Beware, p.16
Beware, page 16
###
Ben sat cross-legged on his bed as the sun crested over the edge of town. Joel was passed out in the bed next to him. Ben smiled at the sight of his lover. They’d barely been apart since the incident with the skoll’s. Joel hadn’t wanted to leave him except when necessary, not that Ben could blame him.
They’d been together for the better part of six years, and for the first time ever, Ben quite enjoyed having Joel nearby almost constantly. Lying down next to Joel, Ben ran his hand over his belly, waking him slowly. Joel rubbed his eyes, blinking wearily.
“What’s wrong?” Joel’s voice was full of sleep.
“I want to show you something.”
“What?”
“Sit up.” Ben kissed Joel’s cheek then moved back into the position he had been in for near an hour while he watched his lover sleep. Maybe it was time they make more of a commitment to each other. He’d feared when Molly had backed away from their relationship that he wouldn’t be able to be what Joel needed, but all those fears had proven false in the intervening years.
Joel pulled up to lean against the headboard, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before he reached for his glasses. As soon as Ben knew he had Joel’s full attention, he closed his eyes. The tingles Faye had told him about were there, though on second thought, he wasn’t sure he’d describe them as tingles. It felt more like a rushing surge of water, like a flash flood.
Smiling when the flood hit him, Ben drew in a sharp breath. With the power came pain, just like it had the first time. Heat scoured through each limb of his body until the entirety of his body burned as if he was on fire. Every nerve, every inch of skin was alight. Grimacing, Ben focused on the creature—the wings, the feathers, the beak.
Joel gasped, and Ben couldn’t help the small grin that lit up his face. Drawing in a deep breath as the pain receded, he glanced up at Joel, cocking his head to the side. He didn’t have to look to know he’d transformed, he’d shifted from his human state into that of a creature, a new creature. Joel jerked back before he sat up and leaned forward slightly.
“Ben…when did you…how did you?”
Ben squawked, since that was all he could do in that form. He pranced around the top of the mattress like he was on a runway, showing off. Joel chuckled and held out his hand. Ben stepped closer, and when Joel’s fingers touched him, it was ice to the fire still burning through him. He stayed in that form a little longer before he got up the courage to change back. This time, like the last, he was prepared for the pain that was about to take over him. He’d never been one to want to experience pain in any kind. He always avoided it if he could, but this was his life now. He was a shifter, and he needed to be able to withstand the pain.
As soon as he was back in his human form, naked and lying on the bed next to Joel, Ben let out a sigh and pressed his forehead into Joel’s shoulder. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re getting the hang of this pretty fast.”
Ben grunted. “It hurts so much to shift.”
“I imagine. It hurts Faye just as much.”
“Really?”
Joel nodded, and for some reason, knowing Faye felt the same level of pain made his own a little more bearable.
“She never says anything.”
“She’s been shifting for seventy plus years, Ben. I’m sure she barely even thinks of it now.”
Ben nodded. “I guess.”
Joel kissed his temple. “You going to tell Molly?”
“Eventually. For now, let’s keep this between us. I don’t want to have to shift unless I know I can.”
“All right.”
Joel grinned. He gripped Ben’s cheeks and pulled him in for a deep kiss, turning so he laid half on top of Ben, covering his body and skimming a hand down Ben’s side. Ben groaned under the touches. Yes, they did need to have at least one more talk, and maybe they wouldn’t have separate rooms anymore. Giving as good as he got, Ben lost himself in Joel’s body.
Chapter Eighteen
Everything Amachon had tried failed. He’d eventually left Faye, hooked up to just about every machine he had in the medical area, Molly swore, just to keep her alive. She hadn’t left. Malek had been in and out several times, but no one else had joined her. She wasn’t sure if they even knew. Molly rubbed her hand over Faye’s, working her healing magic into Faye’s body to try again and see if she could make some progress. Nothing. As soon as the cut was healed, it would come right back, and Molly couldn’t keep going through that pain herself without the progress of Faye actually healing.
Molly closed her eyes and listened to the house. Everything was calm around her. Malek was nearby, but she expected nothing less. Faye was the only vampire alive as far as he knew, he would want to make sure she survived if only for his own personal gain. Molly focused on Faye, trying to get a feel for her. She broke her rule and pushed into Faye’s mind, but she found nothing there. Faye was a blank slate, which was worrying. Even those in sleep or in induced sleep from injuries should be thinking something. Their minds didn’t just stop.
Standing, Molly walked to the glass door to the medical area. She shut it behind her as she stepped out into the hallway, finding Malek standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. “I have an idea.”
“We need to cleanse her blood.” Molly mimicked his move and crossed her arms.
“Yes. How did you…”
“I’m not unaware of what goes on in my house, Malek, as much as you may think. She has been increasing the amount of the drug. I have no idea how much she has taken this time, but no magic has seemed to work on her when she’s intoxicated.”
He gave a sharp nod. “It’s dangerous.”
“Are you frightened?” Molly’s lip parted slightly as she taunted him, but it wasn’t a full tease. She wanted to know just how far he would go to save Faye. It would tell her a lot in the long run. Molly stepped in closer to him, getting into his space. Her hands on his arms, she stared up into his blue eyes. She wanted to work her magic into him, see what he was thinking, but if they truly were going to cleanse Faye, she would need all the magic she had left. He had no idea how much she’d used, but there was no doubt both of them would be near depleted by the end.
“No.” Malek bent his head, his face impossibly close to hers. He cupped her cheek again and shifted in even closer. “I’m not frightened. Are you?”
“Hardly. I’ve done this before.”
He gave a small quirk of his lips, the wrinkles near his eyes new with his added age, and she hadn’t noticed them before. As much as he was the same man she had left over two-hundred years before, he was so vastly different. Malek bent down and pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips. Giving in because as much as she wanted the comfort, she also needed to keep up the pretense she and Faye had started, Molly turned into the kiss and deepened it.
When Molly moved away, she gripped his hand, twining their fingers, and gave him a sweet smile. He did always like his women strong but subordinate, which posed the question as to why he was so interested in Faye because she was anything but submissive.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Let’s do this.”
They walked together into the medical area. Malek stood on one side of Faye’s prone form while Molly stood on the other. Each of them gripped one of Faye’s hands. Molly reached over Faye’s body and held her fingers for Malek to take. The smile he gave her sent a shiver down her spine. Turning to focus on Faye, Molly drew in a sharp breath.
Malek’s magic already worked into her body. Molly added her magic into Malek’s, but held back a good chunk of it. She absolutely did not want him to know how powerful she was, and if she had to divert her focus to keep that from him, she would.
Closing her eyes, Molly focused on Faye’s body instead of on Malek. Faye was who they needed to help, and this was Molly’s last chance of hope for a magical cure. Outside of this, she was going to have to start researching medical ways to bring people around after they’d consumed the drug.
Once again concentrating on Faye, Molly closed in on her injuries. She felt Malek working right alongside her, his presence stuck to her as she moved. Surprisingly, he wasn’t leading and didn’t seem to be taking that control like he normally would.
Finding broken bones and bruised organs, a punctured lung and liver, Molly cringed. They would have to work quickly. She sent out her magic in ribbons to wrap around the liver first, squeezing and holding secure. Next she focused on Faye’s lungs. And regulated her breathing. Pulling back to herself, Molly saw Faye’s vitals normalize in the slightest which gave her hope.
Pushing back into Faye, she knew Malek was right there with her. Molly went into each cell she could find, using her magic and Malek’s magic to cleanse the individual cells she could find. She knew whoever walked by the medical area was going to see them and wonder what they were doing, but they would hopefully be left alone.
She was halfway through Faye’s body when weariness took over. Drawing a steady breath, Molly pushed on. She had to complete the ritual and while Malek was there to help, his magic wasn’t doing as much as she had hoped. Risking it, Molly added more of her magic into their pool and worked faster.
Another hour and Faye’s liver healed. Molly released the spell she had done to bind it and refocused that magic on Faye’s blood. Thirty minutes more and Faye’s lungs healed. Molly wanted to clear out the rest of the drug from Faye’s body, but Malek’s mind nudged hers and she pulled back. If Faye’s body was back to healing itself, then they were at least close enough that her innate healing abilities would kick in.
Breaking the spell, Molly stared directly into Malek’s eyes. He blinked at her, his lips parting as if he was going to say something, but he remained silent. His cheeks paled, the color draining from them, and he gripped the edge of the bed.
“Malek?” Molly leaned forward to grip his hand, but he dropped, his body crumbling to the ground. “Malek!”
Racing around the bed, Molly knelt next to him. She reached for his wrist and checked his pulse before she tapped his cheek to try and get him to come back around. Cursing, Molly stood up and ran straight for the wall where the alarm was. She hit it and went back to Malek.
“Malek, wake up.” Tapping his cheek again, Molly drew in a deep breath. He’d only told her about Faye’s injuries, not that she’d asked about his, but surely he wasn’t injured as well.
Not knowing what to do while she waited for Amachon, Molly began the healing spell again. This time she focused on Malek, learning the ins and outs of his body as he drew in deep ragged breaths. She went though every limb before pulling away. She pushed her hair out of her face and relaxed. He wasn’t hurt. He was expended.
Amachon rushed in, his breathing heavy. Molly put a hand on his arm to still him. “He’s fine. Exhausted. Put him in a bed, will you?”
Grunting, Amachon lifted Malek and settled him in a bed in a completely different room than Faye. Molly pulled herself up, her own exhaustion finally filtering into her senses. She settled on the bed next to Faye and reached for her hand. Already Faye’s skin was warmer than it had been. The scratches were gone from her knuckles, the bruising vanishing from her face as Molly watched.
Amachon came back in, a large hand on Molly’s shoulder. “What did you do?”
“We rebooted her, so to say.” Molly didn’t take her eyes away from Faye. She’d seen her heal on her own so many times and each time it was a wonder. “Get me a scalpel, please.”
Amachon listened. Taking it, Molly nicked her wrist and pressed it to Faye’s mouth. Drops of her blood slid between Faye’s lips, but Faye remained still. With bated breath, Molly waited. It took her to the count of thirty-six before Faye’s chest surged upward, her hands flying to Molly’s arm as she held Molly against her mouth as lapped at the energy Molly so willingly gave.
When Faye finally eased up, Molly ripped her hand from Faye’s mouth and leaned down, pressing their lips together in a heated kiss. Faye’s fangs were still long, scratching at Molly’s tongue and lips. Closing her eyes, the iron tang on her own tastebuds, Molly lost herself in Faye. They had to stop this. Faye had been close to death too many times in the last four years. While she may have been willing to take the risk, Molly wasn’t sure she could handle the fallout any longer.
Faye chuckled as she pushed Molly away. “I know what you’re thinking, and stop it. I’m alive.”
Molly punched Faye lightly in the shoulder. “Barely.”
“But alive.”
“Not for lack of trying.” Molly turned serious, raising an eyebrow at Faye. “I need rest. You leave this bed before Amachon releases you, and I’ll kill you myself.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Faye gave a half-ass salute.
Standing, Molly made sure her feet were steady before she walked away. She needed space, and she needed sleep. She would get no work done for the next few days. Crashing onto her mattress, Molly fell asleep, happy in the thought Faye was still alive.
###
Molly woke with a start. The door to her room shut quietly, too quietly for it to be anyone but her old friend. Rubbing her eyes, she turned on her side to see the giant shuffle toward her. She shifted to allow him space to sit next to her and tried to keep her eyes open, but the bleariness was next to impossible to get rid of.
“How long has it been?” she asked.
He reached up and put the back of his hand against her forehead. “Three days.”
“Three—damn it. I have work to get done.”
“Tomorrow,” he muttered with a grunt on the end, handing her a magical tea he always seemed to give her when she’d exerted herself. “You need rest.”
“I need to work.”
His glare chided her back into silence. She could get up to work after he left and he would be none the wiser for some time. Molly wetted her lips and moved to sit up and lean against her headboard.
“How are the patients?”
“Faye.”
She chuckled at just his tone of voice, which told her everything she needed to know. “Did you release her yet?”
“No.” He grunted. “You needed rest.”
“Faye would let me rest.”
Amachon shook his head. “No. She needs to speak with you.”
Molly nodded. “I’ll see her soon, then. And Malek?”
Withdrawing into himself, Amachon stilled. Molly reached out and curled her fingers around his wrist and gave him a gentle squeeze. They stayed silent, Amachon not answering Molly’s question and Molly waiting for him to actually answer.
“He’s not woken.”
“What? I used far more magic than he did.”
“And you are stronger.” He eyed her carefully.
Molly drew in a breath. “You said you would never speak of it.”
“Only to you.”
Pursing her lips, she stared at the ceiling, settling into the bed. “He is powerful enough that he should have woken by now.”
“Something is wrong.”
Molly rubbed her temple, a headache settling in, and she knew she’d have to sleep again to make it vanish completely. “I’ll check on him.”
“Not now.”
“No, my friend, not now.” She expected him to leave. Normally he would have, but Amachon stayed right where he was, unmoving. When another few minutes had passed, Molly touched his arm again. “What is it?”
“This drug is killing my patients.”
“I know.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s increasing.”
“Increasing?” Her voice rose in surprise. “How many?”
“Too many.”
“Statistics, Amachon.”
He grunted a few times at her in frustration before settling down again. “I lose at least six a night.”
“Six!” Shock rang through her chest and out into her limbs. She hadn’t realized the number had gotten so high. “Where are they getting the drug?”
“By the time they get to me, Molly, they aren’t talking.”
Sighing, Molly rubbed her temple again. “How are they finding you?”
“Someone brings them.”
“Different someone’s, I assume.”
“Friends, family, partners. It doesn’t matter. Someone brings them to me for medical care, but as soon as they take it, they’re as good as dead.”
“Do they get angry like Faye?” She hadn’t realized the question had been the first one she wanted to ask, but as soon as it was past her lips, she couldn’t take it back. She needed to know, without a doubt, if Faye had killed all those people in the club or if it had been a cacophony of murder.
“Yes, but by the time they find me, they’re comatose.”
“Interesting, do you have a timeline at all for when it happens?”
“Depends on the Tainted.”
Molly longed for her table or even pen and paper to write this down, but her eyes were still bleary and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to even if she wanted. “Tell me more. What else have you observed?”
“Now is not the time, Molly.”
“Now is the only time.”
He grunted at her in anger, but she remained still and kept as much of her gaze focused on him as she could to wait him out. When he was done trying to intimidate her into lying down again, he finally answered.
“No one survives if they’re around after the drug is taken.”
“Is it only swallowed in pill form?”
“So far.”
Molly nodded and closed her eyes, listening to her old friend speak.
“From what I can tell, after the violence has worn off, if they are still alive, they go into a comatose state until they’re bodies seize uncontrollably until the heart stops.”
“Any other damage?”
“To the brain.” Amachon tapped his head. “But I’ve been hesitant to autopsy.”
“Because you don’t want to be infected with whatever they may have.”
