She paced the bedroom after Matthew had left, worried for Grace and worried about Amelia. What if she had been turned? Would they really kill her or could there be another way? The only logical reason she could come up with was if Amelia was being controlled by Donavon and his ancient minions, if that’s what they were. So many questions and no answers to speak of.
As Dee continued to pace, a plan began to form in her mind. It was dangerous, but one that would definitely lure the vampires out if Amelia was one of them. She knew she’d have to discuss it with Genevieve and Matthew once Grace was feeling better, but most importantly, Grace would have to agree: she was the bait. In her mind, Dee knew the three of them could protect her, but they needed a solid plan before rushing in head-on.
“Dee, please help me get her into the bathtub,” Genevieve said, walking into the bedroom carrying Grace as if she were light as a feather.
Dee rushed over and held the bathroom door open for Genevieve as she gently sat Grace on the counter. “Grace, look at me.” Genevieve tipped up her chin. Grace’s head was lolled to the side. She was near lifeless; the only sign of life was the rapid movement of her chest as she breathed.
Grace’s normal cornflower gaze was almost a translucent blue and unfocused. “Is she going to be to all right?” Dee asked, rushing to her side as she began to slump slightly.
“Yes. Unfortunately, this part of the transformation is difficult. She will need blood to revitalize her strength and make it complete.”
“Blood? I thought hybrids were cured of the blood curse by the ancestors. Why does she need blood?” Dee asked, almost yelling at that point. The thought of her friend drinking blood shook her to the core, but if that’s what it took to bring her back, she guessed she’d have to grin and bear it or look away and bear it.
“We do not need blood regularly to survive. Nevertheless, during transition it is a necessity to heal the body and must be consumed due to the immense changes her body’s experiencing. It may also awaken the magic inside of her much more quickly than anticipated,” Genevieve said softly while undressing Grace, attempting to keep her modesty intact.
“Here, let me help you,” Dee offered and began pulling Grace’s shirt over head as gently as possible, while Genevieve removed her jeans.
The two placed her in the tub in only her bra and panties, then gently washed her hair, careful to keep her head above the water. Grace began blinking rapidly, and mumbling about Donavon. All of a sudden, she sat straight up, splashing wildly, attempting to get out.
“Grace, stop. It’s only me and Genevieve. We’re trying to help you. What’s wrong?” Dee asked, attempting to hold onto Grace’s flailing arms.
“He’s coming for me. I can see him.” She looked terrified as her eyes scanned the room.
“Grace, you’re safe here,” Genevieve added. “This house is cloaked from evil and he cannot harm you here. Do you understand?”
“But I saw him. He was looking straight into my eyes. Was I dreaming? Hallucinating? Wait, why am I in the bath?” Grace looked down at herself, then between the two of them.
“Come on, let’s get you out. You need to lie down for what’s about to happen next.” Genevieve held out her hand.
Dee grabbed a towel from the counter and handed it to Grace who had begun to shiver. The fever had broken. She assumed that was a good sign, but what did she know? She was preparing herself for Grace’s reaction to having to drink blood. She said a silent prayer to the ancestors for strength and guidance.
Grace wrapped a towel around her wet hair and removed her soaked undergarments beneath the towel covering her body when the other two turned around handing her a robe to put on. On shaky legs, she returned to her room, grabbed another bra and pair of panties from the drawer. Once she was decent enough, she climbed into the bed, pulled the covers over her and propped her head up on a few pillows.
Mathew knocked on the door and Genevieve went to answer it. He asked if he could come in and Grace nodded. Dee took a seat on the bed next to Grace, while Matthew sat in the chair next to it. Genevieve stood at the foot, looking concerned.
Genevieve cleared her throat. “Grace, you’ve been through the worst part, but your transformation is not yet complete. What I’m about to tell you may not be pleasant to hear, but it is necessary,” she began.
Grace cut her off. “What’s necessary? How could things possibly get worse?” she asked, looking around the room. Grace knew her well and could tell something was up.
“It’s something—”
Grace held up her hand, cutting Matthew off and looked at Dee. “What do you know? I can see it in your face,” she demanded, raising her voice.
“Honey, I think it’s best if you let them explain. I’ll tell you this much, though: it might completely awaken the magic inside of you,” Dee answered, feeling pained that she even said that much. How could she tell her friend she had to drink freakin’ blood to complete the change? Nope. She wasn’t gonna open that can of worms.
Grace whipped her head around toward Matthew, losing the towel that was wrapped around her hair. “What’s so important that my best friend’s too afraid to tell me?” she asked, her temper flaring by the second.
Matthew stood from his chair and walked toward Genevieve in a united front. “You must consume blood in order to finish the transition or you’ll eventually die.”
Chapter 7
“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” Grace jumped from the bed and into Matthew’s face. “You told me I was already in the process. At no time did you mention that I would die,” she growled, pointing a slender finger into his chest, causing him to take a step back.
Genevieve stepped between them. “Grace, I understand this is upsetting and not exactly ideal, but it has to be done. Without blood, your body will not have the ability to heal on its own. If you were to leave, Donavon could find you and force you to drink his blood. The consequences of that happening are far worse than anything you could ever imagine.”
That took the fiery wind out of her sails. The mention of Donavon made Grace’s blood run cold and terrified her. She remembered what she’d seen while in a trance or whatever that was when she attempted to bolt out of the bathtub. It was as if he knew where she was or at least he thought he did. She sat her butt back down on the bed with a huff.
Dee was looking at her as if the entire scene had unfolded exactly as she thought it would. Grace was pissed. Then at the mention of the monster’s name, everything changed. There was something in her eyes, though, that told Grace that she was worried about something else. They would get to the bottom of it, but only after she drank that nasty blood.
“Are you ready?” Genevieve asked when she sat down next to Grace, taking her hand.
“As ready as I’ll ever be I guess. If this is what it’s gonna take, I have no other choice.”
“Matthew, please fetch enough fresh blood from storage. Thank you,” Genevieve told him. He nodded, then walked out of the door on silent feet, closing it behind him.
Grace cleared her throat. “Genevieve, there’s something I need to tell you before we go through with this. I’m not sure how I’ll be once I’m turned and I need you to know what I saw.” She attempted to hold back the tears. Grace was done crying. This was her life now and she had to suck it up and deal with it.
“What is it? What did you see?”
“While I was in la-la-land or whatever, Donavon appeared to me,” Grace answered, nervously turning the comforter over and over in her hands. “He acted like he knew where I was—he sensed me and smiled, looking directly into my eyes. It must have been another vision where I left my body. He told me I couldn’t hide from him forever, that I belonged to him. He said he would find me tonight and to say my final goodbyes.”
“Okay, I’ve heard enough,” Dee said angrily, getting up from the bed. “There’s only one way to lure this asshole out and we need Amelia to do it. We have to go to Grace’s apartment. We call Amelia and tell her Grace is home
. Genevieve, call Liz and tell her to bring that vamp sword and we’ll set a trap. We’ll know right away if Amelia is one of them if the vamps follow her because we’ll be cloaked in protection spells. It’s the only way.”
Grace looked at her like she had just gone mad. What was she thinking? Grace had no powers that she knew of and how the hell was she supposed to protect herself if something went wrong? She didn’t know this Liz person and what if she didn’t show up in time? They could all end up dead.
“I’m the one who’s supposed to be pissed and freaking out right now. While that would be a great plan if I had magic, the fact is, I don’t. We could all die and I’m not ready to do that just yet,” Grace said, getting frustrated. Shit storm—that was her life right now.
“No, I believe Dee might be on to something,” Genevieve looked to Dee and agreed. “However, it will take a good bit of planning before we just storm her apartment. I need to contact Elizabeth after Grace is feeling better.”
Awesome. Am I even in the room? Was anyone listening to her or her concerns? Did anyone care that she was scared shitless or that she was about drink freakin’ blood? Apparently not. Just another day in the life of a vampire hybrid, right? She slumped on the bed and cursed. That damn blood better give her Superwoman abilities or she was gonna be pissed. Magic would be nice too. Dammit!
Matthew walked back into the room carrying two gallons of blood in his hands. “I hope you don’t expect me to drink all of that nasty shit,” Grace said, pointing at the offensive jugs.
He chuckled. ”No, the other jug is for later if you need it.”
“Funny. I’m not laughing.” Grace scowled and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“There’s a glass on your bedside table. I’m filling it up and you only have to drink half of it,” Matthew said, trying to hold back a smile.
He actually thought this was comical. Grace was about to lose her temper. Good guy or not, that shit was not funny. It was freakin’ gross. Blood. The thought of it made her stomach churn and not in a good way. She might end up hugging the toilet again.
Matthew poured the disgusting blood into the tall glass filling it almost to the rim. Dee went to stand on the far side of the room and Grace couldn’t blame her. She wouldn’t want to watch either. After this was over, she was gonna throttle Matthew with her new super powers just for laughing. Then they could work out a plan to kick Donavon’s ass and unlink them somehow.
Genevieve walked toward the bed. “Grace, you need to lie down as you were. This is the final phase of your transition and it might be somewhat painful. I apologize,” she said with a sad expression.
That did not make her feel any better, but she did as she was told and stared at the ceiling for the final time of her human existence. She took a breath and said, “Hand me the glass, Matthew. I’m ready to get this over with.”
He picked up the glass from the bedside table, but before he handed it to her he said, “I do apologize for how you were brought into our coven. However, I, along with Genevieve and Dee will not leave your side.” He sat beside her and continued, “This is animal blood, not human blood, as I mentioned before. Please take your time and hold on to me if the pain becomes too great.”
“Thank you, Matthew. Maybe I won’t punch you now after this is over.” Grace smiled, retrieving the glass from his hand. “Bottoms up.”
Dee looked on nervously as she watched Grace take the first few sips. At first, Grace was disgusted by the whole thing, but after a few gulps, everything changed. She grasped the cup with both hands as she drank its contents greedily with blood slipping down the corners of her mouth.
Something inside of Grace snapped. The blood was coppery at first, then changed to sweet and heavenly, like chocolate dipped strawberries. She knew she should slow down, but she couldn’t get enough of the glorious liquid. She heard Matthew talking to her, telling her to take it easy. She glanced at him over the glass and a growl escaped her throat. No one was taking her meal away from her. Once the cup was empty, her mind screamed, “More.”
Before she could utter a word, her body elevated from the bed and scorching heat engulfed every part of her from the inside out. She screamed out in agonizing pain. She felt strong arms reach for her as she descended back to the bed, but touch—anyone’s touch—was unbearable. It felt like she was lying on a bed of hot coals. She could feel her organs knitting themselves into something strange and unfamiliar. Was her body being torn apart? Grace cried out in pain once more and hot tears streamed down her face. Was she dying?
All of a sudden, her back arched from the bed and she threw her head back and roared. Her vision blurred from the pain. Then she heard Dee shouting, but couldn’t understand what she was saying. Grace felt claws tear from her fingertips and a set of fangs rip from her gums.
Matthew spoke to her mind, “It is almost over, love.”
Was she dreaming now? Did she really just hear Matthew’s voice inside of her head? Before she could think much more about the invasion into her mind, another bout of pain washed over her, just as intense as the first. She felt like she was on fire, roasting alive, and she yelled for her mother without thinking. Her body slammed down onto the bed and she felt the cold hands of who she assumed to be Genevieve rubbing her arms and smoothing her hair. The pain was gone, but she could barely open her eyes from exhaustion.
“It is over, my dear,” Genevieve soothed.
Grace heard Dee crying and tried to open her eyes, then her mouth to speak. She licked her dry lips. “Dee,” she croaked.
“I’m here,” Dee said sniffling and sat beside her on the bed, clutching her hand. “You scared me to death, Grace. I love you. Don’t try to talk. Here, drink some water.” She held out a small cup with a straw.
Grace sipped the water through a straw, alleviating the fire in her throat. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Do I still have claws and fangs?” She didn’t even think to look for herself. Her mind was still reeling from the excruciating pain she’d endured.
“No,” Dee said. “They disappeared pretty much as quickly as they appeared.”
“She needs to rest now. Matthew and I will leave the two of you alone. She’ll feel much better in about an hour or so,” Genevieve said, smiling like a proud mother, and headed for the door with Matthew behind her.
Matthew stopped and looked longingly at Grace for a moment. “You’ll be much stronger after you recover,” he assured her, then turned and walked out of the door.
“You should sleep,” Dee suggested. “You’ve really been through it and I have no idea how you survived. You’re one tough cookie.” She leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, ya hear?”
“I make no promises,” Grace replied with a smile. “But yeah, a nap sounds good.”
“Do you want me to stay with you while you rest?”
“It’s okay. Why don’t you call Geno and get things settled first, then later we can stop by your place to grab your things since you’ll be staying here for a while,” Grace said hoarsely. “Thanks again for being here with me. I don’t think I would have made it without you.”
“Hush that. You’ve always been like a sister to me and there’s no way I’d let you go through this alone. We’re in this together, even if you do have fangs,” Dee teased, pushing Grace’s sweaty hair from her face. “But you’re gonna need a shower when you wake up. You’re gettin’ kinda ripe.”
Grace shoved her, then winced. She didn’t realize she was still in pain. Her body felt raw like she’d spent too many hours in the sun. “If I didn’t feel like shit, I’d punch you,” she joked. “Love you, Dee. Now get out so I can sleep.”
***
Dee smiled and told her she loved her too as she got up from the bed and exited the room. She was teasing Grace, but inside she was still shaking from what she’d just witnessed. Fangs. Claws. It was something she knew she’d have to get used to, but at least Grace was still the same good-natured person on the insid
e.
What worried Dee even more was contacting Amelia. She was terrified. She walked downstairs into the family room to find Matthew and Genevieve deep in conversation. She hated to interrupt, but she wanted to be part of the plan to extract the vampires from their nest, so to speak.
Genevieve looked up when Dee walked in. “Oh good, you’re here. Is Grace resting now?” she asked, motioning for her to take a seat next to her on the couch.
“She should be. I think she’s still in a bit of pain, but Grace being Grace won’t allow anyone to see it.”
“That’s to be expected,” Genevieve said. “Matthew and I were just discussing plans for tonight. After you’ve settled your affairs, we believe you should call Amelia once we arrive at Grace’s apartment as you suggested. We’ll get there just before sunset and Elizabeth assured me that she’ll be available tonight.”
Dee nodded. “Will Liz meet us here first? I’d like to hash out the details with her and learn a few things if possible before we go.”
Matthew excused himself saying he wanted to check in on Grace to make sure she wasn’t relapsing or craving blood. “What? What do you mean, craving blood? I thought that part was over?” Dee asked, inside scared to death. Again.
“These things can happen, especially considering her reaction during the final phase of the transition. I only want to be certain she’s okay,” he reassured her.
“That doesn’t answer my question. Is she going to be all right or is this craving going to turn her into a bloodthirsty monster? I mean no offence, but you said so yourself, the ancestors took away that curse. I’m confused.”
“They did relieve us of the curse. However, a new hybrid, especially one such as Grace whose magic was never awakened, could react differently. She’s a special case. You need not worry, though. She will not be a danger to anyone.” Matthew walked toward the stairs, leaving Dee with her mouth hanging open.
Marked by a Vampire (The Hybrid Coven Book 1) Page 5