Kingdom of Honor (Kingdom Journals Book 3)

by Tricia Copeland

  With Camille in my arms, I made my way to the helm. “We need to get aside the other boats. Get Alena on a different path.”

  “What are you talking about?” Grady asked.

  “What’s going on?” Alena approached us. “You need to sit down with Camille.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “We need to get you off this boat.”

  “Jude.” Alena’s eyes locked on mine. “We’ll be fine. Let’s not do anything rash. It’s a half-hour ride.”

  The only reason I held my tongue was to keep the crew on task. Plus, I figured if I kept her secret for a while, she might divulge why she felt she needed to hide what happened. I could think of many reasons, but I wanted to hear her story. Her pride would keep her from telling them about him forcing his blood into her mouth. He’d tricked her, lured her in, and turned on her. I had to admit I sort of even believed he loved her. He was either lying or did in his own sick way. She wouldn’t want Hunter to know his half-brother had sucked her in. It would seem like a betrayal. Camille had gotten caught because of her draw to the sword. Alena might have fallen under the same spell. Whatever her reasoning, I wanted to know. I just prayed there was a way to rid her of the mate bond before Theron and his family found her and us.

  Camille drew in a deep breath, and I returned to my seat. Focusing on the face in front of me, I saw her eyelids flutter. Her eyes opened, and irises dark as the night that surrounded us greeted me. She blinked, and her eyes fell shut again.

  Rubbing my eyes, I turned to Grady. “Did you see that?”

  “No, what happened?” He studied her face.

  “Her eyes are black.”

  “What?”

  “Her irises are black,” I repeated.

  Grady opened her lids and her eyes, dark as ebony, rose and fell in their sockets. “They poisoned her with something. But we’ll figure it out. She’ll be okay.” He nodded his head, and I wondered if he was trying to convince himself.

  We sat there in silence. Five, ten, and then fifteen minutes passed. As I was about to ask Grady if he’d contacted Janine, the lights went out.

  “What happened?” Grady yelled.

  Carrying a flashlight, Antonio entered the main room. “All the electronics are gone on all three boats.”

  “How is that possible?” Tyler asked.

  “We don’t know, but without navigation, this could be a long trip.”

  “We’ve got to make it back before daybreak.” Alena stood and walked out the door towards the helm. We followed her to the small control room.

  “The engine is still going, but if it cuts out, we don’t have electricity for the starter,” the captain told us. “I’m keeping the course steady. We should hit ground at some point.”

  “Are you kidding? How did all three boats lose electronics?” I turned to Alena. “Is this magic?”

  Grady flipped switches on the control panel. “I don’t see any other explanation.”

  The darkness seemed to suck the sound out of the room. We stared into nothingness as the boat bobbed on the ocean. Five, ten, and then fifteen minutes passed.

  The captain craned his neck. “We should be nearing shore, but I can’t see anything. Never seen fog like this.”

  “Wait, what’s that light?” Alena pointed out the window.

  “I don’t see a light.” I said to the group, and the others concurred.

  “No, it’s right there. You guys don’t see it? It looks like a white glowing buoy. Or”—she approached the glass—“a glowing man.”

  “Does it have wings? Maybe we’re all dead or have crossed over into some alternate plane. I’d believe anything right now.” Tyler paced the small space.

  “We follow the light. Let me take the wheel.” Alena approached the captain.

  “Have you driven a boat before?” I asked.

  “I know how to steer. It’s probably Hunter signaling from the shore. Maybe that’s why only I can see him.”

  “And the other vampires can’t?”

  “Stop being so negative. That’s not going to help anything. Let me drive. I know this is the signal for the location.”

  “Okay, madam.” The captain relinquished the steering wheel to her.

  I wasn’t sure what Alena was seeing, but she followed whatever it was, and within a few minutes, we saw blue and red lights signaling from the shore.

  Tyler pointed to the beach. “Now those, I see.”

  “That’s weird.” Alena let go of the wheel, and the captain returned to his post.

  “I don’t care how we got here.” The captain steered the boat to the beach.

  As the bow hit sand, I transferred Camille to Grady and jumped over the side. He lowered her to my arms.

  Hunter met me as I trudged out of the shallow surf. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s holding on.”

  “The vehicles are waiting.” He cocked his head to the lot beyond the beach.

  I made my way up the hill and got in one of the vehicles, hoping Alena and Hunter would pick a different one. Within minutes Grady and Tyler climbed in the vehicle. When Alena’s head appeared in the doorway, I shook my head.

  “Take another car.”

  “No.” She climbed into the seat in front of me.

  “What’s going on?” Hunter asked as he got in after her.

  “Nothing.” She glared at me. “Let’s get back to the compound.” She tapped the shoulder of the driver in front of her.

  Wishing Alena would fess up so I didn’t have to tell on her, I held my thoughts. Why was I still with her? Why didn’t I press her or get in another car? In the end, I knew it would be safest for Camille to have Anne’s protection. Plus, Camille wanted to be united with Alena and Hunter.

  Holding Camille to my chest, I watched her breath. The pallor of her skin and dark circles under her eyes made me shudder.

  “Did you call Janine? I think you should prepare her,” I told Grady. “Do you guys have phones?” I called to the guards in front.

  My leg wouldn’t stop bouncing. Would the effects of the poison be reversible? Could we get the brand extracted? Was I putting her in more harm by keeping her with Alena?

  “Jude.” Alena’s hand stopped the motion of my leg. “She’s going to be okay. Why don’t you give her some of your blood?”

  “Oh no, I’m not going to watch this.” Tyler turned to look out the window.

  “Vampire blood can’t cure everything,” Grady noted.

  “It’s worth a shot.” I took the blade Alena offered and slit my wrist. When I dripped the blood into Camille’s mouth, she sputtered and coughed. Still, she didn’t wake. Next, I put my hand on her forehead, sending healing waves into her brain.

  “We have great doctors and all the medical help she could need at the compound,” Alena assured me.

  We couldn’t get to the safe house fast enough. Each time the van slowed, I wondered if we were there. I checked my watch again and again. Finally, the vehicle slowed, and the engine cut off.

  Janine’s face was the first I saw as I exited the vehicle with Camille.

  “Oh, my.” Tears formed in her eyes.

  “She’s going to be okay,” I said.

  I carried her to the medical room and laid her on a bed. “She needs warming blankets, maybe some blood. I don’t know.”

  The doctors attached leads for monitors and started an IV fluids bag to hydrate her. The rescue party had followed us in, and various conversations flowed around us. I wanted it to feel like a victory, and I knew it should, but Camille’s state and Alena’s silence on her encounter with Theron agitated me.

  “This noise can’t be good for Camille,” I said to the doctor.

  “Okay, everyone out save immediate family.”

  My eyes bore into hers.

  “And this gentleman who brought her in.” She backed away and turned to check the monitor.

  “Go get Orm. He’s a master at poisons and potions,” I told Tyler. If there was one thing I knew, I wasn’t leaving
Camille’s side.

  After examining her eyes, fingers, toes, and darkened hair, Orm didn’t have any more clues than the doctors did.

  “Let’s wait till she wakes up and get more information.”

  “What if she doesn’t?”

  “Her brain activity looks normal, and her vitals are improving with the fluids,” the doctor reported. “It will be a couple of hours before we get all the lab work back.”

  Sitting beside her bed, I held her hand and talked to her. I told her about convincing the cab driver and pilot to get us to Grady’s safe house in Rome, about going to Reykjavik, Helene, and the search for Alena and Hunter. I told her about Marcus and how we’d discovered where she was. Janine sat on the other side of the bed, and we watched her chest rise and fall. After a few hours, Janine stood and wrapped her hand around Camille’s. “She’s sleeping, and you should too.”

  “You go. I’ll stay.” My head turned to see a doctor approaching.

  “We have the results of her bloodwork. Her kidney and liver functions are compromised.”

  “Can you do dialysis, chelation therapy?”

  “We’ll start her on dialysis. Chelation therapy would only tax her kidneys further.”

  “Can we filter her blood in some way?”

  “That’s an interesting idea. We’re testing for toxins, but so far, we haven’t identified what they gave her.”

  “Will vampire blood help? Can we give her an IV of that?”

  “Again, an interesting idea, but I want to proceed with caution. We don’t want to do something that will make her body work harder.”

  “Well, start the dialysis then,” I told the doctor.

  “The nurses are getting the equipment set up now.”

  “Thank you.” I sat down and lowered my head into my hands.

  “You’re so tired, you should get some rest,” Janine urged.

  “I’ll sleep here. You go. I’ll come get you if she wakes.”

  They started her on dialysis, but her condition remained unchanged through the night and into the next morning.

  “You haven’t even changed.” Janine handed me a Styrofoam tray.

  “I want to be here when she wakes up.”

  “I’ll bring you some clothes then.”

  “That’d be nice, thanks.” I ate the eggs, fruit, and bread she brought me.

  When I’d finished, I used the small bathroom off the medical room to shower and dress. Grady, Tyler, Alena, Hunter, and Orm joined us in the small space.

  “We’ll take her to see Helene as soon as she’s strong enough,” I told Grady.

  “She’s safer here. You can bring Helene to us,” Alena said.

  My anger got the best of me. “As soon as Camille’s stable, we’re leaving. No one is safe around you.”

  Hunter’s eyes cut between us. “What are you talking about?”

  “You didn’t tell them?” I bent down so we were eye to eye.

  She smiled and took Hunter’s hand. “It’s nothing.”

  I paced away from the bed and back. “Nothing? Theron force-fed you his blood. He can find you at any time. Camille, Hunter, all of us, are safer anywhere but with you.”

  Hunter dropped Alena’s hand and backed away. “Theron was there? You drank his blood. Why didn’t you say something?”

  Her eyes pleaded with him. “Camille is safe. We’re together, and that’s all that matters. We’re stronger than anything they can bring at us.”

  “How did he even get that close to you? Why would you let him near you?” Hunter raked his hands through his hair.

  Alena grabbed his forearm. “He’s your brother. He’s hurting. The more we take from him, the worse it’s going to be. I wanted to let him know he had a place here, with us. We could—”

  “I won’t hear it again.” Hunter stopped her. “You drank his blood?”

  Orm approached them. “This is grave. You’ve put the whole compound in jeopardy.”

  “Isn’t there some way to drain his blood from her or something?” I asked.

  “You want to bleed me out?” Alena looked to me, wide-eyed.

  “Well, otherwise you, and anyone with you, is a sitting duck.”

  “It may work,” Orm spoke up. “We could take a pint a day until all your blood is replaced.”

  “What are we going to replace it with? No one has blood like me.”

  Hunter took her hand. “We have to fix this. Your mother does.”

  “We’re not telling my mother. She can’t afford six pints of blood.”

  The doctor stepped towards us. “Not at one time. But over a couple of days.”

  “How can we be sure it works?” Grady asked.

  “I’m not sure we can.” Orm looked to Chalondra.

  “Can only one vampire’s blood be active in a being? We could use another vampire’s blood as a marker,” I pointed out. “Replace her blood with Anne’s and test to see if we can find her with the marker blood.”

  “Yes, Good idea. Anne’s blood couldn’t find her if any of Theron’s is left in her system.” Orm pointed at me. “And Anne keeps two pints of her blood on hand. We can have six more pints within what? How fast can we draw blood from Anne?” Orm looked to the doctor.

  “Two pints a day,” she confirmed.

  Hunter’s eyes were trained on the floor, and I hated this for him. He just learned his evil half-brother had claimed Alena as his mate. If it’d been me, I would have had the whole unknown of what they’d talked about going around in my head. I’d wonder if she had feelings for Theron and why she would be in his presence long enough to get lured into being force-fed his blood. I knew one thing: I wasn’t going to be the one that told Hunter Theron professed his love for her.

  “What did he say to you? How did this even happen?” Hunter’s eyes didn’t leave the ground.

  “The sword was there. I was so close to it.” Alena’s eyes glazed over as they had when she’d been talking to Theron.

  “Theron knew you were coming?” Hunter questioned her.

  “I don’t know. It seems like he stays with the sword.”

  “Hey.” I corralled them to the door. “Maybe you guys should talk about this somewhere else. I don’t want to stress Camille.”

  “We need to contact Anne, now.” Hunter spun away from Alena and walked to the exit.

  Alena turned to face me. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “You’re putting us all at risk.”

  “He won’t come for us.”

  “Why else would he feed you his blood?”

  Her eyes grew wide, and she turned and stomped from the room.

  I motioned to Grady. “It’s going to be safer for Camille to go to your safe house.”

  “When she’s better, we’ll take her there,” he confirmed.

  “Maybe we can transfuse Camille’s blood. Would that make her better?” Tyler asked.

  “It could,” the doctor admitted.

  “Okay, hook me up.” Tyler shoved his shirt sleeve up.

  They typed his blood, confirming he was a match for Camille, and took a pint. They wanted to take a pint a day until they collected six pints.

  “Do two a day,” Tyler insisted, jumping up on an exam table.

  By evening, the dialysis improved Camille’s kidney function, but only marginally. Her heart rate and blood pressure stayed weak. The doctors indicated the liver damage might be irreversible, so I focused my efforts on that organ. I pictured how Camille healed the birds and laid my palms on her side, sending healing waves of energy to the organ.

  Later in the night when the others left, I sliced my arm and let drops of blood fall into her mouth. Maybe it wouldn’t be as effective as a full vampire’s blood, but she’d agreed to take my blood. I wouldn’t impose another’s blood on her without her consent. Climbing up on the bed, I stretched out beside her.

  Janine’s voice woke me. “Have you tried talking to her?”

  Feeling my face warm, I jumped off to the floor. “Sorry
, I—”

  “No, she needs all the company she can get. Touch is a powerful healer, even non-magic contact. Have you tried talking to her?”

  “Yeah, I mean we’ve all been talking to her.”

  “No, like in your special way. How you can push words into people’s heads.”

  “Wow, I feel so stupid. Camille and I could communicate with our minds. I didn’t even think to try it.”

  My pulsed raced as I contemplated being able to talk to her while in the coma. Taking her hand, I tried to speak to her using magic. I am so glad you’re back with us. We all are. Whatever happened, whatever is wrong with you, we’ll fix it. You’ll be okay. I love you so much. I stared at her face, trying to discern whether she moved or changed in any way.

  “Did she move, react at all?” I asked Janine after watching Camille for a few minutes.

  “I didn’t see anything. Did you hear anything?”

  “No.” I gripped the edge of the bed, frustration and rage coursing through my body. If I’d gone deeper, I knew I’d find fear, but I couldn’t go there. “She’ll be fine.” I stood, swiping a tear from my cheek.

  “She will.” Janine wrapped an arm around my shoulders, squeezing me for a second.

  All I wanted to do was be alone with Camille, hold her, and help her stay warm. But that was selfish of me.

  “How is she?” Tyler approached from behind us.

  Janine turned toward Tyler. “The same.” She raked her hand across my back. “Jude, you should go get something to eat, take a shower, go to the gym.”

  “No.” The word came out too forcefully, and she backed away. “Sorry, but I’m staying with her.”

  “Well, I’m ready for my next donation.” Tyler hopped up on the exam table across from Camille. I wondered if he had any other setting than optimistic and peppy. I’d witnessed a little of that in Camille, but she was more introspective and reserved, almost a polar opposite of Tyler’s personality.

  “I’ll bring you some food.” Janine turned and walked from the room.

  “She any better?” Tyler asked.