We made it to the hospital without any issues. As I approached the glass doors to Greg’s room, I noticed all of the lights were shut off and the room was completely dark. As I stepped up, the sensor triggered and the doors slid open. The bed was empty and the sheets were clean and tucked neatly under the mattress. There were no monitors, no nurses and no patient. My eyes welled up with tears and I sunk to my knees. I turned to find Kai standing in the door behind me.
“I’m sorry, my lady,” she curtsied. “Mr. Hickman didn’t make it through the night.” Big tears rolled down my cheek and she stepped closer to me. She rubbed her hand on my back trying to sooth my sadness.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly. She’d worked so hard and had been so hopeful about her mother’s potion. I hugged her again and wished I could help her too. But we had a job to do. Greg may have been just too far gone. Hopefully the others will so better signs.
“Where is Dr. Mason?” I asked.
“He’s working on the new patients that came in tonight. He’s administering the potion to the others. We don’t know why the potion didn’t work on Greg, but all of the others have agreed to try. They would rather die than become a hybrid.”
“Why didn’t it work,” I whispered.
“We don’t know why it didn’t work on him, but the other patient that was treated has been cured. Do you want to talk to him?” She ran an unsteady hand through her hair, tightening her fist on the roots.
I gasped when she told me that it had worked on another. Although I was saddened by the death of Greg, I was relieved by the news that the potion wasn’t a total loss.
“Yes, please,” I begged. “Tell me about him.”
“His name is Nikolas,” she paused. “He is a Krieger from Campeche Beach.”
“What?” I cried. “Dragus never told me about this. Take me to him.” I grabbed Kai’s hand and pulled her along. One of the Krieger had been bitten and it hit too close to home for me. The Krieger of Campeche Beach had been in the woods with Dragus and one had been bitten. I shivered at the thought. I couldn’t let myself imagine if that had been my mate who had been bitten.
Brilliam, Kai, Lydia and I walked down the hall and stopped in front of another I.C.U room. The curtains were drawn, and inside was a warrior. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in his standard issued Krieger uniform, tying the laces on his boots. Kai knocked on the window and I saw the face of the healed hybrid.
When he stood, Nikolas was just as tall as Dragus, but a little smaller in size. His blonde hair was long, way past his shoulders. Big green eyes stared at Kai as we walked in the room. Once he looked past her, his eyes met mine and he automatically bowed; fist over heart.
“My lady,” he whispered. As he bowed I noticed how his dirty blonde hair fell forward making a curtain around his soft face.
I curtsied and sighed, “Please, Krieger Nikolas, have a seat. May I speak with you for a moment?”
“Yes, my lady,” he smiled.
“How are you feeling?”
“I fell so much better. I am forever in debt to Mistress Kai and Dr. Mason,” he smiled as he looked around me and made eye contact with Kai again. I turned to see a faint blush darken her beautiful skin.
I turned back to the Krieger. “Do you have any side effects from the Lycan poison or the potion?”
He looked away from me and bit his lip. Kai stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Go ahead, Nikolas. Lady Charity is here to help. You need to tell her what happened during the day today.”
I leaned forward as he raised his eyes to mine, “Please tell me what happened.”
“Once the sedative wore off, I unintentionally was able to shape shift into a werewolf. I don’t know what happened. When I woke up, I was disorientated and scared. Dr. Mason thinks the adrenalin in my body caused the change.” Nikolas hung his head in shame. I started to reach out to him, but stopped myself before I made him anymore uncomfortable.
“What happened after you changed?” I demanded. I needed to know. This could be a revelation in the future of our kind. What could this do? Could it be harmful for us? For the humans?
“When I realized what I had done, I was able to control myself and change back. It scared the hell out of everyone.” He shivered and looked apologetically at Kai.
“Wait! This was during the day?” I squeaked.
Lydia cleared her throat, “He’s a shape shifter now; dual natured. Krieger Nikolas, and others like him, will no longer go into a death sleep. They will now sleep, like he did as a human. My friend in France told me about this.”
“Genevieve?” I asked.
“Yes, from what I was told when I contacted her yesterday. The potion had cured some of the vampires of the poison, but the side effect was they became half vampire, half Lycan. It’s been a deep secret within our world for some time. I think, before now, there are only two or three in the world that can do it.” Lydia turned toward Nikolas and smiled, “Can you do it again?”
“Yes, ma’am. Do you want me too,” he asked me. “But I’m not sure it would be proper, unless Master Dragus is here.”
Brilliam moved forward and each one stood beside me. Brock leaned down to whisper in my ear, “My lady, I don’t think it would be wise for you to be in here when he shifts. It may be too dangerous.”
“He’s right Charity,” Kai said. “He accidentally destroyed the room he was in before.”
“Well, I want to see this for my own eyes,” I snapped.
William pulled out his cell phone and called Dragus. I spun around on him just as Lydia grabbed my arm. “Charity let him talk to Dragus. Then we will take precautions before you see him shift.”
I knew they were right in being cautious, but I was anxious to learn more about them. I had to know what would happen to the others. Greg had died from the poison and Nikolas was cured. Was there a reason why one made it through, but not the other?
Suddenly my body relaxed as I sensed Dragus was near. I turn around just as he appeared on the other side of the sliding glass doors. He barged in and marched right up to my side, dismissing my two guards. Brilliam walked over and took the two chairs by the wall.
“Master Dragus,” Nikolas bowed.
“Krieger Nikolas, how are you my friend?” Dragus seemed to soften at seeing his comrade healed. The hardness in his eyes relaxed and he took a steading breath.
“Almost normal sir,” he paused. “I guess you’re here because of Lady Charity’s request?”
“Will you excuse us for a moment?” Dragus turned for the door and I followed. Once the doors slid closed he turned to me. “It’s not safe for you to be in there when he shifts.”
“I know. The news was so exciting to me and I just wanted to see it for my own eyes. I wasn’t thinking.” I bowed my head, a little embarrassed at my behavior.
“I’m excited about the news too. If you want him to shift, you will need to stay outside the room and watch through the glass.”
“I understand. Did you know that one of the patients died this morning?” The thought caused a pink tear to escape and roll down my eye. Dragus used his thumb to wipe it away.
“I know how it must sadden you, but at least another was saved,” he reassured me. “Have you thought of a plan to get the potion to Adam?”
“No, I have no idea. I think the first thing to do, is to contact him and tell him I have the potion for him. If that doesn’t work, you are going to have to take me into the forest to find him.” I looked up into Dragus’ eyes and saw a bit of blood in the corners.
“I don’t like that idea, Charity,” he growled.
“Don’t get all worked up. I haven’t thought this through yet. There’s still one more night before I need to try to connect with him. The last time he tried to connect with me I told him to meet me at my house in four nights. That would be tomorrow night.”
Kai stepped outside the room about that time and thankfully Dragus eased off the growling. She seemed nervous approachin
g us when she saw the look of Dragus’ eyes. “Pardon me, my lady. Have you decided how to proceed with Nikolas?”
“If he wants to shift, he needs to do it alone. Clear the room and have everyone outside the window,” Dragus interrupted. That got him an elbow to the side from me. Dragus groaned and pulled me along behind the witch.
Kai escorted everyone out of the room. Lydia and I stood in front of Brilliam and Dragus. Dragus kept his hands on the tops of my shoulders, as if to move me in a seconds notice. Kai stayed in the room until Nikolas was ready. Once she slipped out, Nikolas turned to face us.
He stood there with his hands out to his side. The muscles in his neck twitched at a fast pace. He inhaled deep and long. When he released his breath, he began to change. His hands turned into paws, slowly. Nikolas never cried out in pain as his body shifted into the animal.
Hair sprouted, in patches, all over his body and he fell down onto paws. His head tilted down toward his chest and when it came back up, a long pointy nose had formed. Nikolas shook his body like a dog would just out of a bath and when he did, fur exploded covering his new form. He was no bigger than a large canine. The only difference between him and a Lycanthrope were his eyes. The werewolf in the room looked at us with the same green colored eyes that Nikolas has as a vampire. They did not take on the strange yellow glow like the werewolves did. This was a good thing, because there was a distinct way to tell between a Lycanthrope and the shape shifters.
Nikolas did not become the animal I thought he would. He sat on his rear haunches just like a trained dog. He turned his head to the side, I think he was confused. I wanted so much to go in and touch him.
“Can I go in there now?” I asked Dragus.
“No, it’s not safe,” he whispered. I pulled away from him and leaned closer to the glass.
Kai walked over to the sliding door and stood in front of the sensor. When the glass slid open, Nikolas scooted further back from the entrance, giving her room to enter. He didn’t attempt to leave or attack, he just sat there waiting for Kai to come to him.
“Brock and William please go with Mistress Kai,” Dragus ordered. “Protect her.”
Brilliam entered the room slowly and stood very close to Kai as she assessed Nikolas. The werewolf huffed and turned his nose into Kai’s side. Nikolas closed his eyes and rubbed his muzzle on her leg. Kai let out a startled giggle. Brock placed a hand on her elbow and pulled her back a foot.
Nikolas stood up on his hind legs and huffed. His fur disappeared and he returned to his vampire form. That was the most magical and amazing thing I have ever seen. I know I was standing there with my mouth open so wide, I’m surprised bats didn’t fly out.
Chapter 13
Dragus
While Charity and Lydia were making their way around to see the other victims with Mistress Kai, I slipped away to go and speak with Nurse Alice. Brilliam, as Charity called the recruits, followed them as per my instructions. The very polite nurse was sitting at her desk, working over a new stack of patient’s charts. She looked up as I approached.
“Master Dragus,” she sighed. “Here to check on the patients?”
“I wanted to check on Richard Somers. Has he given you anymore problems?”
The look on her face already told me what I didn’t want to hear, but she said it anyway, “It’s getting worse and he is demanding we release him.”
“Has he been given the potion?” I asked.
“Yes sir, he has been cured, but holds the same ability as Krieger Nikolas now,” she grimaced. “And he’s still overly forward in his torment of my nurses.”
“I’m going to go check on him myself,” I insisted. Maybe he needed to be reminded of the proper way to act in the presence of a female. The reports I had seen from the guard says that he was rather disturbing in his advancements toward the nurses.
At the moment I turned the corner and laid my eyes on Charity, I felt her emotional distress. My chest tightened in response to her panic. She stood frozen in front of Richard Somers room. Lydia was trying to pull her away. I rushed to her side and grabbed her by the arm.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded. Charity cringed at my voice and jerked away from my touch. I looked in the room and saw that Richard staring at her intensely. He quickly stood up from the bed and started for the door. His face wore a smug smile that had me seeing red. When I turned back to look at Charity, she had bloody tears streaming down her face and in that second she turned and ran for the stairwell. Lydia gasped followed her quickly toward the exit.
“Where did she go?” Brock demanded, running up from behind me as I took off at a dead run.
“Stay here!” I yelled. “That man goes nowhere until I return!” I heard Brock’s steps falter then stop as I reached the stairs. I vaulted over the cold gray railing.
Thankfully this stairwell was squared off. I sailed down feeling the wind whoosh past me as I landed softly on the ground floor. My feet didn’t have time to absorb the impact before I was out the emergency exit, causing the alarm to sound. When I looked around, Charity was nowhere to be found.
I closed my eyes and reached out for her with my mind. My heart ached from the pain she was experiencing. She was running thru the shallow tree line that bordered Grayson Road. She was heading for the estate. I breathed a sigh of relief and took off for the Hummer. I jumped in and floored it, all the while wondering what had disturbed her about that man.
Charity was sitting on the edge of the bed crying. Lydia was trying to sooth her. It wasn’t helping. I took slow steps, keeping my hands out in front of me. The emotional pain radiating off of her was almost unbearable. I immediately sank down on my knees and placed my hands in her lap, “My love, what happened?”
“I…I can’t,” she murmured before she broke off into another round of tears. Her palms were covered in pink drops from where she’d been crying into her hands. Charity looked at Lydia with pleading eyes and then rolled away from me onto the bed. She curled herself into a ball and threw a pillow over her head.
I tried to crawl into the bed with her but stopped when she whimpered. Lydia grabbed me by the arm and pulled be away. “Dragus,” Lydia whispered, “don’t.” I looked between the two of them, aggravated they wouldn’t tell me what had happened.
“What the hell is going on?” I growled. Charity flinched and continued to cry. “Did Richard say something to you?” I got no answer from Charity, so I turned to Lydia.
“So that’s his name,” she grimaced. “That sorry piece of shit!”
“Lydia, please don’t,” Charity mumbled from under the pillow. Lydia bit her lip trying not to speak the words she was dying to say.
Nobody would tell me what was happening, so I resorted to reading her mind. Charity was using every bit of her power to block her thoughts. I couldn’t break through to even get a hint as to what was on her mind. The more they refused to talk, the angrier I became. “Stop blocking me!” I yelled. The walls vibrated. I didn’t care. My hands were shaking, fingers tingling, the hair on my head prickled and I saw red. I know my eyes had changed. I could feel the blood rush into them and my fangs shot out painfully fast.
“Get out!” Lydia growled. “Leave her alone.” She had the gall to become protective over Charity. Lydia’s eyes glowed crimson and she physically growled at me. I stood there shocked by her actions.
It was then that Charity slipped and I saw her thoughts all too clearly.
Richards face covered with sweat; his super-sized hand holding her wrists above her head, so she couldn’t fight back, as she begged him to stop; her unheard cries for help. The sound of him taking her blood and her body against her will was burned into her memories. Charity’s screams echoed through my mind.
“Charity?” I whispered. She removed the pillow and looked at me like a scared child. I walked slowly around the side of the bed. My mind quietly calculated the ways I could punish this animal for the things he had done. There was no punishment severe enough in the world to compensate for wh
at this man had done to her. I wanted to bathe in his blood; tear him limb from limb with my bare hands. My internal rage burned like acid through my veins as I approached her.
“Lydia, please leave,” Charity whispered.
“Are you sure?” Lydia asked.
Charity nodded and turned to look at me. She flinched back as she looked at my face. I had to blink and shake my head to clear the blood that had seeped into my eyes.
“I’m…I’m sorry Dragus,” she cried. “I can’t go back there.”
I debated on whether or not to touch her. She sat there looking at me like I was a life preserver just out of reach. Before I could speak, she launched herself onto my lap.
“Shh, I got you, love,” I whispered as I rocked her slowly. “I don’t want you to worry about a thing.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she whispered.
“Why not?” I asked.
“It hurts too badly,” she cried.
It was surprisingly hard to remain calm as I held her. The main thing I needed to do was to have a warrant issued for him. Granted, if this was only ten years prior, I wouldn’t need a government permit. All I would need was a sharpened stake. I have half a mind to bypass that little rule and sneak over to the hospital; kill him with my own hands.
Charity stiffened in my arms, “Are you mad at me? I feel your anger.”
“No mi amado, I would never be angry with you,” I whispered.
She didn’t speak much after that. I tucked her into the bed and left her to step out into the hallway. My first call was to Ashby.
“Dragus,” he answered on the first ring. Word had obviously gotten back to him about Charity’s reaction at the hospital. “What happened at the hospital?”
“I need an arrest warrant issued for Richard Somers. He is a patient at Sacred Heart.”
“That’s the one we have the guard posted for?” he asked, confused.
Blood & Roses: Warriors of the Krieger Page 21