Secret Blood Ties

by Felicity Jordan

  “I know, but you’ve been stuck in a palace with a killer, and we still don’t know how they were killing people. For my peace of mind, please just let Gali check you out? It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

  To his great relief, Melanie sighed and nodded. “Just be quick. I’m exhausted.”

  Jake watched anxiously as Gali examined Melanie thoroughly and put her through a variety of tests. An hour passed before the healer was happy.

  “I can’t find anything wrong with you, but I’ll send the blood I took to a human lab, just in case. They have machines that can pick up things I can’t.

  “I told you, I’m fine. Now can I sleep?” Melanie grouched.

  Jake perched on the edge of the bed and watched as Melanie fell asleep. Gali’s conclusion didn’t make him feel better. If anything, he felt even more anxious. Something was wrong with Mel, and if the head healer couldn’t pick it up, that meant she couldn’t treat it.

  “It’ll be fine.” Aris squeezed his shoulder. “She’s just tired. She’ll feel better when she wakes, you’ll see.”

  “I hope so.” Jake didn’t believe it, but he also didn’t want to get into a debate about it right now. Melanie napped for the rest of the day and was still asleep when evening came. Jake got into bed with her, and Mike requested to do the same. They’d both missed her when she was away, and Jake easily agreed, sure Melanie wouldn’t have a problem with waking up between him and Mike.

  He tossed and turned for a while before finally managing to drift off. Jake was woken in the middle of the night by a terrified cry. He bolted upright, only to be grabbed around the waist.

  “Help,” Melanie whispered, clinging tightly to him. “Help, Jake, I’m trapped, I can’t get out, he’s inside me –”

  “Mel, stop slow down –”

  Mike was also awake, and he was holding Melanie’s trembling shoulders in an effort to calm her.

  She suddenly made a choking noise and stopped speaking. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell back.

  “Stay with her, I’ll get Gali!” Mike was already running. The whole thing had happened so fast that Jake’s head was still spinning. If Mike hadn’t seen it too, he might have wondered if the whole thing hadn’t been an extremely vivid nightmare.

  Barely a minute later, Gali came sprinting in, obviously having overtaken Mike on the way here. Aris and Apeo were hot on her heels.

  “Tell me what happened.” Gali lifted Melanie’s eyelids and started taking her pulse.

  “I don’t know. I was asleep, and I woke when she cried out. She grabbed me and asked for help. She said she was trapped, and that ‘he’ was inside her. I don’t know what she was talking about. I tried to get her to calm down, but before I could do much, she just passed out.”

  “Move back, please.”

  He scrambled off the bed just as Mike came in. Jake could see a small crowd forming outside the door. They were causing a big commotion, but that was the least of his worries right now.

  “What is it?” Apeo demanded of Gali. “Could it just be a nightmare?”

  “No.” Jake was sure of that much. “I’ve been with her when she’s had nightmares before. This was different. She was awake and asking for help. She’s trapped somehow. I don’t know what that means, but that’s the truth.”

  “You need to tell me everything that happened at the palace.” Gali gestured for Apeo and Aris to sit. “Obviously, something happened to her there.”

  “I can’t see what. We were with her almost all the time. Apeo made sure that when she arrived, one of us was almost always with her, and whenever we weren’t, she had a guard detail. Nothing interesting happened. Mostly it was just guarding people while they slept. It must be something to do with her visions.”

  “Visions?” Jake spun around to face the two vampire princes. “You never said anything about visions!”

  “Essa asked us to let her tell you herself. I only say it now because she is clearly ill, and you need to know.” Apeo and Aris were quickly drawn into questioning by Gali, but Mike turned to Jake to explain.

  “Vampire royals have special powers. I guess Melanie’s is some kind of vision. It’ll probably be a premonition; I think that’s the most common kind of vision in this area.”

  “So, she was having a premonition when she spoke like that? She saw that she was going to be trapped?”

  Mike just shrugged and was spared answering when Melanie finally woke. She stretched sleepily and blinked at the bright room full of people.

  “What are you all doing here? Why are the lights on? It’s the middle of the night.”

  If he hadn’t known that Melanie was a terrible liar, Jake might have thought she was joking. “Mel… don’t you remember?”

  “Remember what?”

  “You woke up and cried out for help. You said you were trapped, that ‘he’ was inside you. Then you just passed out.”

  Melanie groaned. “Oh, I’m sorry, Jake. I was having a nightmare. I must have been half asleep; I didn’t even realize I’d woken up. I dreamed I was trapped underground with a dragon. It’s a bit blurry… but it was just a nightmare. I’m fine, I swear.”

  Jake could tell she was lying. He’d always known when Mel wasn’t being honest with him, and it was written clearly over her face. The question was, why? A glance around the room told him that none of the others believed her either, but Jake thought that perhaps she would confide in him if they were alone.

  “Could you guys give us some space? I think Mel just needs rest.”

  He wasn’t imagining her relief when they nodded and went outside to update the anxious crowd. Jake heard Salin asking pointed questions, but he wasn’t concentrating on that.

  “Mel? You can tell me. Whatever it is, just talk to me.”

  “I already told you, Jake, it was a nightmare! I’m fine.”

  “You are not fine! I knew it from the moment you came back, and I can tell that you’re lying.”

  “Shut up, Jake! If you won’t believe me, then leave me alone. Go on, go!”

  Jake strained to remain calm. “I’m not leaving you alone, not when something is clearly wrong. If you won’t talk to me, then I’ll have to leave it to Gali. Gali, come back in here, please!”

  Gali, Mike, Apeo and Aris returned, but Melanie leapt out of bed. “Go away! I’m fine, just leave me to sleep. Gali, I order you to leave, now.”

  Gali bowed and started backing out when another voice stopped her. “No, Gali. Stay where you are.”

  Rachel. Jake had never been so relieved to see her.

  “Rachel, there’s something wrong with her. I swear, you have to believe me.”

  “He’s crazy, Rachel, I’m fine.”

  Rachel ignored Melanie, staring at Jake as he tried to wordlessly convey the urgency of the situation. Finally, she nodded.

  “Gali, take Melanie to the healing halls. Until I say otherwise, you are to follow none of her orders. Consider her too ill to know what is best for her. I want hourly reports.”

  Aris, Apeo and Gali had to wrestle Melanie out, kicking and screaming. Jake hated to see her like that. He tried to follow, but he was knocked back as Salin burst into the room.

  “Assa! I must speak with you. Please, be quick – assemble the castle leaders and all of Essa’s mates.”

  “We don’t have time for meetings right now, Issa, maybe tomorrow –”

  “NO! Assa, I must insist. This is about Essa. She is in great danger, and I may be the only one who has an idea of what is wrong. Please, you must trust me in this.”

  Rachel didn’t hesitate. “Of course. Jexin!”

  Jexin hurried through the door, apparently having been just outside. “Assa?”

  “Get Dasek and the top councilors. Jake, Mike, Issas, please follow me.”

  Jake exchanged bewildered looks with Aris, Mike and Apeo, but they all followed along quietly. Salin, who was usually calm and composed, was practically bouncing on the spot, shooting anxious glances around, waiti
ng for everyone to arrive.

  A few minutes passed and people started filtering in. Jake recognized several of the counsellors Rachel always kept close. He wondered how Melanie was doing and wished he could be with her. Unable to stand it anymore, Jake beckoned a servant who was hovering at the door.

  She came to him at once, and he spoke quietly. “Please check on Melanie in the healing halls and come back with an update on her condition.”

  “At once, sir.” The servant dipped her head and hurried out. Jake hadn’t been sure whether his orders would be followed, but no one seemed to think anything of his request. Apparently, being with Melanie gave him no small amount of authority here. He didn’t care about that, he just wanted to know that she was ok.

  Aris gave him an approving smile and moved to stand by his side. Jake could tell that the princes and Mike were just as concerned about Mel as he was, and it helped to have someone to share his worry with.

  Before the servant could get back, Dasek strode in and closed the door, apparently the last to arrive. Rachel didn’t waste any time but turned at once to Salin.

  “You have something to tell us, Issa. Please, go ahead.”

  Chapter 10

  Mike

  Mike drew up a chair with everyone else as Salin addressed them. His first words weren’t what any of them expected.

  “My great grandmother had the gift of foresight, as Essa seems to have. While this gift can do a lot of good, many consider it more of a curse. In order to see the future, the person in question is brought closer to the spirit realm. This allows them glimpses of what is to come, but it also leaves them vulnerable to possession from evil spirits.

  “Spirits can possess people – human or vampire – only with their consent. For someone with the gift of foresight, consent isn’t necessary. The spirit could slip into Essa’s mind, taking control of her body. There is no outward sign of possession, but there is still a chance of discovery.

  Once inside Essa’s mind, the spirit would have access to her memories, and thus have a good chance at pulling off the deception that nothing is wrong, but it is likely that those who know her well will see that something is wrong. It all depends on how good an actor the spirit is.”

  These words were met with a ringing silence. Mike had a million questions, but for now, he sat quietly and listened as Assa took the lead.

  “How can we tell for sure if this has happened? How do we cure it?”

  Salin’s eyes were drawn to the desk. “There is no way to know for sure. The best is to have Essa spend time with those who know her best, and they can make the determination. Unfortunately, even if they do, there is no known way to force the spirit out. It must leave willingly, but I don’t have any insight on how to convince it to do this. My great grandmother died before we could get the spirit out of her. It consumed her, and there was nothing we could do.”

  Mike felt like he might faint. The thought of losing Melanie was unbearable. He clutched the table, staring straight ahead.

  One of Assa’s mates put an arm around her and murmured something in her ear. Assa nodded, taking a deep breath, and turned back to Salin. “How long does she have?”

  “It depends on how destructive the spirit is. It could be days; it could be years. There is no way to tell.”

  Mike felt a hand gripping his wrist under the table and turned his head slightly to see that Apeo looked as horrified as he felt. He moved over so that their shoulders were touching, taking comfort in the fact that someone was sharing his pain.

  Assa, meanwhile, was doing a good job of keeping her composure, though admittedly it probably had a lot to do with how her mates were clustered around her, touching her and murmuring soft words that Mike couldn’t make out.

  “Jake, how sure are you?” Assa asked.

  Mike was glad to see that Apeo had a hand on Jake’s shoulder, a hand that Jake covered with his own and squeezed before speaking. “I’m absolutely certain that there’s something seriously off with Mel. Whether it’s a spirit possession or not, I have no idea, but I don’t see what else it could be. The healers should rule out everything they can, just in case.”

  “Agreed. I’ll put together a research team at once. We’ll find a way to help Melanie, whatever it takes. You are all dismissed.”

  Though none of them spoke of it, Mike, Aris, Apeo and Jake all headed to the healing ward. Mike’s head was spinning. He believed Assa that she’d find a solution, but would it be in time to save Melanie?

  Melanie wasn’t doing well. She was restrained, shrieking at the healers to free her. Even Mike could see that something was wrong now. Had Melanie been in her right mind, she would have cooperated, letting the healers run their tests and prove to themselves that she was alright.

  “Mel…” Jake approached her hesitantly, but Melanie didn’t calm.

  “Jake, make them let me go! There’s nothing wrong with me!”

  The fact that Jake’s presence didn’t comfort her only further proved that it wasn’t truly Melanie speaking to them. Mike moved closer, but she lunged at him, her teeth just missing tearing into his arm before Apeo pulled him back.

  Mike tried to move closer to her. “If she needs to feed, I am here for her.”

  “No.” Aris took his other arm in a firm grip. “We don’t know what it will do to you if she feeds with that thing inside her. We’ll draw blood and give it to her in a cup.”

  “Already done.” Gali tried to get close enough to Melanie to check her temperature but had to leap back as she once more lunged. “I think we’re going to have to sedate her if this keeps up.”

  It turned out that sedation wasn’t necessary, because Melanie suddenly started coughing up blood. She leaned over the side of her bed and coughed hard for several minutes before passing out.

  “What’s going on!” Jake demanded.

  Gali wring her hands. “I don’t know. From what Salin told me, I think it’s the spirit inside her. It’s killing her. Once she dies, it’ll lose its host, but it can still roam freely, plotting and killing. I don’t think it cares if it kills her.”

  “How – how long does she have?” Aris fell into a chair that Apeo pushed under him just in time.

  “If things keep going like this? A week. Maybe a bit more, but not much.”

  “We have to find a way to convince the spirit to leave her.” Apeo started pacing. “That’s the only way to save her.”

  Mike frantically tried to think. How could they convince the spirit to spare her? It clearly didn’t care about killing – in fact, it seemed to relish death. They’d have to give it something it wanted more than Melanie’s death.

  An idea struck him, a terrifying idea, but it might be the only way to save her. “Gali, why would it kill her? I mean, wouldn’t it be better off with a living host? After all, it could try to convince us it had left, that Melanie was in her right mind again, and once we released her, it would have the run of the palace. It could even leave her body. After all, if it can’t convince us, there’s not much point in it staying locked up here.”

  “I think that perhaps your first guess is correct. It’s learning from this experience and plans to try to convince us to let it go. However, it doesn’t like being restrained. It’s fighting us, and at the same time, fighting Essa, who would not give her mind up easily. She’s still in there. Such battles are destructive. It’s too much for her body to take.”

  “Then she must stop fighting,” Jake murmured. “Mel, you hear? Stop fighting, let us handle it. We’ll get that thing out of you.”

  “She might not be able to.” Aris reached for Melanie’s limp hand. “Perhaps if she stops fighting, she’ll fade entirely. We may get back her body, but not her mind. We just don’t know enough about this. Fighting could be the only thing stopping the spirit from consuming her consciousness.”

  This theory only served to stiffen Mike’s resolve. He knew what it would mean for him, but he’d do it for Melanie.

  “Then we all need to get thinki
ng and do so fast. If there’s anything the spirit wants, we can offer it in exchange. You’d best all get your arguments ready. I’ll do the same.”

  Jake, Aris and Apeo nodded at his words. That was the easy part. Now, Mike needed to get rid of them. He knew they cared about Melanie, but they cared for him too, and they’d never let him do this. If he was to go forward with his plans, he’d need to have some time alone with her.

  He couldn’t think of any trick that would remove them from her side, though, so he settled for the truth, or at least part of it.

  “I… I know it’s a lot to ask, but when she wakes, could I have some time alone with her? If this is going to be the end… I’d just like to speak to her in private.”

  “Of course,” Jake said at once. “We’d all like that, I’m sure. Just don’t take too long. We don’t know how long we’ll have.”

  Mike only vaguely listened as the others discussed a schedule. All he paid attention to was the fact that he’d be first. As soon as Melanie woke, they would leave and ask Gali to leave, giving him the chance he needed.

  Jake and Aris wandered off to get some sleep after extracting promises from him and Apeo to notify them the moment Melanie woke. Mike and Apeo sat their silent vigil on either side of her bed. Gali was in and out, running various tests and trying treatments that Mike didn’t bother asking about. Soon, they wouldn’t be necessary.

  Nearly four hours later, Melanie finally woke. She gasped and jerked up, tugging fruitlessly at the restraints. “Let me go,” she snarled.

  Apeo got up. “I’ll tell Jake and Aris. We’ll give it ten minutes, Mike, will that be enough?”

  It would have to be. “That’ll be enough. Gali, leave us, please.”

  The moment Mike was alone with her, he turned to Melanie – or at least, the thing inside her. “I have a proposition to make.”

  Melanie ceased her struggles and eyed him warily.

  “Leave Melanie alone. Leave her body and let her live. In return… I’ll let you possess me. No one will suspect. You’ll be able to move around freely. I know you need consent to be able to do it to me, and I’ll give you that, to save her.”