Blood Pool

by B. Ella Donna

  Raven felt her skin growing colder. That was not how things had transpired and Raven knew it, somehow she could scent the lies. She looked around, tuning in psychically to see if there was anyone who fit Laroque’s description, but no one felt unfamiliar.

  Screeching sirens filled the night air while wisps of clouds blocked the moon’s light.

  “Can I go now?” the young woman impatiently asked.

  “No, you can’t go now. This man’s a cop, and we need a statement from you,” Joe tersely responded.

  “Coming through!” the EMTs warned as the crowd parted.

  “What happened?” Solaris’s familiar voice called from behind the crowd. “Oh. My. Gods. Raven. What happened to Bo?”

  Raven moved away on unsteady legs to make room for the medics. “I don’t know, Sol. When I got here, Bo was unconscious. According to this young woman, he saved her from an unknown assailant.” She was barely holding her emotions at bay as she looked at her beloved.

  Solaris placed a strong, reassuring arm around Raven’s shoulder. Sol’s body stiffened as she recognized that it was Raven’s half-sister standing in the midst of the crowd. As the EMTs lifted Bo onto the stretcher, Raven broke away from Sol and stormed over to Jade.

  She inhaled deeply. “I know who you are, and if I find out you had anything to do with this man’s condition, you’ll be sorry you ever set foot on this island.” Raven finished with a crooked smile, revealing her extended incisors. “Do we understand each other?”

  Jade swallowed hard. “Yes.”

  “Sister or not, I’ll find you.”

  The young woman just nodded in silence.

  Raven spun around. “I want a sample of whatever this substance is around the nose and mouth,” she directed the paramedics.

  “Come with me, miss,” Joe interrupted.

  “It’s Laroque, Jade Laroque,” Jade answered.

  “Let’s go, Raven. You ride in the ambulance with Bo,” Sol instructed. “Give me your keys. I’ll drive your car and leave it at the hospital.”

  Raven followed, quickly handing Sol her keys. She looked over her shoulder and noticed Jade’s eyes were downcast, a frown tugging at her mouth.

  Raven sat next to Bo in the ambulance. “His pressure is dropping,” she frantically called to Steve, one of the EMTs. “Can you push those fluids faster?”

  “Dr. Strigoi, we’re doing all we can. His temperature’s up. Is he allergic to any medications?”

  Raven felt the ambulance swerve around the corner. “Not as far as I know. He has always been healthy. I-I’ve never seen him ill.”

  Steve lifted Bo’s sleeve to take another blood pressure reading. Raven noticed a red mark on his bicep.

  It was a tiny puncture, just like the one on Derrick’s arm.

  The ambulance careened to the ER entrance, finally coming to a halt. Raven jumped out of the ambulance as soon as the doors opened. She was in doctor mode now. She had to be. It took all the willpower she had to suppress the emotions that kept bubbling to the surface. Fear and anger meshed together, becoming a symbiotic energy that threatened to fully transform her from human to Lamai. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Not until she knew Bo was out of danger.

  “I want a full blood work-up, tox included—and check for Tetradotoxin!” she barked to the staff as they wheeled Bo into an exam room. “Get me an EKG, CAT scan and an ultrasound, stat!”

  The EMTs had already checked his pupils, but Raven checked them again. They were slightly dilated, the iris a golden color. It was as if his wolf counterpart was trying to emerge to facilitate his healing.

  Raven whispered into his ear, “Can you hear me, Boo?”

  There was no response. The nurses worked quickly, getting Bo undressed and into a hospital gown.

  The entire ER staff at Seacrest Hospital was familiar with the magickal community. A majority of the staff were some variation of supernatural being.

  The doors swung open and Tracy rushed in, throwing her bag onto an empty chair. “I came as soon as I heard. What exactly happened?”

  “I’m afraid he’s somehow become infected,” Raven said, walking over to reveal the puncture mark on his arm. “There was news of a woman fitting my sister’s description seen at the festival, and Bo went to check it out.” Raven ran her hands up and down her arms. Tracy looked confused. “It’s a long story. Jade’s got to be involved. My sister had to be the bait. Bo was protecting her from an unknown assailant, and he was stuck. I bet the blood of one of the missing DBs has infected him.”

  Tracy stepped closer to Raven. “Infected him? How? With what?”

  Raven tried to mask the fear she bottled up inside. “I’m not a hundred percent certain. Some type of virus.”

  “Raven, in the twelve years I’ve known you, you’ve never had this look of unmitigated fear. Until now.”

  “I’m scared, Tracy. This is serious shit.” Raven paced as her mind raced, thinking of different scenarios that might possibly be playing out. “It’s some kind of virus. I don’t even want to say what it might be, but if it is what I think it is…let’s just say we’re royally screwed. Bo needs to be quarantined until we know for certain.”

  “What? Tell me what you think it is.”

  “Some altered strain of Ebola,” Raven answered in a whisper.

  One of the nurses abruptly backed away from the IV in Bo’s arm. She reported to Raven, “Dr. Odin is on tonight. He should be in here any second. I saw him looking over Bo’s chart.”

  “Thanks, Maureen. You’ll be staying with him?”

  Maureen nodded. “Yes, I won’t leave unless the doctor or another nurse arrives. Not to worry. Should I gear up, Dr. Strigoi?”

  Raven gave her a weak smile. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

  Maureen was visibly nervous. “B-but I thought I heard you say…”

  “Believe it or not, this strain of Ebola has been genetically altered. It’s a recombinant virus, which means it’s been genetically changed in a lab. The preliminary reports show it doesn’t affect humans. You are still human, right?” Raven tried to soften her tone. Maureen was married to a Lamai.

  “Of course. Jack wouldn’t…”

  Tracy’s voice was quiet yet confident. “Don’t worry. You’ll be okay.” She kept moving out of the way of the nurses.

  Raven placed her hand reassuringly on Maureen’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. That was a poor attempt at humor.”

  Maureen gave a slight smile. “I’ll get Dr. Odin.”

  Raven understood the implications. Bo could not be under her care, at least not on paper. She had privileges at the hospital, but only in her capacity as the M.E. For the sake of appearances and hospital protocol, Dr. Ian Odin would look after Bo. But Raven would have a say in his treatment as well.

  “Has anyone notified Bo’s family?” Dr. Odin bellowed, bursting through the doors of the exam room. His white, shoulder-length hair flew in all directions, in direct opposition to his meticulously trimmed beard. “I want blood matches from his whole family. I know his grandfather shares his blood type. Let’s get Mat in here. I want a tox work-up on this white substance that’s covering his face.”

  “I already had the EMTs get a sample,” Raven said, double-checking with Tracy.

  “Yes, we have it.”

  Ian motioned with his hands for things to speed up. “Maureen, get that powder off his face now.”

  “Bo’s partner should be on his way with Matoskah. Bo’s parents are out west visiting his sisters. Joe is calling them as well,” Raven said, gently stroking Bo’s cheek. He felt warmer than before.

  Raven moved out of Maureen’s way so the nurse could clean off Bo’s face. “Is he getting a broad spectrum antibiotic?” she asked, knowing deep down it wouldn’t matter in the least.

  Dr. Odin came over and took Bo’s vitals again. “Yes. Why don’t you go down to the lab and check on his results?”

  Raven stalled, not wanting to leave. “Do you know how Mordred is doing? Ar
e the transfusions helping him?”

  “I don’t know. Last I heard, he was stable,” Ian said, updating the chart. “His temp’s one-oh-two. Bo usually runs a temp of one-hundred, correct, Raven?”

  Tracy offered, “I’ll stay with him.”

  Raven kissed Bo’s face. It was warm. “Yes, Ian, usually. I’ll be in the lab. Page me immediately if there are any changes.” Raven wanted to be sure before she confided to Dr. Odin her suspicions concerning the virus.

  “Of course, of course,” the white-haired doctor chided.

  She walked out into the hall, directly into Tobias. “Raven, how is he? What happened?”

  For some reason, at the sound of her father’s voice, she broke down. A profusion of tears fell from her eyes. Floodgates opened and fear nestled within her heart. “I don’t exactly know. I-I think Jade had something to do with this. She w-was there. He must have been infected. There’s the identical puncture m-mark on his arm, same as the others, and h-he’s unconscious. There was white powder on his face.”

  Tobias hugged her, and she melted in the safety of his arms. “I’ve been doing some research of my own while I’ve been in town. I think I have someone who may be able to help.” He held her at arms length for a moment. “You must be strong now, dulciuri inimă. Who is Bo’s doctor?”

  Raven wiped the tears from her face, forcing them to cease. As much as she wanted to curl up into a tight ball and become a little girl again, her father was right. There would be plenty of time for crying later. “Master Wizard and Chief of Staff Ian Odin.”

  Tobias gave Raven another hug before releasing her. “Good. He knows almost all there is to know about what we’re up against.”

  “I’m not so certain about that. I received another call from my colleague, Dr. Kronberg, in San Francisco. It seems that Laroque’s been experimenting with viruses, particularly Ebola.” Raven knew she had to focus. Bo’s life depended on her ability to solve this medical mystery.

  Her father smirked. “I would ask how he was able to get his hands on Ebola, but, knowing Laroque, it must have involved magick.”

  “Stay with Bo until I get back?” she asked.

  He brushed his hand across her cheek, wiping away a rogue tear. “Of course. Emerald is upstairs checking on Mordred. When you get back, I’m going to call in a few favors.”

  Raven nodded and turned toward the lab.

  “Tell me again why we have to do this?” Jade asked the man in the shadows. The only light came from the flames in the hearth that created streams of shadows and illumination.

  He stepped into the light. His chestnut hair was streaked with white at the temples, his eyes the color of brandy. Not overtly handsome, he was attractive in a rugged and dangerous way. His aura hinted of both as did his manner and appearance.

  “Because you made me promise not to hurt her,” Laroque said to his daughter. Purposely his voice remained level, void of any trace of anger.

  “I don’t want things to be this way, père,” she pleaded as she stood before him, the warmth of the fire at her back.

  “Now that you’ve seen her, you have a change of heart?” He spoke softly to his daughter. Taking a cigar out of his humidor, he lit it.

  He, to this day, could not get over the striking resemblance she bore to her mother. At some moments, when his guard was down, he could almost feel Nicolette’s presence. The tone of Jade’s voice, the color of her hair and the glint in her eyes all echoed Nicolette.

  Jade fanned the smoky air in front of her. “Raven’s my family. No matter how much you hate Tobias, she is still my sister.”

  He reined in his frustration. “I explained all of this to you. I can’t touch Tobias. The only way to get to him is through his family. You begged me not to harm Raven. What else can I do but go after the man she loves?” He poured a cup of tea from an antique china pot.

  Jade frowned. “Yes, I remember all that.” She turned away and stared into the flames.

  Laroque walked over to his daughter. “Tobias took your mother away from us. He made her feel incredibly guilty over what happened, he never let up on her and he drove her to suicide.” He felt the muscles in his neck strain as he tried to keep his voice in check. He put his hand on her shoulder, but she moved away, toward the sofa opposite the fireplace.

  Jade sat. “How do you know that?”

  “Because I know Tobias!” Laroque slammed the delicate china cup against the desktop, causing it to splinter into tiny fragments. Jade pushed him too far. Every conversation that included mention of her mother and Tobias ended the same way. Laroque stormed over to the opposite end of the room in a fury. An archway separated him from his daughter. He stood in his office.

  He sensed Jade’s apprehension. Ever since she’d seen her sister, she’d had mixed emotions about everything. Laroque could read his daughter and knew Jade began to question the whole situation after observing Raven and Tobias together at the festival. The ancient Lamai appeared to care deeply about his daughter. Laroque was aware of Jade’s propensity to empathize with others.

  Why would Tobias take Raven’s mother away from her? Jade had asked her father that question numerous times. And he patiently explained that was exactly what happened. It did not make sense to her, though. Jade pointed out that the dark-haired vampire loved Nicolette as much as her own father did. That enraged him, but he hid his emotions well.

  She followed her father into his private office.

  “The police know you’re here.”

  “So?” Laroque had calmed down. “I had no intention of keeping my presence here a secret.” He tried to keep an aura of power and strength around him. But in his daughter’s company, he softened. Jade, as her mother before her, had that effect on him. It was as if they had the secret code to his heart and knew exactly how to open it.

  Not only did Jade inherit her mother’s good looks, she also had her gift of psychic intuition. “It’s a matter of time before they piece this all together. I don’t want to lose you, too!” she cried.

  “You won’t lose me, ma précieuse,” he reassured her.

  Jade walked to her father and settled into his arms. He hugged her tightly.

  “I just wish you could let this go,” she said.

  “I know you do, but I cannot… He not only took your mother from me, he took you for the first four years of your life and let that lawyer’s sister raise you. If I hadn’t found you, you would never have known the truth. You would never have known about me. That I cannot forgive.” He guided his daughter to his leather chair and sat her down. Silently, he walked to the fireplace and stoked the fire back to roaring flames.

  “You promise you’re not going to hurt them—not Frank and Deidre?” She looked plaintively at him.

  “I promise. I have some business I have to attend to. I’ll be back in a little while.”

  “His blood work is back. He’s unconscious due to the Tetradotoxin.” Raven stood next to Bo once more as she shared the results from the blood panel with Tracy.

  “Due to the fact that Bo is a shape shifter, his blood differs from Derrick’s. He is infected, though. Something is going on. I may have to wait a while until this new strain of virus incubates. I don’t know how this is going to affect him. He’s not like the others. He’s consumed my blood. That will either help him, or kill him.”

  “His temperature is the same. I suppose it’s a good sign that it hasn’t elevated,” Tracy remarked. “I can do some more lab work, if you like. If there’s anything to be found I’ll find it. I’ll start ELISA testing and PCR.”

  “Already on it. You could try virus isolation.”

  “You got it.”

  Raven pulled a chair over to Bo’s bedside. “That would be great, thanks, Trace. I saw Mat and Joe arrive. Mat’s going to give blood and we’ll start the transfusions. Where is Dr. Odin?”

  “Your father came by with Nathaniel, Dr. Odin’s brother. I think they’re brainstorming. I didn’t know Nat is an M.D., with extensive experien
ce in hematology and immunology…of both the magickal and medical persuasions.” Tracy winked and headed to the door trying somehow to put her boss’s mind at ease.

  “That must be the favor my father was calling in—Nathaniel.”

  Sitting next to Bo, Raven tried desperately to reach him. They were always able to communicate without words, but this time he wasn’t responding. For the first time she feared she might lose him. Forever.

  She knew of only one way to help him and that was to find Jade. She was the key to this whole mystery, and if Raven could enlist her aid, then maybe he would have a fighting chance.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I’m able, meu dragoste.” She leaned over and kissed his lips. He lay there unmoving. Her heart fractured into tiny pieces. She couldn’t lose him.

  “Maureen, they know how to get in touch with me. I’ve got to try to find whoever did this to Bo and the others.”

  Maureen nodded with a sad smile. “Be careful,” was all she said.

  The festivities had ended for the night. It was approaching two a.m. Raven stood at the Three Maidens Marina dock waiting for Caleb Gosling, an old family friend. Uncle Caleb, as she called him, used to take her fishing when she was a little girl. So when Raven called and asked him to borrow a boat, he simply asked, “Where and when do you want to meet?”

  Raven knew she could count on him.

  “You headed far?” Caleb asked, wiping the sleep from his denim blue eyes as he walked toward her.

  He handed a set of keys to Raven. Caleb was one of the few humans on the island whom she trusted.

  “No, not very far. Thanks, Uncle Caleb.”

  Untying the line around the cleat, he asked, “You’re going alone? That detective going with you?”

  “No, I’m going alone.” She hopped into the twenty-five-foot Boston Whaler, tossing her bag onto the passenger seat.

  He hurled the rope to her. “I don’t suppose you’d tell me what you’re up to?”

  Raven laughed. “You know me too well. No, Uncle, I wouldn’t tell, but I’ll be all right.” Despite her laughter, worry lines creased around her eyes.