I stir and rub my eyes with my hands, causing the silver to deepen the burn around my neck, leaving a trail of smoke in the dim light.
“Dude, can you hear me?”
Someone removes the hateful chains, but I’m too emaciated to heal or even respond. I blink again and then smell the most fantastic thing in the world—fae blood. My fangs snick down, and I clamp my arm over my mouth.
“Apologies,” I say, my voice cracking. “I haven’t fed in days and am running a little short on social construct.”
“Doc, it’s the vamp. He’s not looking so good.”
Steps seem to echo in the distance for an inordinately long time before a handsome shifter of some kind with dark hair and pretty brown eyes squats down in front of me. “What’s your name?”
“Remy.”
“Remy, you’ve got some bad burns where the silver touched you. Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“I guess a broken heart doesn’t count, does it?”
“It does, but that is less concerning than garlic poisoning or sunburn.”
“Oh, good.”
“Look, you’re not healing well, so I assume you’ve not fed recently.” I nod, and he continues. “I can take you to a safe place to heal, but you’d have to go willingly.”
He’s right to be cautious. Vampires are known to get a bit murdery with people who are just trying to help. It’s not that we’re mean, or at least not that I’m mean. It’s just that we might be lashing out in desperation for blood.
“Of course. Please. And thank you,” I say, brushing my hair out of my face. “But, before we move, if I can get some blood before we head out—”
As if he’d anticipated my need, the good doctor thrusts his wrist in front of my face. “Please don’t take too much. We still have to get out of here. There’s plenty more where that came from.”
I nod and send a little glamour his way, just to make sure the bite doesn’t hurt. Satisfied that I won’t harm him, I take a few sips, just enough to give me a little color and put me in control of my urges. “Thank you.”
As I take in my surroundings, I see the fae with the delicious-smelling blood, and have to bite back a laugh. He’s got to be the grumpiest fairy I’ve ever met. He looks at me with distrust, but I was taught never to drink from a fae, no matter how delicious they smell. Not only is it a matter of treaty, it’s also a matter of sanity. Thankfully, I prefer my blood with a little hair on its chest, so I send a polite nod his way.
The one he called Doc helps me up and supports me in the long, painful walk back to the outside world. We stop about halfway to allow me a few more sips of blood, and I’m glad to see that the sun has set when we finally make it outside.
Hidden in a tiny alley is a big, rusted-out SUV. It’s a shade of green only available on cars from the mid-nineties, and I’m surprised that its engine actually turns over. I start to lose consciousness when they pull back onto the road, and as the lights fade around me, I wonder if I’ve been rescued or just re-kidnapped.
Oh, dear. I hope it’s a rescue.
* * *
I wake up,briefly, on what appears to be a kitchen table. A small witch with big blue eyes and brilliant white hair smelling of magnolias looks down on me. “You okay, sweetie? Doc had to head out for another emergency, but we’ve got a wolf shifter who can top you off.”
I grimace at the memory of my were, and she holds out her hands. “I know that vampires and canid-types don’t get along, but his blood’s real strong. It’ll help you heal up quick.”
“Oh,” I say, blushing. “I…my boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—was a werewolf. I kind of have a thing for wolves. So, no problem on that front.”
She sighs. “I do need to warn you that it’s his moon season, and….”
“Ah. Of course. Still a few more weeks till All Hallows', where the wolves nest…”
“…and so begins the ghostly unrest,” she says, nodding her head at a see-through older gentleman standing by. “As for Lazare—he’s the wolf—I’m just hoping you won’t take his grumpiness personally.”
“Not at all, especially if he’s willing to part with his blood.”
“Oh, good,” she says, tilting her head with a smile. “I’ll call him in.”
3
