“Good. But you said ‘we’re.’ You already have a team, then?”
“It’s being assembled.” If Artemis thought she was going to get names—
“Do you need another member?”
There was no fast answer as Donna processed the question. After a moment, she found the right words. “Are you asking to join us?”
Artemis laughed. “Is that so hard to believe? There is no vampire with any love toward the fae.”
“I would be honored to have you with us.” Except Artemis wasn’t sun-proof, and that would be a problem. In a couple of ways.
“I feel as though I’m waiting for a but, Governor. Do you have an issue with me accompanying you?”
“No, not at all.” Though a few other members of the team might not be so keen on the vampire queen going with them. “It’s just that the raid is planned for the morning. When the fae would be asleep.”
“Smart. But not easy. How are you going to protect yourself from the sun for that long?”
Donna thought fast. “The gardener who takes care of the rooftop greenhouse is an elemental witch. Jerabeth Smalls?”
“Yes, I know her. And?”
“I’m hoping she can come up with something to give me a few hours of protection.” Donna cringed. It was a good on-the-fly answer, but if Artemis wanted some of whatever that fake magical special sauce was, the jig would be up. No sense in avoiding that possibility. “I suppose you’ll be wanting some of that, too, if you’re going to join us?”
Artemis laughed. “No, I’ll be fine. At my age, a few hours of sun have very little effect.”
“Really? Good to know that awaits me.”
A snort answered her. “You have a long wait. I am ancient, Governor.”
“Understood. You look fabulous, though.” It was true. Artemis’s skin practically glowed.
“Thank you. When in the morning is this raid taking place?”
“Dawn. If everything comes together.” Maybe that was too soon, and Artemis wouldn’t be able to arrive in time. Donna had no idea where she’d be coming from. Then another thought occurred to Donna. “Ma’am, with all due respect, is this really a good idea? I have no doubt you’d be a valuable asset, but the fae are formidable. What if something goes wrong? Once the fae realize you’re with us, they could make you their target. Your presence could start a war.”
“No vampire lives forever, Governor. I’m aware of the risks. But I’ve waited for a day like this when the fae would finally give us good reason to attack.”
“I can understand that. But the focus of our raid really is to get the agent free. Although, if Dredward or any of the fae end up as casualties, then so be it. A number of wolves from the New Jersey pack will be with us. Rico Medina, the agent who was taken is—”
“Medina? As in Louisa Valentina Medina, the pack alpha? Will she be with you?”
“Yes, ma’am. She’s Rico’s grandmother. And Maria Antonella, the alpha-elect, is his mother. To say those two women are unhappy with the fae right now would be an understatement.”
“I’m sure.” Artemis’s tone had gone icy. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to attend or not. I wish you well, Governor. Stay safe.”
The line went dead.
Donna blinked and looked at the phone. What had just happened? There was no way Artemis was afraid of the werewolves, so what was it? Bad blood between her and LV or Toni? What could have caused that? Donna had always been under the impression that vampires as a whole were friendly with werewolves, especially considering the attraction that seemed to happen naturally.
Weird. But she didn’t have the time or the energy to give it two more seconds. She thought about checking in at the salon to see what progress had been made, but she didn’t think Jerabeth or Dr. Fox would want anyone breathing over their shoulder. Wouldn’t help the process go any faster either.
Instead, she went to the kitchen and raided the pantry for something sweet. Whatever drugs the fae had gotten into her system, they made her feel like she was going through puberty and menopause at the same freakin’ time. Delightful. And since she couldn’t feed, she wanted sugar.
A lot of it.
Thankfully, the pantry was well-stocked. Several packages of cookies took up one shelf. Charlie had obviously made up her assortment from these when she’d told Donna earlier she was a stress eater. Shortbread, wafers, chocolate-dipped rounds sprinkled with chopped nuts. They all looked British or Belgian. Maybe one was German.
In addition to those, there were some standard American selections, like Oreos and Fig Newtons.
The next shelf was dedicated to candy. M&M’s in both the plain and peanut varieties, then an assortment of gummy candies and a couple of boxes of fancy truffles. Beside them were stacks of assorted chocolate bars, baskets of peppermint patties and peanut butter cups, and a big package of cherry Twizzlers. There was even a tub of chocolate-covered espresso beans.
On yet another shelf were bags of caramel corn, marshmallows in two sizes and three flavors, and animal crackers. The placement of those next to tubs of frosting made it seem like they were there for dipping. There were also jars of peanut butter, Nutella, Marshmallow Fluff, and an assortment of jams.
Donna’s mouth watered as the aroma of the sweets filled her senses. Her stomach rumbled.
“Hungry?” Charlie asked.
Donna looked over her shoulder. “I can’t feed, so I need to indulge in something.” She went back to looking. “Sugar seems like the next best thing. Good thing we have a lot of it. Why do we have so much?”
“Claudette loved sugar. But I also adjusted the grocery order when Rixaline joined us. Being a teenager and all that.”
“Good call.”
“Did you see what’s on the left?”
Donna turned to look. A row of boxed cake and brownie mixes. Nearby sat a basket of add-ins, like chocolate chips, toffee chips, coconut flakes, and chopped nuts. The selections overflowed.
She shook her head. “I can’t wait for any of those to bake. I need something now.”
“Hopefully, you’ll be able to feed soon.”
Donna grabbed a small bag each of regular and peanut M&M’s, the Twizzlers, and a Three Musketeers bar. “That would be great. It would be even better if we had an antidote for whatever this is.”
Charlie nodded. “Yes.”
Jerabeth and Dr. Fox ran into the kitchen. He held up a test tube. “We’ve made a little progress.”
“And?”
“We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close. We really need some new samples to test.”
Donna’s brows shot up. “You mean blood from different people?”
Jerabeth nodded. “Yes. Mine and Charlie’s came close to working, but not enough for us to think it was safe.”
Donna sighed. “I don’t know who else to ask.”
“That’s okay,” Charlie said. “I do. There’s a reason we live in a building filled with supernaturals. There’s an unwritten rule that says the tenants of Wellman Towers stick together.” She glanced at the doctor and Jerabeth. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”
“Wait a second,” Donna said. “Are you seriously going to ask people in the building to donate blood?”
“Yes. Believe it or not, it won’t be the first time. It also won’t be the strangest request that’s been made in this building.”
“But I don’t want to be beholden to however many people live here.”
“Governor, come spring, when warm weather arrives, you can throw a blowout party on the roof and invite everyone. That will be repayment enough.”
“You’re sure?”
She smiled. “Have I steered you wrong yet?”
“No, you have not.”
“Back in a bit.”
Dr. Fox raised his hand. “If I may, this is going to take some time. Until then, we have no real way to combat the drugs. It might be best if you tried to sleep. For a vampire, it’s the next best thing to feeding. Not to mention, you have
the raid coming up. Crashing then would not be good.”
“No, it wouldn’t be. And I’m happy to try. I just don’t think I can sleep with so much going on.”
Jerabeth stepped closer. “I can help with that. If you want help.”
“Sure. Worth a shot.”
“We should go to your bedroom.”
“Okay.” Donna headed in that direction, Jerabeth at her side.
“Thank you for including me in this,” Jerabeth said. “I know you’re unsure about me because of what happened on the roof, but I promise I will never betray you.”
“I know you won’t.” Donna glanced at the witch. “You’re welcome too. And thank you for agreeing to help.” She went into her bedroom.
Jerabeth followed, closing the door behind her. “Just lie down and get comfortable.”
Donna sat on the bed but went no further. “Can I ask what you’re going to do?”
“I’m going to make the air warm—body temperature, actually—and heavy. I know that sounds like a bad combination for sleeping, but trust me. You’ll see.”
“I’m game.” Donna stretched out.
Jerabeth held out her hands and spoke so quietly Donna almost couldn’t hear her. The soft, whispered sounds started to lull her on their own.
The air warmed slowly. A minute or so later, a strange sensation came over her. She could no longer tell where she ended and the air began. It was like she was floating. Except she wasn’t.
Then the air changed again, pressing down on her slightly. Keeping her in place, like some ethereal cocoon. Giving her a sense of security. And making her sleepy. Very…sleepy…
Knocking woke her up. Mary and Joseph. Jerabeth’s magic had actually worked. She glanced at her phone to see the time. It was almost midnight. Squinting, she looked in the direction of the knocking. “I’m up. What’s going on?”
Charlie opened the door and stuck her head in. “Sorry to wake you, but we found a donor whose blood won’t exacerbate the drug in your system.”
“That’s good.” Donna squinted at her. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“Because you’re not going to like who it is, but I’m finding it pretty entertaining.”
“I don’t know what that means. Who’s the donor?”
Charlie’s grin somehow got bigger. “Mr. Tall, Dark, and Stony himself. Kace Donovan.”
“Ha ha, very funny. Who is it really?”
Charlie snorted. “Sorry, Governor. I’m not making that up. His blood is the only one Dr. Fox and Jerabeth have tested that has not made the drugs worse. You can feed from him.”
Donna groaned and fell back on the bed. “How do I explain that to him? How do I face him? Of all the people… He probably won’t even agree, so there’s no point in asking.”
“About that.” Charlie sucked air in through her teeth. “He’s already in the living room, so that seems pretty agreeable to me.”
Donna noted that despite being known as the undead, vampires could still suffer from absolute mortification. She was proof of that. “I’d ask you to kill me, but there’s no point since it wouldn’t solve anything.”
“Nope. Shall I tell him you’ll be out shortly?”
She wanted to say no, but the drugs in her system resisted that response. The thought of sinking her fangs into Kace held infinite appeal to what could be described only as her inner junkie. “I need a minute.”
“Whenever you’re ready.” Charlie closed the door, leaving Donna to fight her internal battle.
She needed to drink from him. She got that. It would strengthen her. She’d be useless at the raid otherwise. She was already feeling weak and tired. Almost mortal, really.
But after all that flirting she’d done at the pool, there was no way this wasn’t going to be awkward. Stupid drugs. Stupid fae. She sat up. But the drugs gave her the perfect explanation, didn’t they? It was their fault, not hers. It was like being tipsy. He had to understand that, right? Plus, he hadn’t exactly shut her down earlier.
Or would he think she was just making excuses?
She took a deep breath. She was about to find out.
Chapter Twelve
Donna pulled herself together enough so that she looked decent. Her hair had dried in weird waves from being clipped up, but there wasn’t much she could do about that beyond running a brush through it.
She might have also added a touch of mascara and combed her brows into place. But that was it.
Too bad there was no vampire superpower for avoiding embarrassment. She walked out to the living room and found Kace chatting with Charlie.
He immediately stood when she entered, looking more serious than he had earlier. Good. Maybe all that flirting was forgotten. “Governor. We meet again.”
Or not. Bringing up the pool right away had to mean it was still foremost in his mind. At least he had a shirt on. That made it slightly easier to keep her emotions under control. Still, he made a dress shirt and jeans look incredibly good. The dress shirt helped him look closer to his age too. Which only made him seem like more of a possibility and less like a spring fling.
New heat started to climb her spine. Other bits went tingly. Down, girl. She swallowed. Stupid drugs. “I understand you’ve been made aware of what’s going on?”
He nodded. “Your admin told me that due to special circumstances, you’re in need of a new blood source, and mine is apparently a match.”
She looked at Charlie. “Special circumstances?”
“I figured this was a need-to-know situation, and that was all he needed to know.”
Donna appreciated that. “I think we can tell him a little more. Mr. Donovan, the fae have drugged me in an effort to incapacitate me. The drugs heighten all of my emotions while also lessening my inhibitions. I’m sure you can understand how that might affect me.”
He scowled. “I’m sorry they did that to you, Governor. How does my blood play into this?”
“Your blood is the only one that tested negatively for increasing the effects of those drugs.”
His frown remained. “The fae aren’t a problem for my kind, but that doesn’t mean I’m a fan. In fact, I’m glad they don’t like us, but I know how they hunt vampires, and it’s disgusting. I would be pleased to help.”
He started to roll up his sleeve.
Donna cleared her throat. “I don’t need to drink directly from you. My physician is here. He could easily take your blood, and then—”
Kace shook his head. “I know you’re not too familiar with my kind, but that’s not possible. There are very few things that can pierce a gargoyle’s skin. Certainly no kind of needle or small knife. A sword wielded by a strong opponent? Maybe. But don’t expect the sword to be good for much after that.” Then he smiled. “Vampire fangs, however, seem to work just fine.” A wild, mischievous light danced in his eyes. “You’re going to have to bite me, Governor.”
Heat spilled through her, turning into need. For blood. And for him. Her fangs shot down. That need coiled out from Donna’s center like ink through water, coloring every inch of her until she teetered on the brink of helplessness.
She tore her gaze away from him to look at Charlie, hoping Kace hadn’t noticed she was digging her nails into her palms. “Is anyone in the sitting room?”
“No. I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed.” She spoke to Kace. “If you’ll follow me? We certainly appreciate your assistance.”
“Happy to do it.”
They left, giving Donna a chance to breathe and regain her composure. The pain in her palms hadn’t helped at all. How was she supposed to bite him and not lose every shred of control?
She was too young a vampire to handle this. She didn’t have the practice necessary. She wasn’t even that good at drinking directly from the source. Sure, she did it with Pierce, but look what she’d done to the first human she’d ever tasted. Yuri was dead.
Okay, he maybe deserved it a little since he’d intended to either rape her or kill her, or both, but
draining her first human wasn’t a good precedent. Kace would be only the third mortal she’d bitten. And the first one she’d bitten while under the influence of fae drugs. The kind that heightened all her emotions and impulses. Without realizing it, she’d begun to pace the living room.
“Governor?”
Donna found Charlie standing at the divide between the living room and the kitchen.
“He’s waiting on you. Are you okay?”
Donna shook her head. “I’m a little afraid to do this.”
“Because of how the drugs are making you feel?”
“Yes. What if I can’t stop? What if I do something to embarrass myself?”
“For one thing, if you start to go too far, Kace will stop you himself. And you don’t need to worry about embarrassing yourself. He knows you’re under the influence of drugs against your will. If anything, he’s completely sympathetic to what’s happening.”
That made her feel only marginally better.
“You know, your control might improve with a good feeding. You know what Dr. Fox said. The weaker you get, the more power the drugs exert over you.”
Donna took a deep breath and got ahold of herself. “Then I need to stop stalling and get it done.”
“Pretty much.”
“Okay. Thank you for doing all this.”
Charlie smiled. “Anything you need, Governor. I’ll be in the office if you need me.”
Donna gave her a nod. As Charlie left, Donna walked toward the sitting room.
The door was closed, but she could feel Kace on the other side. It was like all of her senses were trained on him. She went in.
He was standing by the windows but glanced at her as she entered. His sleeve was no longer rolled up. “Your view is a lot better than mine. But you’re a lot higher up too.”
She wasn’t interested in small talk. “I’m not myself right now. You need to know that. I wasn’t myself at the pool either.”
He turned around. “Not then either?”
“No.”
His grin was lopsided as he shook his head. “I’m embarrassed to say I thought you were flirting with me because you found me attractive. I guess that’s the male ego for you.”
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