by Dina James
“You’ll take care of him, right?” Robin asked in a whisper.
“Yes, and he can still hear you,” Rebecca whispered back, grinning.
“Remember? Anubi have great ears.”
“He has a great—”
“Robin!”
Robin stifled a giggle and shouldered her bag as she left.
Rebecca turned to see Billy climbing the stairs to the enclave, much slower than he usually moved. She sighed and went back into the kitchen and filled the two large kettles to heat water to bring up to the enclave.
Syd had disappeared, no doubt already back up there.
As the water heated, Rebecca tidied up the kitchen, putting away the makings of the hot chocolate she and Robin had made for themselves while they waited for her dad to come. She was just wiping the table when the kitchen door opened again.
In the doorway stood a very bloody gray-furred anubi. Denis refused to look at Rebecca and kept his eyes on the floor.
“If friend ye are and healing ye seek, enter this place and my blessing keep,” Rebecca said in a soft voice. “But I already told you that you were welcome. You know that, though, don’t you?”
The gray anubi nodded, though it was near imperceptible.
“Look, if you don’t want to be up there with him, I can help you down here,” she continued when he didn’t say anything or come into the kitchen.
“Get your notebook, Acolyte,” was all Denis said. “Time for a crash course in anubi.”
w x
“You’re lucky,” Syd said after a cursory inspection of Denis’ shoulder.
“The bullet’s gone clean through. If it hadn’t, you would have to dig it out, Acolyte.”
Rebecca bit her bottom lip.
“Wouldn’t that hurt?”
“It would hurt more to leave it,” Syd said. “Silver poisoning is very dangerous. As it is, you still need to see if there are fragments left behind.
Your fingers are small enough, though you’ll have to widen the entry wound so you can feel for the shards.”
Rebecca winced at the instructions and looked at her patient. “Sorry, Denis.”
The gray-furred anubi gave her a withering look. “You think one more hole is going to bother me? Look at me, woman!”
“Well, it’s not like you didn’t deserve it,” Rebecca said, scowling at Denis. “You did start it, you know. If you’d just leave your brother alone—”
“Acolyte,” Syd said in warning. “It doesn’t matter how Denis came by his wounds. You’re here to heal him, not judge him. Neutral ground means a lot more than just ‘no fighting here’. This is a place of safety—from all sorts of things. Denis has the right to be healed without being subjected to a lecture on how he shouldn’t have gotten hurt in the first place. Don’t get involved in the personal affairs of your patients.”
“Well said,” Denis replied with a glance at Rebecca.
“Why not?” Rebecca asked. “That’s part of the healing, isn’t it? Telling him to stay out of trouble?”
“That’s entirely different,” Syd replied. “What you’re doing is con-demning his actions, and that’s not something that Healers do. Now, get the straight razor and the clippers. We’ll have to clear the fur around the area.” Rebecca thought something rude about how she felt more like a vet-erinary assistant than any kind of Healer, and was glad anubi couldn’t hear thoughts.
“Not in my lifetime,” Denis said. “You’re not about to shave me.” Before Rebecca could move, Denis closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip. A grunt of pain escaped him, and where a large, gray-furred wolf had been sitting was a black-haired, very naked man.
Rebecca’s eyes widened before she looked away. “Could you um...”
“Oh,” Denis said. “Sorry. I forget that about human form. I don’t take it all that much.”
“Right, thanks,” Rebecca said, her face beet-red.
“You can look now,” Denis said.
Rebecca looked back at her patient. Denis was still bare-chested, and had muscles on top of his muscles. His open eyes were a light blue. He smirked at her. A pair of loose brown boxers covered his lower half.
“There. No hair for you to shave. It’s bad enough that you’re going to put stitches in me. Wearing this stupid shape then covering it is worse.
Humans and their modesty.”
The hole in his shoulder continued to bleed, and Rebecca remembered herself. She stopped staring at Billy’s insanely gorgeous brother and set to work.Syd explained the difference between entry and exit wounds, what injury the bullet itself caused in addition to what harm the silver wrought inside the wound, and what preparation to apply to heal both kinds of damage.
“Gross,” Rebecca said, wincing as she slid her first and middle fingers into the bloody hole in Denis’ shoulder. The anubi didn’t flinch and Rebecca felt bad about complaining when he wasn’t. “Sorry.”
“Trying to tickle me, Acolyte?” Denis asked. Rebecca knew he was trying to sound like her digging around in his injury didn’t hurt, but she could hear the pain in his voice—and feel it in the wound itself. Her fingers burned.
“I can’t feel any fragments, Syd,” Rebecca said. “It’s kind of slippery and my fingers are hot.”
Syd nodded. “You’re feeling where the silver passed through. If there were fragments, they’d feel like needles when you found them.”
“Not feeling any needles,” Rebecca said, gritting her teeth as she forced her fingers deeper into the wound.
“I think it’s clean,” Syd said. “Do the same thing to the back side of the wound just to be sure, then he can change back to his usual form before I show you how to treat and dress a wound like this.” w x
“And no changing forms again for at least a mortal month,” Rebecca said to Denis with a stern glare. “Follow the instructions for the herbs I gave you and have your pack Healer keep a close eye on that wound. It isn’t likely to fester, but you never know. I’m not sure how old those bullets were, but I know they were pretty old.”
“Silver content of them was low,” Denis replied in a sullen growl.
“Still enough to poison an anubi,” Syd said, eyeing him. “After today, I’d think you’d want to stay out of the enclave as much as possible.”
“Won’t be coming back,” Denis said, looking at his brother though his words were for Rebecca. Denis turned to her before speaking again. “Hope you learned your lesson.”
“Hope you learned yours,” Rebecca replied.
Denis laughed. “My gratitude, Acolyte.”
He stood, studied her for a long moment, seeming to debate something with himself, then sat back down. He reached and put a large, furred hand on her shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze before he glared at Syd.
“Listen, bloodsucker,” he began. “You’re not doing a very good job of keeping her power under wraps. You can feel this little one’s light shining between and across every realm. It’s not difficult to figure out that something’s going on, and it’s making a whole lot of beings nervous. Let me take her back to the den. She’ll be safe there, among the anubi. We’ll protect her until she comes into her own.”
“No,” Syd said, his tone leaving no room for debate. “She already has an anubi to protect her, in addition to me.”
Denis snorted. “You and him? At least with us, there’s a chance she wouldn’t die.”
“I said no,” Syd said, taking a step toward Rebecca and glaring at the anubi. “She stays with me. With us.”
“Remember you said that when Billy’s dead, you’re a crispy critter and this little girl is in the hands of asses badder than yours.” Denis stood.
“There are already reports of Healers missing from their enclaves. Council declaration or no, war has begun, and unless you get her under control, there’s nothing but heartache and misery coming your way. All of you.” Billy and Syd exchanged a glance.
Denis turned to Billy and considered him a moment before he spoke.
“Brother
, you’re dead to me.”
Then he disappeared from the enclave.
Rebecca was stunned.
“Did he...does he mean...?” she started to ask.
“Yeah, Bit...that’s what he means,” Billy said. His dark brown anubi eyes glittered, and Rebecca wasn’t sure if he was relieved or hurt.
“I know it’s probably none of my business, but since you are living here now, I’d like to know what you did to—you know—”
“Piss my brother off and earn myself a death mark?” Billy finished for her.
“Well...yeah,” she said. “I mean...is this going to be a regular thing?
Random werewolf fights in the back yard?”
A rumbling came from Billy’s chest and she knew he was laughing a little. “Nah,” he said. “We’re done, Denis and me. You heard him. He’s the only one got a grudge anyway. Pissed I survived the death part is all. Pissed at me for what I done to deserve it.”
“What was that?”
“Rescuing a damsel in distress. Told you I wasn’t much for it, but—” The anubi wiped his furry arm across his eyes and Rebecca could see that he stifled the urge to stretch, lest he tear the stitches she had put in him yet again. He sighed.
“Don’t know about you, Bit, but I could certainly use a bite to eat.” chApter thirteen
Rebecca realized her eyes were open. It was still very dark in her room, and a glance at the red numbers of her alarm clock informed her that it was four o’clock in the morning. Her brow furrowed. She hadn’t been asleep all that long.
She worked her jaw a few times. It hurt and so did her head. She must have been clenching her teeth. She only did that when she was nervous or upset.Syd had told her to try not to worry or be upset, but after the werewolf fight he’d avoided her the rest of the evening. She wondered if it had anything to do with that...weird moment in the enclave when Denis wanted to take her to the Anubin den to keep her safe. How was she supposed to not worry when Syd said he would be here to protect her and he wasn’t?
And why was she worried about him anyway? Shouldn’t she be worrying more about what Denis’ had said? About the demons plotting to somehow kidnap her before her birthday tomorrow?
So why was she more worried about Syd than anything else?
She’d been tired and had gone to her room to read, and didn’t remember falling asleep. Why was she awake now?
Her neck itched, and she reached up automatically to scratch it. Warmth met her fingers and she gasped as she pulled them away from her skin. Rebecca reached for her lamp and snapped on the light.
Her fingers looked fine. Her neck tingled more, and she reached ten-tatively to touch it again.
Her birthmark, she realized, as she felt the difference in temperature.
The itchy spot was definitely warmer than the skin around it.
The large, star-like Healer’s mark.
Something like a gentle breeze brushed her skin, and Rebecca shivered. Was someone whispering? She closed her eyes and strained to hear, wishing for a moment that she had Billy’s anubi hearing. Maybe it was just the wind outside.
The sound came again and the mark on Rebecca’s neck seemed to grow warmer. She looked to the ceiling and waited for another moment, wondering if it was only her imagination.
When she heard the whispering a third time, louder than before, she knew it wasn’t her mind playing tricks on her or the night breeze through the bare-branched trees.
The enclave was calling, beckoning to her.
“Okay, I’m coming,” Rebecca whispered into the dark, and she reached for the candle holder and box of matches Syd had told her to keep by her bed. Rebecca had wanted to substitute a flashlight but Syd had said that Ethereals preferred candlelight as artificial light was harsh on sensitive eyes.
The sound of whispered voices came again, low and soothing. Rebecca tried hard to make out what they were saying and couldn’t.
Getting out of bed, she looked down at herself and shook her head.
She’d fallen asleep in her clothes. Oh, well. At least it kept her from having to get dressed. Candle in hand, she shivered and left the bedroom.
Wow, the house was creepy at night. She’d never been up in the middle of the night alone before, in the dark. Not that she was afraid of the dark.
At least, that’s what she told herself. Rebecca couldn’t keep a shiver from running down her spine. She went back to her room and found her robe and slippers before she went upstairs. It was cold!
Entering the enclave, Rebecca looked around. The candle at Ryan’s bedside was out. The only light came from the one in Rebecca’s hand.
“Hello?” she called.
Nothing answered her.
Well, as long as she was up here, she could relight the bedside candle and check on Ryan. Syd had told her that vampires were weakest just before dawn when they went to rest and just after sundown when they woke. Poor Ryan.
Ow! Her Healer’s mark stung, like someone had stabbed her in the neck with a needle. She clapped a hand over it and scratched it in an attempt to soothe the pain.
Replacing the burned-out candle with a new one, Rebecca struck a match and lit the wick.
Her breath caught in her throat as she realized Ryan’s bed was empty.
“I’m here,” said a voice from the end of the room. “Don’t start screaming or anything.”
Rebecca breathed again, recognizing it.
Ryan stood before the long mirror portal to the Otherworlds.
“What are you doing?” Rebecca asked, trying hard to make sure her voice was calm, though she heard it shake. “You shouldn’t be up.”
“What are you doing?” Ryan replied with a question of his own. “If anyone should be in bed, it’s you.”
He turned back to the mirror.
“Ouch!” Rebecca yelped as the lit match she still held burned down to her fingers. She dropped it and it went out.
Ryan laughed and shook his head. “Now you see why my lighter is lucky,” he said, amused. “Speaking of, where is my lucky lighter? And my jacket?”
“Lighter is in the pocket of the jacket, which is hung up in the coat closet downstairs,” Rebecca said, coming to stand beside him. She looked past him to the mirror. “What are you looking at?”
“Just...seeing if it’s true,” Ryan said, gesturing to the reflection that showed only her and not him.
Rebecca slid an arm around his bare waist. The mirror showed her alone, standing with her arm crooked around nothing but air.
“It is, sorry,” she whispered.
“I know that,” Ryan replied with a snort. “Unlike you, I don’t need a candle to see in the dark. I just wanted to see if it was true. The thing about not having a reflection. Now how am I supposed to see how good I look in my lucky jacket?”
“Is everything you own lucky?” Rebecca asked as she looked up at him.
“Pretty much,” Ryan said. “At least, everything that’s mine.”
“Come on,” Rebecca said. She gave his waist a little tug. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
“I feel fine,” Ryan said as he shook her off.
“Well, you don’t look fine,” Rebecca countered. She scowled at him.
“I’m tired of bed!” Ryan said, scowling back at her. “Leave me alone!” He took a step away from her and stumbled. Rebecca caught him before he fell. Ryan groaned.
This time Rebecca didn’t give him a choice. She slid a firm arm around his waist again and half-dragged him back to the bed.
Ryan all but collapsed on it, and it was a struggle for Rebecca to get him in something of a comfortable position.
She gasped when she pulled the blankets back.
Blood.
Dark patches stained the pillowcase where Ryan’s head had lain. The sheets and blankets too were dotted with dark red blotches. She looked up and saw a fine sheen of bloody sweat had broken out on Ryan’s forehead, and his eyes were so dark they were almost black. She settled him in the bed and immediately
took off her robe and began rolling up her sleeve as she sat down beside him.
“No,” Ryan moaned, grabbing at her wrist. He clenched her arm hard, his inhuman grip making her wince in pain. His nails dug deep into her skin. “Listen.”
“I...I’m listening, Ryan,” Rebecca said, making sure to use his name. Syd had said that names helped, and sometimes it was the only thing a creature would respond to, or hear.
“Listen,” Ryan said again, his iron grip on her arm tightening even more. “You have to hear.”
Rebecca tried to loosen Ryan’s hold on her arm. “Ryan, you’re hurting me! Let go!”
“I want to go,” Ryan babbled. “Home. I want to go home.”
“Yes,” Rebecca agreed, prying at Ryan’s fingers with her own. “Yes, I know. We’ll get you well, then you can go home, Ryan.”
“No,” Ryan said again. “No, you don’t know. I can hear you thinking.
You don’t know.”
The wounded boy rolled his head from side to side as if trying to get something to leave his mind.
Syd had said that sometimes a turning didn’t go well. Was Ryan slipping into the insanity that came when new vampires couldn’t cope with what they had become?
Ryan suddenly let go of her wrist and sat bolt upright, grabbing her shoulders. Rebecca screamed.
“You have to be careful,” Ryan demanded. “He’s been watching. Waiting for you. Stay away from mirrors. They see through mirrors. See your soul.
He’s watching you! He’ll get you through the mirror like he did the others...” Who? Who was? Rebecca thought. What mirror? Does he mean the portal?
It’s not difficult to figure out that something’s going on, and it’s making a whole lot of beings nervous, Rebecca remembered Denis saying. There are already reports of Healers missing from their enclaves. War has begun, and unless you get her under control, there’s nothing but heartache and misery coming your way.
What was Ryan talking about? Who was watching?
“Ryan, you’re scaring me,” Rebecca said, much calmer than she felt.
“Promise me,” Ryan said, ignoring her words. “You promise me.”