There was no answer. The library was in shambles, shelves overturned, books and equipment scattered everywhere. I felt a pang of loss. It would take weeks to put everything into order again, and who could say if all the books and artifacts could be salvaged?
Still, that was a concern for another time. “Kayla!” I picked my way through the mess. She had been in here during the explosion. The presence of her cell phone proved that. The wretched child never went anywhere without it.
Then the phone rang again and I turned sharply as the obnoxious sound pinpointed her location. Relief and the driving need to get to her dulled the pain to an irritation in the back of my mind and I moved almost normally as I scrambled over the mess, dislodging more tomes and curiosities in the process.
I saw her hand first, peeking out from a row of tumbled shelving. For half a second I froze, my stomach wrenching, before I yanked the heavy bookcase off of her. She was curled over on her side, one arm cradled over her head. Books covered her still body and I tossed them aside, terrified by her lack of response.
“Little one?” Gently, I turned her limp body over. She was warm and her heart was still beating, though her breathing was shallow. At least the smoke, which choked the rest of the floor, had not been able to get into this room. There was a gash on her forehead and the scent of her blood made the room spin.
“I found her.”
“Thank god.” The surge of relief rushed through him into me and snapped me out of my blood hunger. “Is she okay? Are you done playing hero?”
“She’s hurt, but I cannot tell how much.” Blood stained her lips as well and the pallor to her skin worried me. The scent of her blood called to me again, bringing back to the forefront of my mind how injured I was. Just a little bit, to tide me over until I could hunt. Ruthlessly, I pushed the thought away and gathered her in my arms.
“Ah, Kayla, my Mistress would be very displeased if she could see you now,” I whispered, pressing my lips to her forehead, willing her to rally. She was too stubborn to give way to death without a battle.
“There’s plenty of medical help waiting outside.”
“I hear you, mo chroí.” My young lover was not going to stop nagging until I was out of here. I made my way to the doorway, moving with care over the tumbled piles to jar her as little as possible. I could still hear the rescue crews beyond the door. I concentrated, changing my appearance, disguising the extent of my injuries and making myself unrecognizable. With any luck, if the remaining bastard who was with the Syndicate was still hanging around, he would think I perished with the others.
Acrid smoke stung my nostrils as I opened the door, and Kayla began to cough weakly. That had to be a good sign. There was a shout down the hall and rescue workers broke off from the group and came toward us. I shut the door behind me, trusting the specially designed room would protect the contents from water, smoke, and anyone who might try to enter without proper access.
Water, debris, and ash covered the floor, and it seemed as if the worst of the fire had been extinguished. I explained the situation to them with terse words as I relinquished my precious burden. They strapped Kayla down on a stretcher, covering her with a blanket, and we started making our way down the stairwell. I longed to change my form again and make the trip quicker or to find a way to waylay one of the workers long enough to feed, but I was reluctant to leave her side.
I shrugged off their concerns about my health as I hobbled my way down the infinite number of stairs. The stairwell was relatively free of smoke and Kayla ceased coughing, going back to lying limp and pale. I concocted a story about Kayla and I being in the library together and convinced them not to enter my sanctuary without a university representative. There was nothing in there that would help them with their inquiry, and I had the means to make sure I was the only one who could give them access.
We emerged into the cold, night air, into chaotic noise and flashing lights. I searched the crowd for any sign of the Syndicate member who had survived, but if they were amongst the throng they were nowhere to be seen. I answered what questions I could to the authorities and turned my back to the media. Their attention made me uneasy.
“I am out of the cathedral and safe, Jacob.” I hoped that eased his mind some. I would wait only long enough to see Kayla was headed off to the hospital before leaving myself. I didn’t want to answer any more questions or be the focus of any more attention. As I watched them wheel Kayla toward a waiting ambulance, I wondered what my chances were that Jacob would stay put while I hunted. Knowing him, he’d leave to search for me if I lingered too long.
Chapter 18
IT TOOK me way too long to find Kristair. I must’ve walked by him a couple of times, sensing he was near, but not able to recognize him. Finally, I realized he was the dark presence hovering by one of the ambulances. His features had been changed into a mask of someone else and he had even given himself hair. At a different time I would’ve found it interesting; if he could look any way he wanted, that raised all kinds of possibilities. Right now, I only wanted to hold him, and make sure he was really okay. I made my way over to where he was standing, watching the EMTs load Kayla into the back of an ambulance. She was knocked out, her hair a bright splash of color against a too-pale face, stained here and there by soot, with an ugly-looking gash on her forehead.
“How is she?” I asked, taking his hand in mine and glancing up at him. His face was stony, his emotions hidden away behind a wall I couldn’t knock down.
“I don’t know.” He met my eyes as the EMTs shut the doors. “It’s too early to tell just how hurt she is.” Then he scowled. “I thought I told you not to leave.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” I rolled my eyes. “Be happy I stayed down here. Personally, I think it showed amazing restraint on my part.”
He went back to watching the red and blue lights getting smaller until they turned a corner and vanished. I shivered and twined our fingers together. There was a terrible stillness in him that was worrying. “Do you want to meet them at the hospital?”
“She’ll be safer if I don’t.” His voice was remote. “I’ll talk with someone who will keep an eye on her for me.”
He was distancing himself and a slice of fear cut through me. What if he decided I was safer if he were to disappear out of my life too?
The thought froze my blood. I grabbed his arm, turning to face him. “Listen to me….”
Kristair snarled, his face transforming and becoming almost beastlike. As he snatched his arm away, I felt the pain he’d been hiding from me like a physical blow.
“Christ, Kristair,” I whispered. “How bad is it?” I reached for him again, uncertain of what to do. “Let me help.”
“I need to hunt,” Kristair said, looking around at the people milling about. I sensed that he couldn’t meet my eyes. “Go back to your apartment, Jacob. I’ll meet you there when I’m done.”
Every movement he made spoke of the pain he was in and, like a fucking idiot, I hadn’t noticed. I’d assumed he’d changed his appearance to hide from the Syndicate, but now I wondered if it was really meant to hide how hurt he was from me. “Will feeding help you to heal?” I asked, my mind racing. I couldn’t let him go off alone like this.
Kristair nodded. “And I need more than you can offer me, so don’t even offer.” He squeezed my fingers. “Go back so I know that you’re safe at least.”
When we were together, there were times I felt so useless, so helpless. This was one of those times. “Come back with me, love. Take what you can from me; heal what you can before you go out again.” As much as I hated the idea of him feeding from anyone else, I sensed the truth in him. His hunger was almost alive, beating at him with insistent fists. He hesitated and I pressed my advantage. “They’re still out there, right? Looking for you? Don’t make it easy for them. Please….”
“Cease your nattering, Jacob. I’ll go with you.” A faint smile crossed his lips. “Else your bitching will probably distract me too much.�
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Oh, thank god. I thought he was going to be much more stubborn about this. I turned toward the part of the street that hadn’t been blocked off, looking for a cab. “Thanks.” I was so happy, I decided not to give him the response his comment deserved.
The ride to my place was quiet, and thankfully quick. I could sense the tension radiating from him despite his efforts to hide his pain from me. In a way, I was almost grateful. I don’t know if I could’ve kept a clear head if I’d known how hurt he was. As we rode, I searched his strangely altered features, but I couldn’t see any cuts or wounds to explain his injuries.
I led him up to my apartment, straight back to my room, without seeing anyone. I drew the curtains over my window against anybody spying on us. If they were still out there and suspected Kristair was not healthy…. I shook my head. I had no doubt they would attack.
There was a tightness around his eyes and as I reached for him, he drew away. I ignored the small stab of hurt. “Let me see,” I insisted. He wasn’t the only one who could be demanding.
Kristair hesitated, his mouth drawing into a hard line. Then without a word, he started to change. He was exhausted and it had cost him too much energy to maintain the illusion as long as he had.
His clothes became tattered, covered in burn holes, sliced open in several places. I gasped as his normally golden skin turned a deep, dark red, as if the fire was still contained within his flesh. Scorched black ridges of flesh were peeled back, exposing damaged muscle beneath. Thick blisters ruined the usual smooth perfection of his body.
“Oh Jesus,” I said faintly, nausea rolling in my stomach. I couldn’t find a place where I could touch him that wouldn’t cause him more agony.
I sensed his withdrawal before he began to move and I reached up and grabbed his head between my hands as gently as I could. He was terrified. I couldn’t understand why, but I wrapped my spirit around his, soothing him as he so often had done for me. “You won’t hurt me.”
“I could kill you,” Kristair said, his eyes boring into mine. I saw reason fighting against a wild animal trying to claw its way out.
“No, you won’t.” I reached up on my toes, dragging his head down until his lips brushed my throat. “You love me.”
For a moment, I was afraid he would pull away from me, rejecting once again what I was offering him. Then, to my immense relief, his arms slid around me as his fangs sank deep into my throat. My entire body groaned as I shuddered. I would never get used to how it felt when he bit me. I never wanted to. It was the most intimate invasion, an act both painful and erotic, which joined and surpassed us at once.
Under my trembling fingers, I could feel flesh newly forming, blisters shrinking, the heat starting to ease. Where I had been supporting him before, now he held me as I began to weaken, I was light-headed and flushed, even as my toes began to get cold. In the back of my mind, I realized I had been lowered down onto my mattress, the warmth of his body pressing against my own.
Kristair showed no signs of stopping. With the last of my strength, I brushed my mind across his, unable to even mind-speak. I touched an animal. I couldn’t even say if there was conscious thought there. All I sensed was overwhelming hunger and pain, and the dreadful urge to feed. My thoughts recoiled back. I cried out, tongue-tied in my weakness, filled with a sudden fear of the man I loved.
His mouth broke away from my neck and the sudden withdrawal was agonizing. I heard my name being called out and Kristair’s answering snarl of rage. There was a scramble of movement, a sharp scream, and then blackness rolled over me.
I had no idea how long I was out, but when I woke every muscle ached and my eyes were gritty with exhaustion. For a long time, I couldn’t move. I stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what the hell had happened. I lifted a violently shaking hand to my neck. The puncture wounds were already beginning to close.
I was torn. I wanted to reach out to Kristair, make sure he was okay and let him know I was awake, but I wasn’t sure if he was himself yet. Call me a damn coward, but I wasn’t up to facing that right now.
Raising my head proved to be a major task. When I saw Tony’s body sprawled on the floor by my open door, the confusion of sounds I had heard before I passed out suddenly made sense. “Tony,” I croaked, forcing myself to my feet and stumbling over, falling to my knees beside him.
“Tony?” I shook him and his head lolled to the side, revealing the bite marks on his neck. His skin was clammy and his face ashen. Fuck! Didn’t that indicate shock or something? I scrubbed a hand through my hair, my thoughts spinning. I had no idea what to do in a situation like this.
“Steve!” I shouted, climbing back to my feet a trifle steadier than I was before. He would know what to do for Tony. There was no answer. I called his name again as I made my way into the living room, a fierce headache throbbing between my temples.
The living room was in shambles. The furniture had been turned over and video games and systems scattered over the floor. I picked up a lamp, pulling the shade away from the bulb where it was starting to melt. Damn, if that had caught fire…. My heart pounded, my gut heaved again. Where was Steve?
I found him behind the overturned coffee table, a baseball bat not far from his outstretched hand. Oh god, Kristair, what did you do? What have I done? Gently, I turned Steve over. His face was ghastly, and blood covered his shirt. His breathing was sketchy and his heartbeat was erratic.
Bile rose in my throat. This was my fault. I had brought Kristair here. He’d tried to warn me and, as usual, I didn’t listen. I grabbed one of the worn couch cushions off the floor and eased it under Steve’s back before calling 911. I covered them both in blankets and started to straighten the room, my mind blank, needing something to occupy my hands.
It took the ambulance no time to get there. Hell, I could’ve walked to the hospital in five minutes. I was feeling much stronger and, to my relief, Tony stirred as they strapped him down on the stretcher. Steve, however, looked even worse. His skin was waxen, which terrified me.
The cops showed up on our way out the door. Oh, sweet Jesus. My frantic phone call must have been enough for the dispatcher to alert them too. I wanted to scream and tear out my hair in frustration. My emotions were skittering in all directions and I bit my knuckles, trying to think of a story to give them.
One of the paramedics took me by my elbow and guided me to the door. “Come on, son. You look like shit. We’ll check your vitals and you can ride with your friend.”
The cop glanced at me and I gave him an awkward nod, not sure what to say. Should I promise to come by the station afterward? My skin crawled at the thought and my mouth went dry.
“We’ll be sending someone to talk to you at the hospital,” one of them said before turning into the apartment. I nodded again and left.
The emergency room was chaotic, but it was like that on a good day when buildings on campus weren’t being blown up. Before I knew it, we were whisked off in three different directions. I was forced to wait in a small cubicle with the curtain drawn, filling out useless forms. It wasn’t like I had health insurance, unless the school offered some. I didn’t know; I never had to look into that sort of thing before.
After a long wait, the doctor came in and gave me a cursory examination, before pronouncing me fit with a look of disgust in his eyes. I could’ve told him, had anybody bothered to listen. Except for the hunger gnawing at me, I felt normal. Even my headache had disappeared.
The doctor vanished before I could ask him about Tony and Steve, so I wandered out into the main waiting area. I scanned the room until I found the head nurse station and pushed my way to the front. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Tony Hodge and Steve Teasia. They came in with me about an hour or so ago.”
She didn’t even glance up. “They’re being seen to, young man. Take a seat and wait.”
“Please, can you at least let me know if they’re going to… to….” Fuck, I couldn’t say it. They had to be okay.
She looked up t
hen, fleeting sympathy in her eyes, before pointing a finger toward the plastic chairs in the lobby. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything else. Now sit.”
I sprawled out in one of the chairs, and then groaned in disgust as I saw a pair of cops making their way toward me. Great. Just fucking great. Why couldn’t a hole open up in the ground and swallow me for a couple of hours?
They stopped in front of me, two men who were the most unlikely pair I’d ever seen before. Both were dressed in plainclothes, but one looked as if he were a step from the streets himself, with his hard eyes, a ratty goatee, cornrows and tattoos, while the other looked like an older lawyer out entertaining clients in his tailored suit and expensive trench coat.
“Mr. Corvin, I’m Detective Aderson and this is my partner Detective Kuykedal. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?” the lawyer one asked, not bothering to remove his dark glasses. I didn’t bother to rise, just wearily nodded.
“Did you see who fucked yinz up?” Detective Kuykedal asked. His accent was damned near impossible to understand. Pittsburgh had a nasal dialect all its own; at times they seemed to be speaking another language and my own drawl had caused more than one miscommunication in the past.
I shook my head, offering a partial truth. “I heard Tony shout, that was it, and next thing I knew I was waking up and whoever it was had skipped out. I couldn’t wake up Tony or Steve so I called for help.” They were both studying me, the street cop with his beady eyes and, though I knew the other one was too, I couldn’t see a freaking thing behind those dark glasses. It was like they could see right into my head and I had to force myself to meet their gazes.
“You know how long you were out?” Detective Aderson spoke now, and my attention shifted toward him.
“It couldn’t have been long. The lamp woulda caught the place on fire. No more than fifteen minutes, I think. I’m not sure.”
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