Viktor sagged against a pole then leaped away from it. “Ice, very cold. Be careful not to touch it with your bare hands, Madame. And thank you. I cannot tell you how relieved I am.” He straightened his tie then smiled. “They asked if we had rooms available. I didn’t admit anything, afraid it would not please you. Shall I go check now?”
“I believe Mr. Blade has reserved two suites for them. Hopefully they are already available.” I patted his shoulder. “They should have checked at the front desk instead of scaring you to death. I will have a sharp word with them about that. Will you go see about getting their keys? One room is under the name MacDonald, Dr. Ian MacDonald, and the other is for Richard Mainwaring, a suite for two people—the Italian lady and her husband.”
“Excellent, Madame. I will bring the keys to your room in a matter of moments if the rooms are ready and see about their luggage. They walked in here without it. You can see why that concerned me.” Viktor bowed and moved off toward the check-in desk.
I hurried down the hall toward our room. How had they arrived so quickly? They must have gone straight to the airport after Jerry’s call. Amazing since Flo usually took forever to pack. I was touched by their speed and really glad to have reinforcements.
When I used my key card to let myself into the room, I braced myself. Good thing. Flo rushed me, hugging me to her petite frame and almost squeezing the life out of me. My little buddy is stronger than she looks.
“Amica! What’s going on here? Your room seems as if teppisti came and tore it apart. Have you been robbed? You must check your jewelry first.” Flo held me back and looked me over. “Your hair looks as if you’ve been in a wind storm. Sit. Tell us everything.”
I needed to sit but took a moment to hug both of the men before I collapsed. I didn’t know what teppisti meant, probably bad guys. But the room didn’t look so bad now. Obviously Ian and Richard had lifted the mattress back onto its platform and thrown the bedspread back on top of it. All of them had been busy since the drawers were back in their places.
“I didn’t bring any good jewelry, Flo, so you can relax on that score. Just my ring which I never take off.” I waved my wonderful wedding set in front of her. “Viktor, the bellman someone gave a big tip to, told me the room was torn apart. I guess Fredrick sent men here to look for his device.” I took the brush Flo handed me and ran it through my hair. “Thanks, pal.”
“It is what we do for each other, am I right?” She frowned at me. “Is that a feather in your hair?” She plucked it out. “Yes, it is. Obviously you have much to tell us. We tried to call you but got voice mail. Your phone must be turned off.”
“Yes. We had to shift and you know you can’t risk a ringing phone when you’re doing that.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned it on. No message from Jerry or Gretchen. Well, of course not Gretchen. She’d have to buy a burner phone first. No unknown calls either. Or texts. I shook my head then inhaled. No recent sign of Jerry. Okay, that was good. So he hadn’t beaten me back here only to be kidnapped by Fredrick’s thugs. I blinked back sudden tears. I couldn’t melt down now.
“Take a moment, Gloriana, and then tell us what happened.” Richard could always calm me down. The former priest had a way of getting to the heart of matters. He gave Flo a look and she quit fluttering around me and sat beside me to hold my hand.
I took a breath, squeezed Flo’s hand, and then gave them the details about our adventures on Birka. The television was on, the volume low. I had no idea if any of them spoke Swedish but I could see a news recap of the night’s excitement on Birka being shown.
“They’re talking about a break-in at the museum on TV. So that was you.” Ian pulled up a chair across from the bench where I sat in front of the fire. He looked into my eyes, obviously in doctor mode. “Richard and I speak Swedish.”
“Of course you do. I’m surprised you don’t, Flo.” I seemed to be the only vampire on the planet who didn’t have an ear for languages.
“Pah. Of course I don’t. I love the romantic languages. Italian, Spanish, Portuguese. They are music to my ears. I struggled to master English but it is used so widely, I had to do it.” She waved her hand. “Tell us more about what happened on this island.”
“Yes. Well,” I was finally warm but still appreciated it when Richard laid a blanket over my shoulders. “Thanks. I think Jerry told you we went there to try to find the Viking’s treasure.” I shook my head, still not believing that Gretchen hadn’t told me their outcome. “I don’t know if Gunnar got out with it or not, but we did find the cave where he hid it centuries ago.”
“Amazing.” Richard glanced at the television. “I guess that wrecked boat was yours too.”
“Yes. We had to abandon it and shift into birds to escape Fredrick’s sharpshooters. We flew off in four different directions. Jerry’s supposed to meet me here.” I checked the clock. We had about an hour before dawn. “I expect him any minute.”
“They shot at you? Did any of you get hit?” Ian picked up my wrist as if to take my pulse. Stupid since vampires barely have one. “You aren’t hurt, are you?”
“Ever the doctor.” I snatched my hand away. “No, we all moved pretty fast. Then mingled with real birds. I don’t think the shooters managed to hit anyone.” I stood, suddenly alert. “Jerry’s here.” I ran to throw open the door to the hall. “Oh, my God!” The smell of my husband’s blood hit me hard and I grabbed him when he almost fell into the room.
“Guess the assholes were better shots than we gave them credit for.” Jerry staggered against me, clutching his stomach. Blood covered his hand and had soaked through his sweater and coat.
“Let me, Gloriana.” Richard gently shoved me out of the way, helping Jerry into the room. “What the hell, Jeremiah? Didn’t you stop to drink from a mortal?”
“Yes.” Jerry groaned when Richard and I eased his coat off of his shoulders. “Didn’t help. Wooden bullets. Asshole sells to vampire hunters.”
“Son of a bitch!” Ian grabbed Jerry’s other arm and helped Richard get Jerry to the bed. “The man uses those against his own kind?”
“Yes. He bragged about it.” I tugged off Jerry’s boots. God, he looked so pale when he collapsed against the pillows, his eyes closed. “Jerry?”
“Hurts like a son of a bitch.” Jerry slapped at Ian’s hand when he started to lift his sweater. “Get away from me, MacDonald.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Ian gently eased me out of the way and moved to the side of the bed. “Let me take a look.”
Jerry opened one eye. “I’ll be all right. Glory, toss me a bottle of synthetic.”
“No. Ignore him, Glory. You need fresh blood, not that synthetic shit.” Ian lifted Jerry’s sweater and sucked in a breath. “This is serious. The way this is bleeding it’s clear there’s a bullet still in there. It has to come out.”
“He should drink from me.” I offered my wrist.
“You’re exhausted. I don’t think that’s wise.” Ian held up his hand when I moved closer to Jerry.
“I can give him blood.” Richard spoke up.
“So can I, amica. We would be happy to help you, Jeremiah.” Flo dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.
“Very generous. But vampire blood may not be the best remedy here.” Ian grabbed a black case that he’d obviously brought with him from beside the door. “I’ve been doing research on this lately—the effects of drinking human blood versus drinking vampire blood on the healing process. We need to bring in a mortal. There’s something in the blood chemistry from a living human being that can be more effective.”
“He’s healed just fine before after drinking from me.” I didn’t want to think about Ian’s “research”. I had visions of the doctor slashing some poor vampire with a knife, and then calmly timing the healing process while he watched.
“I’m sure he did. But this is a serious wound, deep and festering already from the wood. He needs to heal as quickly as possible. Fresh blood from a mortal will speed up things. First,
of course, I’ve got to get that bullet out. You don’t want the wound to close with the bullet inside. Clearly it’s a special wood and it’s poisoning his system.” Ian began pulling instruments out of his case. He handed me a pair of scissors. “Cut off his sweater. Mainwaring, help her strip him.”
Richard did more than that, ripping away the bedspread and efficiently taking the scissors out of my shaking hands. “Gloriana, you and Florence get some towels from the bathroom and find something that will hold water. We need to clean Jerry. He’s covered with blood.” Richard nodded to Flo. “Hurry, darling. Take Gloriana with you.”
I cried out when Richard ruthlessly stripped Jerry’s jeans down his legs. My man writhed in pain though he didn’t make a sound.
“Amica, come with me. They will take care of him.” Flo dragged me to the bathroom. She’d stopped crying and now looked full of fight.
“How? He’s got a hole in his stomach as big as my fist, Flo.” I swiped at the tears that ran down my cheeks. “Damn it. If I lose control it will make it harder for Jerry to handle this.”
“You’re right. Now blow your nose and take these towels in there. Be strong. For Jeremiah. Capiscimi?” Flo had her steely look in place but I saw the glitter of tears in her eyes too.
“Yes, yes, pulling myself together now.” I took the wad of toilet paper she handed me and wiped my eyes then blew my nose. Straightening my shoulders I headed back to the bedroom.
“This is going to hurt like hell, Campbell.” Ian didn’t look sorry about that.
“Don’t you have anything to dull the pain? Or a way to put him out completely?” I dumped the towels on the bed then climbed onto the other side so I could reach Jerry’s hand.
“Gloriana, I’m not a weak, sniveling coward who can’t handle a simple extraction. This isn’t the first bullet I’ve taken or even the tenth.” Jerry did grip my hand though. “Do your worst, MacDonald.” He nodded at Richard. “If it looks like the doctor is taking this opportunity to end an old enemy, Richard, end him. Are you hearing me?”
“Of course. You know I have your back. That’s why I’m here.” Richard stayed close, his look grim.
“What can I do?” Flo came out with the large basin that had held the designer shampoos and shower gels the hotel had provided. “Should I fill this with hot water?”
“Yes, do it.” Ian nodded. “The hotter, the better.”
“First, I help you protect the sheets.” Careful not to hurt Jerry, Flo and Richard tucked towels around him. “We put these around him so he won’t stain the bed linens. You do have to sleep here when the sun rises.”
“Thanks.” I smiled at her. She looked worried sick. “Viktor is supposed to bring your room keys soon. Jerry has reserved rooms for all of you. When he gets here, we can drag him inside and make him Jerry’s blood donor.”
“Viktor?” Flo looked confused.
“The bellman who tried to keep you out of here earlier. Someone gave him a big tip.” I heard Jerry hiss when Ian dumped a clear liquid over the wound. “Hey, could you ease up?”
“Just cleaning the wound, Glory. I have to be able to see what I’m doing.” Ian didn’t spare me a glance. He was too busy mopping away blood with gauze and examining that horrendous hole in Jerry’s stomach near his navel.
I blinked. Could not cry. Vampires are supposed to heal easily. The fact that blood still bubbled up from that hole scared the hell out of me. Jerry had already been slow to heal after Fredrick’s weapon had zapped him. Now the wooden bullet… I told Ian about the earlier problem with Jerry’s knuckles. He grunted and looked at Jerry’s hand which had finally healed. Then he kept working on the new wound with a grim determination. I couldn’t watch, afraid I was going to be sick.
Flo picked up the basin. “The little man. Yes, I will drag him in here. He was molto irritante, keeping us out of your room when we told him we were expected. But his blood did smell fresh and healthy.” Flo glanced at Jerry’s wound then looked away. “I cannot stand to watch. Medico, you kill him and Ricardo and I will see you ripped to shreds. Count on it.” She ran back to the bathroom and we could hear running water. Then she carefully brought back the basin full of steaming water and set it on the night stand without spilling a drop. “Call me if you need more.” She staggered over to a chair next to the window and sank into it. She’d done all of this in five inch heels. My best friend is amazing.
“I’m not going to kill him, Florence, but this bullet might. Fucking vampire hunters. And this Fredrick sells to them you say. Shit.” Ian held a scalpel in his hand. “I’m going to have to cut you now, Campbell, to get a better look at what we’ve got.” He glanced at me. “You might want to make sure he can’t get to any of his knives.”
“Why? So he won’t stab you when you hurt him?” I did reach for the one I could see. It was one Jerry usually had tucked into his belt. Richard had laid it on the bed next to me. “Put this between your teeth, love. And grip my hand. I think Ian would enjoy it way too much if you screamed.”
“You’re right. Help me.” Jerry’s face was pale. Blood loss. He opened his mouth and I carefully put in the handle so he could bite down on it.
I was just in time because Ian sliced into Jerry’s skin, digging his scalpel into my lover’s flesh. I was the one who wanted to scream but didn’t dare. I was pretty sure I was going to have some crushed fingers but let Jerry hold my hand as hard as he wanted to. His face was strained and I used my other hand to brush his hair back from his damp face. He was sweating, clammy. I couldn’t look at what Ian was doing but he seemed to take forever.
Jerry grunted and I saw Richard move to the side of the bed and put his hand on Jerry’s shoulder to steady him. I was very afraid Jerry would move and cause himself more injury.
“Got it.” Ian had switched to forceps at some point and now waved a very bloody bullet around at us before he dropped it into the basin. Then he grabbed gauze and pushed it into the large wound he’d created. It absorbed blood instantly, turning bright red. The damage looked much worse now than when he’d started.
We all jumped when there was a knock on the door.
“I’ve got it, amica.” Flo pushed herself out of the chair and ran to answer. She opened the door just a little then we heard her speak. “Ah, you are Viktor, sì?”
“Yes, Madame. Mrs. Mainwaring? I have your key and can show you and your husband to your room. It’s right down this hall. Dr. MacDonald will be next door to you. Do you have luggage that we can arrange to have brought there?”
“Ah, yes. Please step inside and my husband will give you directions.” Flo held Viktor’s arm when they walked inside the room. She locked the door and leaned against it. Good thing because as soon as the bellman saw Jerry lying on the bed with bloody towels around him and Ian, his hands bloody up to his wrists, standing over him, he made a lunge for that door.
“Viktor! Please stay. We need your help.” I looked down at Jerry and he let go of my hand. I think he was close to passing out though he’d probably deny it.
“Mrs. Blade. This is most irregular. Is your husband hurt? What happened? Should I summon a doctor?” Viktor was inches from Flo and tried to go around her. “Yes, I will do that. At once. We have an excellent physician on call here twenty-four hours a day.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” I crawled off the bed and walked up to Viktor. “You see, our friend Dr. MacDonald has taken care of him. All we need from you is,” I smiled. “Something you won’t even remember.” I stared into his eyes and he was mesmerized. “Come here, Viktor. Hold out your wrist.” I led him to the bedside. He was like a windup doll now and I soon had him sitting on the edge of the mattress within Jerry’s reach.
“You sure this is necessary?” Jerry was mumbling, clearly on the verge of losing consciousness.
“Yes, and don’t delay.” Ian was getting impatient. He took his scalpel and ran it across Viktor’s wrist. Fresh blood welled from the cut and fangs went down around the room. Then Ian thrust the mor
tal’s wrist into Jerry’s mouth. Instinct took over after that and Jerry drank. It didn’t take long for some color to come into his cheeks.
I watched his wound. I expected it to close immediately. When it didn’t, I turned to Ian. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s that wood. It’s going to take a while for its poison to get out of his system. I’m going to stitch him up as a precaution. Give him some time to heal. He can drink another minute or two then we’ll have to pull him off.” Ian got busy with his equipment and soon had a row of black stitches closing the wound. “It’s almost dawn. We need to get to our rooms and settle before then.”
I leaned over Jerry, kissed his forehead then wrenched Viktor’s wrist out of his mouth when he didn’t let go when Ian asked him to. I licked Viktor’s punctures and incision closed myself and walked him to the door. I gave him a quick suggestion that he’d just arrived at my door and was ready to escort my guests to their rooms. Then I shoved him into the hall to wait.
“I’ll be back to check on Jerry as soon as the sun sets.” Ian gathered up the bloody towels and tossed them into the bathtub. “You both will benefit from a day’s rest. As for how that machine the weapons manufacturer hit him with will affect the healing?” Ian shrugged. “I can’t speak to that. You say it’s been a while since that happened. I’d hope that he’s recovered from whatever the weapon did to him by now.”
“He seemed recovered. He could shift anyway. And his bruises from the fight healed, though it took longer than usual.” I felt the sunrise pulling at me, though we still had a little time before then. Worry also dragged me down. Jerry had just closed his eyes and hadn’t said a word since the operation. Was he unconscious? Maybe that was a good thing since he had to be in a great deal of pain.
“We will go, Glory. Don’t worry. I’m sure he will be fine when he wakes at sunset.” Flo kissed my cheek.
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