not with the storm, but I’ll talk to her.”
“Thanks, Maddy.”
“By the way,” I asked, listening to the squall that was raging outside. “Just how bad is this storm supposed to get, do you know?” Another gust rattled the windows, and I glanced at the sliding glass door nervously.
“Winds are forecast to peak at a steady forty miles an hour, with gusts potentially reaching as high as sixty or seventy on Bedlam. The other islands aren’t getting hit quite as bad. Bedlam always takes a harder hit. But it’s not going to be fun anywhere out in the straits.” She let out a slow breath. “We need to catch this vampire, Maddy, before he—she—it can do any more damage. I’ve managed to keep the news out of the paper so far, but we can’t for long.”
“I’ll call Essie again, I promise.” I knew Delia was leaning on my shoulders because of my background. She knew I had what it took to go out and hunt down vamps. She also knew that I still had my silver stake and dagger from three centuries back. But possessing them was a lot different than using them.
“Thanks. Call me if you need anything before Kelson makes it home. But then, Aegis should be waking up soon, shouldn’t he?”
I glanced at the clock. It was five-fifteen. “Yeah, another hour or so. I’ll let you know what Essie says.” As I set down my phone, a bolt of lightning blazed through the sky, followed by a rumble of thunder. I rolled myself through the kitchen and down the hall to the bathroom.
By the time I got back to the kitchen, the twins were back at the table with Mr. Mosswood, playing pinochle. Crap—dinner! Kelson wasn’t here to get it started. I rolled over to the refrigerator and peeked in. Nothing looked ready except for dessert. Then I remembered the take-and-bake pizzas.
“You guys mind pizza for dinner?”
Henry flashed me a giant smile. “That sounds wonderful.”
The twins nodded, so I peeked in the side-by-side freezer. Bingo. I pulled them out and rolled over to the oven, turning it on to preheat. I slid them onto a baking sheet, then put them into the oven and set the timer for thirty minutes.
Feeling brave, I stood, leaning on the counter. I was still dizzy but I didn’t think it was quite as bad. I decided to wash the dishes while I was up. I could lean on the counter and get used to having the blood flowing again.
The water was warm, and the soap smelled like lemon. I closed my eyes, my hands soaking in the water, and then slowly began to wash the plates that had been stacked on the counter. Kelson usually rinsed and put dishes into the dishwasher as soon as they were in the kitchen, but today had been an off day, all the way around.
As I finished up the last cup, I realized that I had been standing there for half an hour with no problem. I turned, but too quickly, and teetered, trying to catch my balance. My hands were soapy and as I grabbed the edge of the counter, my fingers slipped and I went careening to the floor. I narrowly missed hitting my head on the arm of the chair, and sprawled out across the tile. As I lay there, cursing, Bubba raced up and, more slowly, Luna. Bubba sniffed my face and I blinked, staring into his brilliant green eyes.
“What are you looking at?” I wrinkled my nose at him. “You could at least help me up.”
He promptly flipped over on his back, spreading his legs. I stared at his massively fuzzy belly.
“Oh no. Nope. Nopety-nope. Not gonna happen.”
“Are you all right?” Henry trotted over and knelt beside me. “Maddy, are you all right?”
I groaned as he helped me sit up. “I got a little too cocky and stood for too long. The vertigo got me. I’ll be all right if I can get into that chair.” I was jarred, and I knew I was developing a few bruises, but they would just add to the mess I had gotten during our night in the water.
Henry helped me roll over onto my hands and knees, and then, using the chair for balance, I was able to pull myself up and slide into it. The room was spinning, though not terribly, but mostly I just felt like an idiot.
“I overdid it. The vertigo is clearing up, but I got overconfident. It’s going to take another day or so, I guess.”
“You shouldn’t have been doing dishes anyway. That’s Kelson’s job,” Franny said, appearing halfway through the counter, which cut her off at the hips. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring down at me with a disapproving frown.
“Yikes, you look like you’ve been sawed in half.”
“Never mind how I look. Maudlin, you know what you were told—” Franny leaned in to scold me. “What were you doing?”
“I wanted to stand up. I’m tired of sitting. My ass hurts.” I snickered as she rolled her eyes. “Seriously, sitting down all day makes my tailbone ache.”
Henry pressed a glass into my hand. It had ice and cold water. I thanked him quietly and sipped the icy liquid, though what I really wanted was a cup of hot cocoa or broth. I was saved from further scolding when the basement door opened and Aegis popped into the room.
“You’re awake!” I started to stand but Henry laid a gentle hand on my shoulder.
Aegis looked at him, then at me, and then at Franny. “Did I miss something?”
“Only Maddy taking a tumble because she stood up too long and got dizzy.” Franny floated out from the counter, into the center of the kitchen. She made a tsking sound.
Henry laughed softly, but said, “Franny, dear, now you shouldn’t scold Maddy. She’s a grown woman and she knows what she’s capable of. She just took a little spill, that’s all.”
I froze. Franny dear? I glanced over at Henry, then at Franny, then at Henry again. Something was clearly going on here and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what.
“I was washing the dishes and stood up too long. I’m all right.”
Aegis had apparently caught Henry’s slip, too, because he was giving them both a close look as well. “Be careful,” he said absently. Then, shaking his head, he gave me a kiss. “I mean it. Be careful. We don’t want you hurting yourself. So, what happened today and—” He paused as another lightning fork split the sky, and the echo of thunder rolled after it. “Who decided we needed another light show?”
“Today’s been—” I paused as my phone rang. I glanced at the Caller ID. Sandy. “Hold on, I should take this.” I punched the talk button. “Hey, woman, how goes it?”
“I need your help.” She sounded frantic.
“What’s going on?” My stomach lurched.
“Jenna’s conjured a giant snake. I’m in her room with her, and the snake has cornered us in the closet. I think it’s venomous, Maddy, and I don’t have any spells that will help. I’m using the force of the storm’s wind to keep the door closed, but the snake is trying to bash it in.”
“Where’s Max?”
“On that business trip I told you he was taking.”
“Hang on. We’re on the way.” I hung up and turned to Aegis. “We have to get over to Sandy’s. I’ll explain on the way. There isn’t a lot of time, so help me out to your car.”
“In this weather? We should take yours.”
“Kelson has mine and I’ll explain that, too. Now carry me out to the ‘Vette and let’s move.”
I told Henry to take the pizzas out when the ti
mer sounded and, with that, Aegis swept me up and headed for the door, not even stopping for a jacket.
AEGIS WAS A good driver, but even he was having trouble in the storm. We wavered all over the road, the winds were roaring, and the Corvette wasn’t that heavy a car. We were swept from side to side, but luckily there were few people on the road. We had to take an alternative route since Ralph’s tree was still across the road. All the way over to Sandy’s, we dodged flying boughs and downed wires.
A good share of the island had been plunged into darkness, but somehow we managed to find our way through and pulled into Sandy’s driveway. She still had a couple guards from the goon squad that Max had hired from Rocco, a self-proclaimed weretiger vigilante who was intent on taking out the Pretcom mafia.
They recognized the car and came running over to help us out. Aegis strode around the back, tossed me over his shoulder, and raced to the door, where Alex quickly ushered us in.
“They’re locked in Jenna’s room,” he said, as we hustled down the hallway. “I’d go in, but I’d just be in the way or get myself hurt. But whatever you need me to do, just ask.”
“Do you know what the hell brought this on?”
“I can tell you right now that the snake is the same type that killed Jenna’s mother. It’s just about ten times bigger.”
We stopped at the door of Jenna’s room. Aegis carefully set me down.
“Do you have anything that can work against the snake?”
I ran through my repertoire of spells, then shook my head. “Nothing that won’t set the room on fire.”
“I can go in there without getting hurt. There’s not much a snake can do to me, venomous or otherwise.” Aegis stripped off his leather jacket. “I don’t want it getting its fangs in my new jacket,” he said.
“Well, you know your priorities,” Alex said with a laugh. Then he sobered again. “I haven’t heard anything for a little while. I hope to hell that snake hasn’t managed to break through the closet door, where Sandy and Jenna are still hiding.”