by Cat Devon
“Craig will speak up for Alex.” Keira looked around. “Where is he?”
“He and Bunny weren’t allowed to participate as they aren’t objective observers,” Doc Boomer said.
“Or business owners,” Tanya said. “They are employees.”
Keira wasn’t about to reveal that Craig had helped them by showing up on the boat on the Fourth of July. If they knew, they might stake him too. She didn’t need more trouble. She had to keep her focus on Alex.
“How exactly did he break his vampire oath?” Keira demanded.
“He took off with you,” Pat said.
“I explained that,” Keira said.
“He put your well-being above that of Vamptown,” Tanya said with a flick of her hair.
“We don’t make the rules. We just have to obey them,” Bruce said.
“If you don’t make the rules then who does?” Keira countered.
“Generations of vampire councils,” Pat said.
“Are you a do-nothing council?” Keira demanded.
“No.” Pat sounded offended.
“Then do something,” Keira said. “Damon, you would have gone after Zoe to save her. Nick, I don’t know you very well, but I know you’d have taken Daniella to safety. And Bruce, you would have protected Pat, right?”
Bruce nodded sheepishly.
Sierra and a man entered the already crowded loft. “This is Ronan,” Sierra said. “We heard what you were saying.”
“I would have done the same thing as Alex,” Ronan said, putting his arm around Sierra.
“Which is why you can’t vote,” Tanya said.
“He would be saving me,” Sierra pointed out. “Me, your favorite author of all time.”
There was a moment of silence. Then Tanya said, “Good point. I move we change the law and exonerate Alex. All in favor say Aye.”
There were several moments of silence. It seemed like five minutes or more to Keira but it probably wasn’t that long. She wasn’t checking her watch, she was checking Alex. He still wasn’t breathing or moving, and his hand was becoming increasingly cold.
“I suppose upon further consideration the law could use some tweaking,” Pat said. “Aye.”
A chorus of Ayes followed.
“All against say Nay,” Tanya continued.
No one spoke.
“The motion passes,” Pat said. “Alex is exonerated of the charges against him.”
They’d sure changed their minds in a hurry, but Keira wasn’t about to argue. Maybe her passionate defense was so effective that the Vamptown Council had no choice but to change course. She didn’t care. The bottom line was that Alex was exonerated.
She eyed the stake in his chest nervously. Was he in pain? Would pulling the stake out hurt? It couldn’t be pleasant.
“Release him,” Keira said.
Doc Boomer bent over and grabbed hold of the stake, removing it in one smooth move.
Alex gasped and sat up. The bloody hole in his chest rapidly healed, but the anger remained in the accusatory glare he leveled at his fellow vampires.
Keira squeezed his hand. “Did you hear any of that?”
“I heard it all,” Alex growled before standing.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about. The same isn’t true for the rest of you.”
“We were just following protocol—” Pat began.
“Protocol, my ass,” Alex interrupted. “I’ve proven my loyalty to this community time and again over the past ten years. When you have trouble, I make it go away. I anticipate trouble before you even know about it. I have dedicated myself to Vamptown’s well-being and this is the thanks I get for it. Screw it. Screw all of you.”
“They did exonerate you in the end,” Keira pointed out.
“Only because Sierra is Tanya’s favorite author,” Alex shot back, looking more disgruntled now than seriously pissed off.
“I don’t think that’s the only reason,” Keira said. “I think they realized they’d do the same thing themselves if they’d been in the same situation. Right?”
“Correct,” Nick said.
Damon shrugged and then nodded.
Bruce nodded emphatically.
“You couldn’t have reached that decision before you staked me?” Alex demanded.
“I’m so sorry,” Bruce said. “I panicked. I didn’t know how else to make sure you stayed where you were.”
“It’s not that we don’t appreciate your years of service,” Nick told Alex.
“Then what is it?”
“An overabundance of caution,” Nick quietly replied.
“Caution or paranoia?” Alex retorted.
“Perhaps a blend of both,” Nick said.
“You hurt him,” Keira said. “Don’t do it again.”
“Staking doesn’t actually hurt that much,” Alex admitted. “Bruce did a good job with the insertion and Doc Boomer did a smooth extraction.”
“Well, goody for them,” Keira said, “but let’s not do it again, okay, people? I mean, okay, vampires?”
She took their grunts and grumbles as a yes. “Good. Now if you don’t mind, Alex and I would like to be alone.”
“I’m going to need a full report on the Lynch incident,” Damon said.
“You can wait,” Keira said.
“You’ve got an hour,” Damon said.
“Or two,” Alex said, snaring Keira in his arms. “Everybody out.”
The vampires exited as quickly as they’d entered. Sierra was the last one out, since she wasn’t a vampire. She paused to give Keira a big grin. “Welcome home. I think you’ll do just fine here in Vamptown.”
When she left, Keira asked Alex, “Do you think I’ll do just fine here in Vamptown?”
“I do. If you want to stay. You’re not my captive anymore.” He released her. “You are free to go if that’s what you want.”
“You’re what I want.” She ran her fingers up his chest and started unbuttoning his shirt. “I do want to point out that this loft and the funeral home basement are the only areas of Vamptown that I’ve seen.”
“I could give you a tour if you’d like,” he murmured. “The tree-lined street with Doc Boomer’s Happy Times Dental Clinic…”
“Happy Times? Really?”
“Really. Then there’s Tanya’s Tanning next to Pat’s Tats.”
“Since I have no desire for either a fake tan or real tattoos, I think I can pass on those two establishments.”
“There’s also Heavenly Cupcakes,” Alex said.
“Now, that is a place I want to visit.”
“Right now?”
“No, not right now. Where are you going?” she asked as he moved away from her toward the large table near the kitchen.
“Here.” He handed her cell phone back to her. “Proof that I’m giving you your freedom. I’m trusting that you’re not going to call the press and tell them vampires do exist.”
“I am the press. And no, I don’t plan on doing that. Your secret is safe with me. Besides, Sierra told me that even if I wanted to reveal something, it wouldn’t work. But that’s beside the point since I won’t say anything.” She looked at the screen. “The battery is probably dead.” He handed her the charger.
The minute she plugged it in, the ringer gave a specialized ringtone. It was the emergency ringtone from her best friend Liz. “Hello?”
“We’re at the hospital in intensive care. Benji has taken a turn for the worse. Keira…” Liz’s voice cracked. “They’re saying he won’t make it through the night.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I’m on my way,” Keira said.
“On your way where?” Alex said.
“It’s Benji. They’re saying he might not live through the night. I have to get to the hospital.”
“It could be a trap,” Alex told Keira.
“Lynch is dead.”
“But rest of the Gold Coast clan isn’t. You never told me why you l
et go of my hand at the Taste of Chicago.”
“It wasn’t a conscious thing. I just thought I saw Benji, so I paused for a second.”
“That’s all it took. They used Benji once to get to you. Who’s to say they won’t do it again?” Alex said.
“You.”
“I couldn’t stop them last time.” His voice reflected his anguish about that.
A knock on the door interrupted them. It was Neville. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry I couldn’t make the meeting and that I’ve just now turned off the security surveillance video in the loft we installed while you were gone.”
An instant later Nick, Damon, Bruce, and Pat were all standing behind Neville.
“You’re not alone,” Nick stated.
“I was about to tell him that,” Neville said, lifting his tablet to show them what looked like the inside of a hospital. “I confirmed it. Your godson is indeed in trouble.”
“But just in case the Gold Coast vamps are using the situation to hurt you, we’ve decided that we’re coming with you,” Nick said.
“You’ll just draw attention to yourselves.”
“Please,” Tanya said as she joined them. “We know how to stay under the radar.”
“I just need to be with Benji and Liz,” Keira said.
“We’ll make sure you’re safe while doing that.”
“Wait. I need this.” She rushed to the end table and carefully took the blood vial, putting it in a padded case she kept in her purse.
Alex put his arm around her, and an instant later they were inside Benji’s room in the intensive care unit. “You’re even faster than you were before,” she whispered.
Alex nodded.
Liz sat in a chair beside Benji’s hospital bed, with her head down, bent over their joined hands.
“I’m here,” Keira told her, squeezing her shoulder in empathic commiseration.
Liz lifted her head in surprise. “How did you get here so fast? Never mind. I’m just glad you made it.”
“How is he?”
“A little worse than before. The doctors say there’s no hope.”
“Doctors can be wrong,” Keira said.
“He’s slipped into a coma.”
Keira wiped away the tears at the sight of all the tubes connected to her godson. Machines were beeping, recording Benji’s heart rate and other vitals.
“Who is he?” Liz asked, tilting her head toward Alex.
“Alex is a close friend. He helped me get here.”
“Thanks for bringing her,” Liz said.
“The others are outside,” Alex whispered for Keira’s benefit.
To her surprise, Doc Boomer entered the room wearing a medical coat indicating he was on staff here at the hospital. “I spoke with Benji’s doctor. Time is quickly running out. If we’re going to do this, we need to do it now.”
“Do what?” Liz asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Liz, if there was an experimental drug that could cure Benji, would you be willing to try it?” Keira said.
“I tried to get him into a clinical trial study but since his disease is so specialized, it filled up quickly and he didn’t get it.”
“So you would be open to trying something new?”
Liz stroked Benji’s hand. “Is it safe?”
Keira nodded and removed the vial from her purse. “I believe so.”
Benji’s heart rate slowed dramatically and then stopped.
“Do it,” Keira told Doc Boomer.
The vampire took the vial from her and used a large syringe to transfer it from the vial to Benji’s IV. His actions were a blur.
Keira started praying as alarms went off. “The others will keep the rest of the staff out of the room,” Alex told her.
“How long will it take?”
Doc Boomer pointed to the display indicating Benji’s heart rate returning to normal. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and spoke.
“I’m hungry,” he said.
Keira panicked, wondering if little Benji was hungry for blood.
“I want a burger,” Benji said.
As if reading her thoughts, Doc Boomer said, “He’s still human through and through.”
“Of course he’s human,” Liz said.
Doc looked at her. “You’ll forget I was ever here. You’ll forget I did anything with your son’s IV. You’re going to believe his recovery was a natural occurrence.”
Keira could tell by the blank look on Liz’s face that she was being compelled. With a nod in their direction, Doc Boomer took his leave.
“The hospital staff on duty responsible for Benji’s care is being compelled as well. I’m going to stay but be cloaked so your friends can’t see me,” Alex said.
“Are you a wizard like Harry Potter?” Benji said, his eyes as wide as saucers.
“Something like that,” Alex said with a grin before gently compelling Benji as well.
Liz came back from her state to stare at Benji in delighted amazement. Moments later nurses and doctors filled the room.
Keira sat beside Liz as the medical staff thoroughly checked Benji out.
“He’s turned the corner and is going to be okay,” the doctor finally declared. “I can’t explain it.”
“I don’t need explanations,” Liz said, going to stand at Benji’s bedside to hold his hand. “I just need to know he’s safe.”
Keira stayed most of the night, hoping her presence was a reassurance to her best friend and godson. Occasionally she’d feel a brush of invisible fingers over her cheek, as a reminder that Alex was still there, watching her back.
That’s when she knew she loved him. The knowledge didn’t come as a shocking revelation. It came with the powerful certainty of the sunrise visible outside the window. She’d been moving to this point since she’d leaned over his desk and confronted him. Yes, her attraction to him and her longing for him were intense, but they weren’t as soul-stirring as this realization of love for him.
He was a vampire. She was the granddaughter of a vampire hunter. Yet they were destined to be together. She felt it in her bones. She also felt exhaustion from the demands of the past twenty-four hours.
“Go home,” Liz told her. “We’ll be okay here now. Thanks so much for coming.”
“Always,” Keira said. “Whenever you need me.”
“You’re going to make me cry,” Liz said with a sniff.
“You do and it’ll make me cry,” Keira replied.
“Crying is for losers,” Benji said. “And I still want a hamburger.”
* * *
Back at the loft, Keira was all set to collapse onto her couch when Alex checked his phone. “I have to go.”
“Police business?”
“Gold Coast vampire business. Seymour wants to talk on neutral ground.”
“You mean like on the boat?”
“No, the Palmer House hotel room. That text was from Simon. Seymour is there waiting for me.”
“I should go with you. What?” she said when he gave her a look. “I can’t be worried about you?”
“Yes, you can be worried.”
“I’m a blaster,” she reminded him.
“Who doesn’t know how to control your talents yet.”
“Not my blaster talents, perhaps, but I’ve got other talents that might surprise you, mister.” She grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him closer to kiss him the way he’d taught her, adding new moves of her own and nearly blasting his self-control. “Don’t be gone long.”
“I won’t,” he promised.
An instant later he was gone.
* * *
“This better not take long,” Alex said as he entered the hotel room where Simon and Seymour were waiting for him. Looking around, he asked, “Where are Pru and Fiona?”
“Shopping on the Mag Mile,” Simon said. “Which normally means Magnificent Mile, I’m told, but given the fact that they are both witches it could mean the Magic Mile in their case.”
Alex didn’t like the sound of that. “They’re not going to practice witchcraft in public, are they?”
“Fiona had her powers stolen,” Simon reminded him. “And Pru knows better than to allow her magic to be seen by humans. They will no doubt max out a credit card and return laden with shopping bags.”
“So the three of us are the only ones here?”
“That’s correct,” Simon said.
“I wanted to speak to you about the blood issue,” Seymour said. “After consulting with the other members of our clan, we took a vote and decided the risk of going through with the auction was too big, so we canceled it at the last minute. Billionaires would want more blood and they would hire chemists who would discover the vampire link eventually. It is in the best interest of us all that humans don’t know of our existence.”
“Agreed.”
“I am aware of what occurred last night at the hospital regarding the vial of blood that the hunter’s granddaughter took from Lynch’s desk.”
“We compelled every human involved to cover the fact that vampire blood was involved in his recovery,” Alex said.
“I contacted Doc Boomer with the details about infusing the blood into the IV in order to maximize its effect.”
“That was generous of you. Why? What’s in it for you?”
“That vial was restitution. But don’t consider coming back to take more,” Seymour warned him.
“As long as you keep it off the market and don’t try to make more, we could live with that,” Alex said.
“Understood.”
“What I can’t live with is anyone messing with Keira in the future.”
“Also understood,” Seymour said. “We couldn’t kill Lynch because he sired us. He got rid of those he didn’t sire. He got rid of some he did sire. Our numbers are temporarily depleted, but we have some vamps transferring from our London location here to Chicago. In the meantime, I’ve been elected the interim head of the clan.”
“As long as they comply with the terms we’ve set here today,” Alex said.
“I know a few of those coming in from London,” Simon said. “They’ll comply.”
“They’d better.” Alex had his cop face on as well as his vampire glare. “Are we done here?”