‘Walters, get in there,’ barked Dad, pointing at the room on the far right. He got up. ‘My daughter and my niece need to be transported to hospital right away!’
Other hands moved me and I passed out for a few moments. When I opened my eyes, I was still in the corridor. Dad was giving orders; bodies of unconscious fairies and elves were being moved. I was wrapped up in a blanket by two fairy policewomen. One of them was pressing a tissue to my throat.
‘Dannika, she needs to go to hospital, now!’ Dad roared, looking scarlet.
Dannika nodded and then I passed out again. When I stirred back to reality, I was lying on a bed in the ambulance and the elf was assuring me I was going to make it.
The next time I opened my eyes, I was staring at a stranger’s face. My skin tingled and I recognised I had a witch in front of me. She was leaning towards me.
‘How are you feeling, Miss Taylor?’ she asked. She had a large face and dirty blond hair, styled in a ponytail. She smiled at me and touched my forehead. I felt much better, although dizzy.
‘Fine. How long have I been here?’ I asked, remembering Daniel’s attack. I touched my neck. ‘How is my cousin?’
‘I wouldn’t touch your wound if I were you. Vampire bites can get infected easily and this one is particularly nasty,’ she explained. ‘You have been sleeping a few hours. It’s four o’clock in the morning. If you’re asking about the elf that was brought in with you, then I can tell you that she is very weak, but she will make it.’
‘How long do I have to stay here?’ I asked, relieved that Claudia was finally safe.
‘Until morning and then we will see. Your energy is quite strong, accumulating back quickly,’ she said, smiling. She tucked her magic wand under her belt.
‘Has anyone called or asked about me?’ I asked, wondering whether Nathaniel had any idea what had happened to me.
‘No, not as far as I'm aware.’
Then the door opened and my dad walked in. He looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes; his energy was weak. He’d used a lot of his magic this evening, for my sake.
‘Julia, hon, how are you feeling?’
‘I will leave you two alone,’ said the witch. She shut the door behind her.
‘Not to worry, Dad. Did you catch him?’ I asked quickly. ‘He had Claudia all this time.’
‘We caught a few vampires but I don’t—’
‘No, Dad, it was Caleb McGregor. He was the one that kidnapped Claudia, and he’s the one who is replicating Magic Shot, the same one that Nathaniel is producing,’ I said, cutting him off, feeling my pulse rising.
‘Caleb McGregor?’
‘Yes. Nathaniel introduced me to him once and I saw him in the club. I followed him to the basement. I heard when he said he wanted to drain a fairy.’
Dad looked shocked. ‘Why did you follow him? God, Julia, you could have died!’
‘I didn’t think—’
‘Okay, calm down. I’ll find that bastard. We haven’t caught any other vampires tonight. All the fairies that were there are in the intensive care. Claudia has lost a lot of blood, so she needed a transfusion. She’ll be unconscious for a few days, but your aunt Dorothy is with her,’ Dad continued. ‘We counted around eleven captives. All of them were reported missing in the past few months.’
‘He is behind these kidnappings. The vampire who attacked me was ordered to get closer to me. He went out with Ella. Caleb organised my kidnapping—’
‘Julia, hun, you need to calm down. I’ll take care of this,’ Dad said, pushing me down to rest on the bed.
‘He was doing this because Nathaniel was making all this money and he wanted to get to me, because we started going out,’ I said.
‘That vampire only causes trouble for you,’ Dad snapped, standing. ‘I would stick a wooden pallet into his heart myself if anything had happened to you today.’
Chapter forty-five
He got what he wanted; now he will probably never call you back!
‘Dad, my relationship with Nathaniel is serious. He is not just play—’
‘Well, if he is serious, where the hell is he now?’
That’s a good question. Nathaniel surely knew about this. Someone must have informed him.
‘He is in Scotland; he has no idea,’ I muttered, feeling oddly calm that he wasn’t here. But I hated that Dad pointed it out to me. Dad exhaled and his blue eyes flashed with resentment.
‘Vampires know these things right away, hon. I don’t want you to suffer or keep your hopes up but—’
‘Dad, please, I don’t want to talk about this. I need to go home. Ella is freaking out,’ I said firmly and began to rise from the bed.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Julia. You are not going home; you are going to stay here until the healers let me know you are fine. We can’t tell anything to your mother because she would ask questions.’
‘But I'm fine!’ I yelled.
‘You have just been attacked by a vampire, so please don’t argue with me. Just listen to your old man,’ he said in a stern voice. He strolled from my room, muttering to himself about how stubborn I was.
I was pissed off. I felt fine and I didn’t need to be in hospital. Dad was wasting valuable time being with me right now. Dad’s energy had healed me. I had slept a few hours and I needed a rest, that was all. I found my bag beside my bed and searched for my mobile. I had a few missed calls from Ella and that was about it, none from Nathaniel.
Did he really have no idea what happened to me back in London?
I sucked the corner of my lips and decided to call him. It rang a few times and then it went to voicemail. I put the phone away. He was busy or maybe he couldn’t answer. I pushed my negative thoughts aside and tried to relax. My neck was sore and I felt tired. I wasn’t sure whether there were any spells that could help with vampire bites.
I nearly died because a vampire was intoxicated by my blood, he only wanted to drink from me. I wished I could be a normal human being. Then there would be no drama. Nathaniel wouldn’t behave any differently toward me.
Vampires are just savages, so don’t fool yourself.
I was an idiot if I thought Nathaniel wouldn’t hurt me. But what about sex? He was gentle, loving, and he cared about me. I flopped on the pillow, wondering whether I had any future with Nathaniel La Caz now, after Daniel tasted my blood.
Dad returned, insisting I had to stay in hospital until morning. I understood I couldn’t talk to Mum. Having a wound from a vampire bite would be very difficult to explain to a human. I told Dad to go home to get some sleep. He looked terrible and had been on his feet for more than twenty-four hours. I sent Ella a quick text, lying to her, telling her I was at home. The police were still hunting Caleb McGregor. I fell asleep, thinking about the horrible night I’d had—and about Nathaniel, who still hadn’t called me back.
I woke from a nightmare. I was dreaming that someone was draining me, my blood. Nathaniel was beside my bed; he was laughing. I begged him to help me, but he just stood there, laughing. When I opened my eyes, my clothes were drenched with sweat and my heart was beating rapidly.
‘Good morning, Julia. How are we feeling today?’ asked the witch doctor, entering my room with a nurse, who was a giant. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and smiled, trying to look calm.
It was just a nightmare.
‘Healthy as a horse and I would like to be discharged, if I may,’ I replied, trying to look my best while the nurse checked my pulse.
‘I didn’t introduce myself yesterday. My name is Martha,’ the witch said as she removed the bandage from my neck. I felt throbbing pain; the wound was still sore. ‘Well, this doesn’t look too bad, so I guess you can go.’
‘But it will heal?’ I asked, staring at her green eyes that narrowed, examining the wound.
‘It should. Do you remember if the vampire was older?’ she asked.
‘He was young,’ I said.
‘Then that’s better. I want to see you for a check-up i
n a week. Try to stay away from magic for now. Your body needs to regenerate,’ she said, sounding somber.
‘So I can’t go to work?’
‘I would take a few days off and maybe go back Wednesday, if you want,’ she added, putting a fresh bandage on my wound.
The nurse had dark ebony eyes and she told me my pulse was fine. I was ordered to wrap some crocodile mousse on the wound and rest. She gave me the prescription and then I was discharged. I went to see my cousin, but I wasn’t allowed to enter her room. She was still unconscious. I spoke to my Aunt Dorothy who mentioned that she was planning to transfer Claudia to Switzerland as soon as she could, where she could regain her strength and blood for a couple of months, away from London. I had to agree with her. Claudia was emotionally scarred and she needed a dose of healing scenery before she could go back to her old life. She had been missing for several months and who knew what she had gone through?
Dad was on the way to my ward as I was leaving.
‘Julia, where are you going?’ he asked, sounding perturbed.
‘Home. I'm fine, Dad; the healer said there is nothing wrong with me.’
‘I’ll drive you home,’ he said, taking my bag. He looked much better today.
‘There is no sign of that McGregor. We had a warrant to search his house, but it looks like he vanished just in time,’ Dad grumbled as we walked to the car. Once I got outside, I felt a little dizzy, but I didn’t mention anything to Dad. I just needed to get home.
‘What about his business?’ I asked.
‘We are working on that. I’m on duty again tonight. Your mother keeps telling me that I work too hard. She wanted you to come over for dinner, but I told her you have to work.’
‘I would die for her apple-pie today,’ I said. He glanced at me as if I were crazy. ‘Yes, I know, she would start asking questions. Not to worry, I will back you up.’
Dad had made sure I wasn’t unprotected in my apartment. I noticed two werewolves outside in an unmarked police car. Dad mentioned they would be there until he caught Caleb.
‘Have you spoken to your vampire?’ he asked when I was just about to leave the car.
My face heated up instantly and I clenched my teeth. ‘No, I haven’t.’
He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t have to. It was obvious; Nathaniel was too preoccupied to think about me. I was hoping that maybe he was in the middle of nowhere and he couldn’t get reception, but then his phone wouldn’t ring.
He got what he wanted; now he will probably never call you back.
Chapter forty-six
Another werewolf?
I spent the rest of the day watching TV and staring at my phone. Nathaniel didn’t call for the rest of the evening. I texted him, asking if everything was all right, but I didn’t receive anything back.
I decided not to think about him anymore, but when I watched the news and realised that every TV station was talking about what happened in the club, (of course, the ‘official version was just that the kidnapping victims had been found—there was no mention of the supernatural element) I got more depressed. Nathaniel must have known something had happened, so why wasn’t he trying to contact me?
In the end, I called Rufus and explained what happened. He told me to take it easy and not to worry about work. I went to bed late, sobbing into my pillow and thinking I was the biggest fool on this planet. I’d slept with a gorgeous guy who didn’t really care about anything other than sex. I’d believed he had good intentions, but I was just another girl to him.
The next few days weren’t any better. Nathaniel didn’t call me or text me. It was as if I ceased to exist.
And for my Dad, things weren’t going much better. Caleb was the one who produced the fake Magic Shot, but Dad couldn’t find him. It was as if he knew every place the police would look and simply avoided all those places and people associated with those places. He seemed untouchable.
I tried not to cry. I told myself I was better than La Caz. I was a strong, independent woman and I didn’t need him. When Nicky called, I told her everything. I couldn’t hold my tears any longer.
She listened and in the end said, ‘Not to worry. It’s better that it’s over now.’
‘But he should have said something to my face,’ I howled.
‘He is a bastard, darling, and that’s what they do. At least you enjoyed some good sex, so cheer up.’
She helped a little, but a few hours later I still felt like crap. Mum kept asking when I was going to come for dinner with Nathaniel. I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I just kept lying.
Wednesday morning, I told Rufus I was coming back to work; sitting at home and doing nothing made me angrier. Even Roberto vanished; he wasn’t waiting for me outside my apartment any more. And I had the late shift today. Even work didn’t make me feel better. Every time I had to deal with La Caz Corporation, the pain got worse.
I was working with Jennifer yet again today. I went to the office late, hoping to avoid the girls from the previous shift. I didn’t want to be pitied. I decided to keep my head high; besides, no one knew I hadn’t spoken to Nathaniel since last week.
‘Oh my God, Julia, are you all right? Rufus told me what happened,’ said Jennifer when I walked into the office at seven that evening.
‘I’m fine, Jen, seriously. My neck is sore and that’s about it,’ I explained, trying to get her off my case.
‘But what were you doing with that vampire alone?’ she persisted, when I sat at my desk. I found some painkillers in my bag.
‘It’s a long story. I saw someone and followed him and then everything got out of control,’ I explained, opening my emails. I had around two hundred.
So two hundred emails to go through as well as a night to spend with Jennifer. This day couldn’t get any worse.
‘Rufus said you nearly died in that club. What were you thinking?’ she continued.
‘Jen, please spare me the lecture. I already had it from my dad,’ I said and took off my coat. Fortunately, we didn’t have any clients yet, so I still had time for a small coffee.
She frowned and then smiled. ‘All right, sorry, but you know, I was worried about you. What about La Caz? I bet he was furious when he saw your wound,’ she added, playing with her dark hair.
La Caz doesn’t care. He cut me out of his life and I probably will never see him again.
‘Nathaniel is away, so I haven’t seen him.’ I sighed and then stood and asked her, ‘Do you want coffee?’
‘Yes, please. I think this is my fifth one today,’ Jennifer replied. ‘I'm sure he will be livid when he comes back.’
I took a few deep breaths, trying to push away memories about Nathaniel. I had to prepare myself for a long night with Jennifer. She would rant about my attack with that vampire all night, plus she would ask me questions about Mr. Bastard. When I heard the main door shut, I stayed in our so-called kitchen for a bit longer.
‘Just take a seat. I will bring the paperwork,’ I heard Jennifer saying. I exhaled. She was with a client, a werewolf. She rolled her eyes, picking up the paperwork and soon she was busy, so I had five minutes to myself. I tried not to check my phone so often, but it was hard. Even after four days of not hearing back from Nathaniel, I couldn’t accept that it was over.
I had a few emails from Lucinda, asking me whether I could arrange for a few more people to start next week. I skipped through CVs and other unimportant emails. I tried to stay busy, but my brain wasn’t working as well as it should. From twelve o’clock on, we had a lot of clients walk through the door. While Jennifer was busy answering phones, I had to interview an old hag who was desperate to take anything.
‘How long have you been out of work?’ I asked, trying to sound interested. I had to pull myself together.
‘Around three months. Previously, I was cleaning a restaurant that was owned by bloodsuckers,’ she explained with obvious dislike of them. I nodded, wondering whether she would be suitable working with other vampires at Colourful Lane
. The hag was just an old witch who’d lost most of her powers due to some kind of emotional shock. I never understood the transformation into a hag, but the woman sounded genuine and we needed more people.
‘So you wouldn’t want to work with vampires?’ I asked her. She frowned and looked at my neck.
‘The times are tough, so I can’t be choosy. I know that many factories employ bloodsuckers,’ she barked, cocking her head to the side, still looking at my neck. ‘I can smell the blood of a vampire who bit you.’
‘Let’s move on, Miss Clarke. I don’t want to get into a conversation about my wounds,’ I said, writing some of her skills down.
She looked at me gloomily. ‘You should be more careful. Your aura is odd. I can feel that you are still in danger.’
‘Miss Clarke, please, I'm not interested in your theories. Can you tell me more about your duties when you worked as a spell caster?’
She had to answer, even if she didn’t like my question. I didn’t want anyone to know why I was bitten by a vampire. I didn’t care about the danger she was talking about. I finished that interview as quickly as I could and went back to my desk, trying to stay calm for the rest of the night. Somehow my magic wasn’t bothering me as much as before, which was strange, as my emotions were driving me up the wall. Then the phone rang and since Jennifer was still busy with a client, I had to answer it.
‘Paranormal Personnel, Julia speaking. How can I help you?’ I asked, chewing my nails. There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.
Another werewolf?
‘Hello, Paranormal Personnel.’ I repeated myself, yet there was more silence. I hung up, wondering whether someone was just having fun today, making immature prank phone calls.
Jennifer glanced at me, raising her left eyebrow. I shook my head, letting her know that it was nothing important. When Jennifer sent her client away, I was hoping the rest of the shift would move quickly.
Paranormal Personnel Saga Box Set - Books 1-3 Page 22