by Holly Kelly
It worked!
Minutes later, Jenny was stuffed into the freezer and beginning to chill.
Lafayette wondered briefly why he couldn’t seem to stop killing. Brigitte and guards were necessary, maybe even the girl at the dorm, but these last two weren’t. Okay, so he’d planned on killing the prostitute from the start, but Jenny? He had no intention of killing her, he simply got carried away. And now her sister was probably frantically searching for her. He may yet have to take care of that loose end.
He shook off his thoughts. All of that didn’t matter nearly as much as finding Fontaine Miller. And he had someone infinitely more wicked than himself to meet.
Chapter 21
“She’s lost a lot of blood,” an unfamiliar female voice said. “We’ve replaced most of it.”
“So, is it hemophilia?” another unfamiliar voice asked.
“No, it’s something I’ve never seen before.” The first woman spoke again. “But the transfused blood is doing its job. It’s now clotting.”
Who are these people? Where’s Nick? Fae thought.
A warm, rough hand brushed her hair away from her face as a familiar scent of cologne breezed over her. Nick.
“When is she going to wake up?” Nick asked. Relief washed over her at the sound of his voice.
“Should be any time now,” the first woman said.
I’m already awake. Fae tried to open her eyes, but it proved much more difficult than usual.
“Nick,” she rasped, her voice barely audible.
“I’m here,” he said. “Fae, can you hear me?”
“Yeah,” she breathed.
“Fae,” he said softly. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, but you’re going to be fine.”
Fae tried to nod, but she wasn’t sure she succeeded. Darkness pulled at her. “He drank it,” she said, her words slurring. “My blood.”
“I know.”
“It changed him,” she said, not sure he even understood her. Why was she so exhausted?
“I know, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart? Her heart, though weak, beat a little faster at the endearment. But then her brain finally processed what he said.
How could he know? Even as she asked herself this question, she didn’t have the strength to speak as sleep overtook her once more.
* * * * *
The steady beeping of a monitor was the first thing Fae was aware of, but that was soon followed by the extreme discomfort she felt in her chest and hips. Desperate to find a more comfortable position to sleep in, she attempted to turn on her side and groaned as her body screamed in protest.
“Fae?” a familiar voice said.
“Yeah,” she whispered and groaned again.
“Oh, you’re finally waking up. You’ve been asleep like forever, and they won’t tell me anything!”
Fae peeled her eyes open and attempted to swallow, but her mouth was so dry. Morgan’s concerned face came into view.
“I’m not even supposed to be here. I had to wait for Agent Chase to leave before I could sneak in. That took a lot longer than I thought it would and I doubt he would have ever left—except for the fact his sister is here. I think she’s dying.”
“What?” Fae croaked.
“Yeah. I wasn’t supposed to know that either, but you know, when you’re hiding, you hear things.”
Fae attempted to process this new information, but moving through her thoughts was like trying to sprint through knee-deep mud. And Morgan continued to speak a mile a minute—as usual. Fae only caught about half of what she said—something about school and then something else about Mason.
“How long has Becca been here?” Fae interrupted.
“She was admitted the night of our disaster date. Do you know Mason won’t even talk to me now? I don’t know what his problem is. It’s not like I was responsible for what happened!”
“Morgan,” an unfamiliar, disapproving voice spoke. “Visiting hours are over.”
Morgan leaned forward and discretely mumbled, “Visiting hours my butt.” Then she looked up and smiled innocently. “I was just leaving.” She patted Fae’s head. “Don’t want to wear my best friend out.”
Looked like Fae had been promoted from roomie to best friend.
Morgan grabbed her purse. “I’ll see you again soon, Fae. Oh, and I’ve talked with your professors and arranged to get your homework and copies of notes for the classes you are missing.”
That was the one and only thing Morgan said that actually made Fae feel better. Fae couldn’t afford for her grades to drop. Keeping her scholarship was dependent upon getting and keeping a good GPA. “Thanks,” Fae said sincerely. Maybe Morgan really was best friend material.
“Hello, Fae, I’m Gertrude.” An old woman smiled as she lumbered through the door. “I’ll be your nurse today. How are you feeling?” She reached out and pressed her weathered fingers to Fae’s wrist.
“I’m really thirsty.”
“You can’t drink anything until the doctor okays it. But I think I can get you some ice chips.”
“Thank you.”
The woman nodded.
“Can you tell me how Becca Chase is? I hear she’s in this hospital.”
“I’m sorry,” Gertrude said as she pushed a button on the monitor and the cuff around Fae’s arm began to fill with air, squeezing her. “I can’t discuss another patient’s condition without her approval.”
Fae frowned. Her heart ached thinking that sweet, sassy Becca might be taking her last breaths. But wait! Her blood turned an old man into a healthy young one. Could it help Becca? Maybe turn back the clock to before she was sick and in a wheelchair?
She searched for her cell phone. No, it wouldn’t be here. She hadn’t seen it since Lafayette. Her heart constricted in her chest as she thought about him. Where was he now? Would he find out she escaped? Would he come after her?
Fae shook off those thoughts. Right now, Becca lay dying somewhere in this hospital. Fae had no room for any other worries.
“Gertrude?”
“Yes, dearie.”
“Do you know Nick Chase?”
“The young FBI agent?”
“Yes, that’s him. Do you know how to get in touch with him?”
“Of course.” She smiled. “He’s actually on his way. He wanted to know the minute you woke up.”
“Oh, good. Thank you.”
“Hello, beautiful.” A warm, familiar voice filtered in through the door—Nick.
Fae turned to see him smiling as he walked toward her. Her heart caught in her throat when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. It looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“I’ll be back to finish taking your vitals,” Gertrude said as she stepped out the door.
“You look tired,” Fae said.
He chuckled, smiling weakly. “You look more tired.”
“How’s Becca?”
His countenance darkened. “It won’t be long.”
“Nick.” She took his hand in a tight grip. “Give her my blood.”
He shook his head even as the words left her lips. “Fae, you almost died. If they hadn’t given you transfusions, you would have.”
“Just give her some.”
“Fae—”
“You haven’t seen what I have,” she said. “You haven’t seen the power my blood has. It can turn an eighty-year-old man into a twenty-year-old in less than a minute. I know it can help her. Please, we have to try.”
Fae was dumbfounded when he shook his head again. “You’re wrong, Fae. I have seen it. And do you know what else I’ve seen?” He looked down and sighed. “I’ve seen you on the brink of death. And then I saw you saved by the frantic effort of doctors and a team of nurses. And even then, it’s been touch and go the last few days. Your body doesn’t seem to want to accept new blood. Your heart stopped twice, and the doctors had to bring you back. You wouldn’t stop bleeding and have been given three transfusions.”
“Three?”
He
nodded. “Eight units. There’s probably not much, if any, of your own blood left in your system.”
“But there may be some.”
Nick blinked back a tear. “Maybe. I just…I don’t want to get your hopes up, and I really don’t want to give Becca false hope. She’s at peace right now.”
“You have to try. Just don’t tell her. Give it to her through her IV.”
Nick sighed. Weariness shadowed his features. “I’ll talk to the doctor and see what she says.”
“How are you going to explain something like this to a doctor?”
“Dr. Rose is no ordinary doctor.”
Minutes later, Fae gaped a strange sight. A woman in doctor’s gear, her strikingly beautiful face framed by curly red hair and pointed ears. She looked down on Fae with concern.
“Is it rude to ask...?” Fae began, and then she paused.
“What am I?” Dr. Rose supplied with a smile. She turned to Nick. “Thomas’s right, she can see right through glamour.” She turned back to Fae. “I’m elven.”
“I thought elves were smaller.”
The woman frowned. “Today’s portrayal of elves is not very accurate dear. Except for Tolkien, he came pretty close.”
“Do you think I can help Becca?” Fae asked.
“Probably not. Nick’s right, you don’t have much of your own blood left in your system. And you can’t afford to give her much without risking your own life.”
“But you’re willing to try?” Fae asked hopefully.
Dr. Rose pressed her lips together in a fine line as she nodded. “Now mind you, at the most, this will only turn back the clock for a couple years, and if I’m not mistaken, she started showing signs three years ago. She’ll probably still have some problems. And this solution is not permanent. She’ll begin to age again immediately after the change.”
“So, she’ll need my blood over and over again?”
“Yes, but once your blood is fully yours again, it won’t take much. And, there’s another option.”
“What?”
“We wouldn’t be able to do it until you are fully healed. But...” She paused. A moment later, she shook her head. “No. I shouldn’t have said anything. We aren’t supposed to interfere in humans’ lives.”
“What?” Fae felt desperate. If there was any way to save Becca, she simply had to do it.
“Oh, now look what I’ve done,” Dr. Rose said. “Your pulse is still weak, but now it’s racing.”
“Please.” Tears built in her eyes as she pleaded.
“Fae,” Nick said. “You need to calm down.”
“No,” Fae said vehemently, even as darkness began to eat away the edge of her vision.
“A bone marrow transplant.” Dr. Rose pressed her lips together in a fine line. She sighed and said, “That would make the change permanent.”
“So, Becca would be…?” Nick said.
“Immortal,” Dr. Rose said. “She’d be just like Fae.”
Immortal? I’m immortal? She’d never thought about her own life and what it meant to have the power she had. She would live forever while everyone else aged and died—even Nick. Would she watch him die, too?
“What about Nick?”
Nick turned to her in surprise. “What about me?”
“Can I donate bone marrow to Nick, too?”
“A bone marrow transplant is excruciatingly painful, with a long recovery.” Dr. Rose said. “You don’t want to do it unnecessarily.”
“Unnecessarily? I don’t want to live forever if it means watching him die.” Fae avoided looking Nick in the eye. Her experience in the dungeon solidified her feelings for him. She wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with him.
“As long as you two are together,” Rose said, “you won’t have to.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nick asked.
“It’s not only her blood that has the power to restore youth. It’s in all her bodily fluids, including her saliva. One kiss can shave months off you. A lifetime of them will make you immortal too.”
Nick stared in disbelief. Then his eyes lit up. “So, that’s why.”
“Why what?” Fae asked, trying her best not to succumb to weariness.
“Everyone keeps asking me if I got a haircut, hired a personal trainer, or got my teeth whitened. I guess I look different, but no one can figure out exactly why.” He shook his head. “I wondered myself what had happened to my gray hairs.”
Dr. Rose sighed and raised an eyebrow. “What I don’t understand is why you seem immune to the lust.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’ve felt plenty of lust.” Nick gave Fae a quick glance and then turned back to the doctor and cleared his throat.
“That’s not the kind of lust I’m talking about.” Dr. Rose smiled.
Fae was surprised she wasn’t blushing. This conversation totally embarrassed her. She probably didn’t have enough blood in her to properly blush.
Right. Blood.
Becca needed hers to survive.
Fae locked eyes with Dr. Rose. “You’ll do it, right? You’ll do it all for Becca? Including the transplant?”
Dr. Rose frowned as her brows pressed together. Finally, she nodded. “As soon as you’re strong enough. But I have to warn you, giving Becca your blood now probably won’t work—not with it so diluted. And she’s not going to last much longer.”
Fae nodded. “But it’s worth a chance.”
“Yes,” Dr. Rose said. “It is.”
Chapter 22
Standing over Becca’s bed, Nick’s heart pounded in his chest. This was the moment of truth. Becca slept fitfully as Dr. Rose injected her IV with Fae’s blood. Despite the ventilator, Becca’s oxygen levels didn’t look good.
“I’ve got the blood infused with a mixture that should eliminate the blood lust.”
“I didn’t even think about that,” Nick said, surprised at his own oversight.
“It’s okay,” Rose said. “I did. And we’re lucky she has the same blood type as Fae, or Becca would have to ingest it.”
Nick cringed at the thought. He watched as the red liquid swirled, filling the tube leading to the vein in Becca’s arm.
Dr. Rose kept her eyes glued to the monitor as the blood disappeared, entering his sister’s body. What was she looking for? An increase in the blood oxygen level? Heart rate?
Minutes ticked by, and nothing changed. A frown settled on the doctor’s face along with a heavy dose of disappointment. She stepped out of the room. Nick followed.
“It’s not enough,” she whispered in the hallway.
Nick’s heart sank. “Did you see any change?”
She shook her head. “She won’t last long enough for Fae to recover. It’ll be two months before the blood in Fae’s body is replaced by her own.”
Nick swallowed. “Becca doesn’t have two months.”
Dr. Rose looked up and met his eyes. “Becca doesn’t even have a day.”
Nick pressed his eyes closed against the burning tears that threatened to fall. Blinking them back, he took a deep breath.
He knew this day had been coming. Becca was at peace. He needed to find the strength to be strong for her. He didn’t want her leaving this world worrying about him. She needed to think he would be fine without her.
He was definitely not going to be fine. But for her, he would give a good show.
“The longer we wait,” Dr. Rose said, “the longer she suffers. She’s already in a tremendous amount of pain. The sooner you let her go, the sooner she can be free of her suffering.”
Nick nodded. “I need to talk to her first.”
“Of course,” Dr. Rose said, and Nick stepped back into the room.
Pulling a chair to Becca’s bedside, he sat down. Weariness and misery engulfed him. Leaning forward, he lay down beside her and stroked her hair, like he’d done countless times before. When she was five, this was how he’d kept the monsters hiding under her bed away. In her young mind, his presence alo
ne was enough to scare them off.
He couldn’t keep the monsters away anymore.
Becca’s eyes blinked open.
“Hey, squirt,” he said softly.
A weak smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.
He looked down at his baby sister, and tears burned his eyes. One spilled down over his cheek.
Becca squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them, only to shut them again. When her eyes opened again, she looked agitated. She blinked twice once more, ending with an intense look on her face.
“What?” Nick said, his voice strained. “You don’t want me to cry?”
She blinked once. Yes.
“You know what time it is, right?”
Yes.
“Sorry, baby sister,” Nick said, another tear breaking free and trailing down his cheek. “You’re dying. Your big brother is going to cry.”
Tears welled up in Becca’s eyes, spilling as she blinked again, twice. No.
“I love you,” Nick said. “You know that, right?”
Yes. She closed her eyes, her face contorting as she began to shake.
“Are you in pain?”
Yes.
“Nick?” a small voice said from the doorway. “Becca?”
He looked over and saw Fae standing, leaning heavily on crutches with Dr. Rose at her side.
“I thought you shouldn’t be alone for this,” Dr. Rose said.
Nick scowled at Fae’s apparent struggle to stay upright. He rushed over to grab a chair for her. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.”
“Actually,” Dr. Rose said as she helped Fae into the chair, “it’s good for her to move around a bit.”
Nick turned back to Becca. Her face, though still pained, had a look of peace. She seemed relieved.
He stepped closer to Dr. Rose and whispered, “What do I do?”
“It’s simple,” she said, somberly. “When you’re ready, pull the plug to the ventilator.”
“Will it hurt her?”
“It’s not going to be pleasant. I offered to sedate her when the time came, but Becca was adamant that she be awake before she passes.”