Blood Pool

by B. Ella Donna

“Good. Go get him,” she said, putting on the booties, double gloves and mask.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Raven peered into the refrigerator at the small vials of vaccinations stored in a Rubbermaid container. On each lid was a label: Lamai, Fae, Siren, Empusas and Shifter. On another container, Human.

  She turned and noticed the short chest-like freezer with the biohazard symbol on it. That was where the virus lay dormant, like a demon frozen in time. She’d never worked with hot agents before. She really had no desire to do so now, either. But the choice was no longer hers. The universe had other plans for her, and what they were she wouldn’t even hazard a guess.

  What would possess a man to go to such measures? It couldn’t be for love. Love was nurturing and caring. Hate, on the other hand, destroyed people and lives, just like the virus in the freezer.

  The Lamai called. “Dr. Strigoi.”

  She headed into the makeshift hospital room. Mick had placed Laroque on the bed and closed the plastic curtain around him.

  “I need other supplies… a thermometer, and I need to check his blood pressure, too.”

  Mick, donned in scrubs and gloves, nodded and went into the kitchen. He soon returned with the required items.

  Raven approached Laroque. His skin was pale and he looked feverish. She placed the disposable sheath over the thermometer, slid the plastic tent open and began taking his temperature. While she waited, she instructed Mick to get the IVs ready.

  “In a former life, I was an ER nurse,” he said through the mask.

  She studied his face. He was a handsome man with caramel-colored skin and deep sable eyes. “Present time or past life?” Raven asked.

  Mick’s eyes squinted, indicating a smile. “Two years ago. In Boston General. Before that I was in Atlanta for six years.”

  Looking at the thermometer, she frowned. “Well, I suppose that’s why Laroque chose you.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Can you stop with the ma’am, please? You’re making me feel old.” She attempted a smile, but it just wasn’t there.

  He wore a sheepish expression. “Yes, ma—Doc.”

  She said with a sigh, “Better. Okay, Mick, let’s get those IV fluids in him. He’s got a temp and is dehydrated. I want you to use a peripheral IV line, eighteen-gauge with a hep-lock. We’re not administering any Heparin, but in case I need to flush the line I want that accessible. Do you know if he tried to administer any of the vaccines to himself?”

  “Not as far as I know.” Mick worked swiftly for a man of his immense size. He gently inserted the needle into Laroque’s arm and adjusted the drip.

  Laroque opened his eyes and looked at Raven. She knew he was thanking her and perhaps apologizing at the same time. She was still angry with him for what he had done to Bo and would never forgive him for that. Ever.

  But seeing him so weak and learning of how circumstances and lies had framed his life, she couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit sorry for him. But only the tiniest bit. She attributed this newfound compassion to her recently acquired humanness.

  Although Raven was no longer Lamai, she still carried the blood memories of drinking from her sister. Raven saw what a loving father he was and that he cried almost every night over a photo of Nicolette, how torn he was over his love for his daughter and the woman he could never quite possess, and his consuming hatred for the man he thought caused all his grief. All the betrayals he endured throughout his life by his own family, the woman he loved, a man who claimed to be his friend and now his daughter. Raven could see why he mourned.

  She refocused on her task ahead. “I’ll need a place to work and a microscope, perhaps?”

  Mick pointed to the dining room. In the corner was a mini lab. “What else might you need?” he asked above the sudden return of thunder.

  She placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, “A telephone.”

  Laroque shook his head. Lightning flashed.

  “I kind of figured. My chances of helping you would be greatly increased at the hospital.”

  He continued shaking his head. “Jade…” he whispered in a gravelly voice.

  Raven checked the drip on the IV. “I won’t let her come anywhere close to you unless she’s geared up.”

  The winds began to howl. Raven thought she heard Bo amidst the roars. She wished she could see him again. She missed him terribly, but she couldn’t think of that now. If she ever hoped to see him again, she had to keep this man alive. How ironic.

  “No, forget Jade.”

  “I have friends who are virologists and epidemiologists. I’d at least have some people to bounce ideas off of. Don’t you watch TV? You know the show House?” Raven was desperate to get him to drop his guard.

  She could see he was trying to raise his arm. “I have all…the information…you need.” He looked over to his laptop.

  “I get it. Dr. House is your idol. Not lacking in the self-confidence department, I see.”

  “Smartass…like…Nicolette.” He was obviously in dire pain.

  “Yes, so I’ve been told. Suit yourself,” she said to Mick. “I need you to draw some blood so we can see what we’ve got cooking.” Thunder cracked as if to emphasize the point.

  “The Empusas delegates are arriving from the mainland in a half-hour,” Solaris told Bo.

  He shrugged. “Good luck. I’m out of here. I’ve got a plane taking me to the mainland and then I’m heading to Logan airport.”

  She straightened the bar, filling the dishes with nuts and pretzels then took inventory of what she would need for the coming evening. “You’re going to Haiti?” she asked.

  “Yes. And no cracks about chasing my tail or any other canine jokes. I’m going to Haiti. I can’t sit here and do nothing. I’ve been going out of my mind. Tobias won’t—or can’t—take me to see Rhia since she’s allergic to dogs, or some bullshit. So I’m going to Haiti to see if I can find Raven myself. The wolf in me is a good tracker. Might as well take advantage of it. I’ve hung around here long enough. I need to do something constructive. I need to find her.”

  Solaris could see her friend was in pain. He was hurting and missing the woman he loved. His pride was eating away at him, too. “There’s a tropical storm heading straight for that area, Bo. You may not get a flight.”

  Bo grabbed a handful of pretzels. “We’re flying in to Miami first, and if I can’t get to Haiti I’ll deal with it then. I’ll swim if I have to.” He tossed a pretzel in his mouth.

  “Be careful. Last I heard the storm was gaining strength. Wait a minute—we?” Solaris’s eyes widening.

  Running his hands through his ebony hair, he headed for the door. “I couldn’t talk Jade out of coming. Apparently she wants to make up for her role in this whole mess, even though I tried to explain to her she’s innocent. She claims her mother comes to her a lot in dreams now that she’s Lamai and told her to accompany me. Does that make sense? All I know about is hunting and protecting those I love. I have instincts, not intuition.”

  “I haven’t had a vision of Nicolette in a while, either. I guess it’s possible. Tobias is a very private person and he doesn’t share his experiences with anyone. I have to believe, though, that he does at least dream of Nicolette. He told me one aspect of the immortal curse is that he can’t speak with the dead. I don’t know what’s kept him going all this time. He could, after all, give his soul to Hekate and be done with it. There’s got to be more to this whole situation than he’s shared with us.”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty tight lipped about a lot of things.” Walking out, he said, “Good luck with the emissaries from Greece.”

  Sol noted how sad Bo looked. His heart was breaking, and she guessed he felt helpless to do anything about it. He was right about Rhia, though. Rhia did not like any beings but her own kind. She tolerated some humans, but that was the extent of her graciousness.

  Tobias made the trek alone.

  He could travel faster transforming into mist. He would be in Rethymno, Gr
eece, by late afternoon.

  The city of Rethymno was on the Greek island of Crete. The plethora of charms and beauties that characterized Crete astonished Tobias every time he visited. With its white sandy beaches and magnificent architecture, it had become one of his favorite places. Not to mention the island held special memories for him.

  For some odd reason it was comforting to be on the island. He’d thought he might become morose every time he had to make the journey, but it was like coming home. The island of Crete was where he’d first set eyes on Nicolette.

  Only she wasn’t Nicolette then. She was Helen. And he wasn’t Tobias. It had been approximately 1200 BC.

  The skies were darkening when Tobias emerged from the mists in Rethymno, on the northern side of Crete. No wonder Rhia chose to live here. It was magnificent.

  He breathed in the sea air, which was unlike the air on Mirabelle Cove. It seemed lighter here. Everything appeared more vibrant—the waters bluer, the foliage greener and the beaches whiter.

  Tobias headed for the old section of town, the ancient section where he knew he would find Queen Rhia.

  She didn’t do much these days. She didn’t have to. Welcoming a few loyal Lamai each day was the extent of her duties. As the oldest Lamai, she was truly immortal. Her body, like steel covered with pale porcelain, could never be wounded. For thousands of years she’d lived out her vengeance for what her family suffered. These days she chose to simply enjoy her surroundings with her loved ones. Not all of her ancestors survived, but a few nieces and their offspring had, down through the generations.

  Tobias walked along stone-paved streets lined with vegetation leading him through his journey to see the primeval Queen. The town still preserved its old aristocratic exterior, which appealed to him. Its ancient buildings with their rustic domed archways and stone staircases, overlooking the Venetian harbor, brought back many memories. Not all were good. Outdoor cafés, stores and restaurants altered the landscape slightly, but in Tobias’s mind, he saw the old city the way it had been: regal.

  He walked through a labyrinth of neatly sculpted hedges along with marble statues of Rhia’s husband and children strategically placed at the four compass points. He bowed his head as he approached.

  “Tobias, come. Have a glass of wine.” Her voice was unmistakable. It echoed, giving it the tenor of something hollow. Of course her lips never moved, either, but the sound reverberated outside his mind.

  The Lamai smiled, feeling as hollow as Rhia’s voice sounded. “Thank you, Rhia.” He accepted the glass of wine, for rejecting it would be an insult. One did not insult Rhia, unless you wished for death.

  For some unknown reason, Rhia had a soft spot for Tobias. Some family members confided to him it was because he looked so much like her beloved with his dark, smoldering good looks and eyes the color of polished silver. He simply chalked it up to showing her the respect she deserved.

  He knew she bestowed him a rare smile, though it was more an etheric one. “You are here because of your daughter?” she asked without speaking.

  “For her and another reason…”

  Large, cobalt blue eyes stared at him. They changed with her moods. Beware if she stared with black eyes. “Ah, yes, there’s that twinkle in your eyes. Every now and then, you come back with the same question. Hekate still refuses to cooperate?”

  Tobias handed her a solid gold bracelet. Though she had told Tobias long ago it wasn’t required of him to bring her gifts, he did anyway. “She doesn’t like to discuss that part of the wheel of life.” Tobias sipped the fruity wine.

  She took the gift and gave a slight nod in appreciation. “Yes, she was always a little selfish.”

  Tobias sat next to the queen. “I have asked another woman to marry me.”

  Rhia looked at him with a golden gaze through auburn lashes, waiting for Tobias to finish.

  “And I don’t know if that was the right thing to do. I feel as if I’m betraying Nicolette.”

  “A little late for second thoughts.” Rhia smiled tenderly. “What did this woman say?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you love her?” she asked, leaning toward Tobias. Her body was as hard as marble underneath her satin tunic, yet her movements remained fluid.

  “Yes, but not…”

  Rhia’s face appeared to soften. She could appear twenty years old, or twenty thousand, mummified and skeletal. “I know, my child. It is never as it was with Nicolette, but you proposed. You are a man of your word, yes?”

  “Yes, and I do adore Emerald.”

  “And in the marriage contract it states when your destined love enters the earth plane again you may go to her and the current marriage is dissolved.” She paused for a moment. “Why did you propose?”

  Rhia asked questions though she already knew the answers. It was rare when she didn’t know the information asked of her. But it did happen.

  Tobias stared off into the distance, breathing in the salty sea air, remembering another time and place. “Emerald wants it desperately. I am content for things to remain the way they are, but she deserves more.”

  Rhia’s voice vibrated through Tobias’s being. “What she deserves, you cannot give her.”

  Tobias looked into his queen’s soft green eyes. She was right. He couldn’t give Emerald the love she wanted, and she wasn’t the first woman to want his love. There had been many others in his past, but only one for him. He knew he was only making the situation harder for both him and his partner. It was the loneliness that coaxed him. Like a demon demanding its due, loneliness taunted him to seek companionship. The voice whispered to his mind, reminding him of how the warmth of another’s body could make the days pass more quickly.

  Rhia reached out to touch Tobias’s hand. Hers was cold as winter’s snow. “Don’t worry. Your beloved is still waiting to be born again. She has to see things through with her daughters first. Then she will start the wheel of life again, and you will find her. You always find her.”

  He looked into her sea foam-green eyes. “Where is Raven?”

  “I’m sorry, Tobias, but that information is hidden, even from me. I can tell you, you will find your Nicolette on the other coast of the United States, near the state of Washington. But you have time for that.”

  He finished the wine. “Yes. All I have is time.”

  “And family. All is not lost.” When Rhia sighed, it sounded like the winds howling through the trees. “Follow the heart, Tobias. The heart knows more than the mind ever could.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The plane touched down at Miami International Airport at 6:45 p.m. It was the last plane allowed to land that day. The storm, predicted to develop into a category-one hurricane by nightfall, did not disappoint the local meteorologists.

  Jade slept during most of the flight, but Bo was as restless as a caged animal, which was precisely how he felt. The wolf wanted out.

  He hated flying. But he had managed to doze off for a little while—at least long enough to dream of Raven.

  They were on a secluded island, just the two of them. The sun was languidly settling into the tropical waters. Palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze, and a fire blazed in a hole he had dug out of the ground. A blanket spread out before them on the pristine sand, and a bottle of wine rested in a crystal ice bucket.

  Raven’s eyes were the blue-green hazel of human irises, her skin a tawny color and her cheeks flushed with youth. She licked her lips before taking a sip and swallowing the wine.

  Gods, he loved those lips. Soft and full, they felt luscious wrapped around his sex. And he wanted nothing more than to tear her panties off and show her his lust—and express the love within his heart.

  He was patient, though. Despite the discomfort caused by the bulge in his jeans, he waited and sipped his own glass of wine. His gaze rushed over her as she sat on the blanket, wearing almost the identical outfit as she had the first night they’d met so long ago—on May Day Eve.

  Only this dress was black as
night and it was much more translucent—so much so that he could see her taut nipples through the fabric, begging to be touched.

  Raven didn’t speak.

  She just stared at the water and breathed in the heavily scented air. Her chest rose and fell with each inhalation. He knew those aromas, the jasmine, bougainvillea and the frangipani. Clouds were heading to the east as if a storm had cleared. She turned and looked at him. Her lips seemed to be inviting him to kiss her. She sat on her knees and faced him, placing her hands on his cheeks. The heat between Bo and Raven burned with a palpable ferocity.

  “I love you.” Her mouth formed the words, but he could not hear.

  He kissed her, just to make certain she was still there and not a vision. He felt her as she kissed back. Their lips parted and tongues swirled. She went limp in his arms, and as she leaned back he caught her, cradling her in his embrace.

  She pressed her body closer, grasping at his shirt, tugging and pulling, trying to remove it. He sat back and peeled it off, revealing his rippling muscles and slender waist. He took her hand and placed it between his legs, rubbing the center of his longing.

  She unfastened his jeans, bringing her arms together as her dress slipped down around her shoulders. Her breasts peeked out of the silky fabric, and Bo reached to taunt, tease and stroke them. She let out a soft moan, and it catapulted him to a still deeper level of yearning.

  He guided her down onto the blanket.

  His lips followed his hands as he traversed the valley between her bosom, up and around the soft rise of her breasts and down her belly to her sacred mound. Her back arched as his tongue stroked the soft folds of her skin, driving her over the edge. He heard her fight to catch her breath.

  Grasping at the blanket beneath her, she let out a whimper as he lifted her to get a better taste of her sweet juices. She was exquisite—he could not get enough of her, and it appeared she could not get her fill of him.

  Riding the crest of her climax, she cried out to him, begging him to slip inside her.