“Take me outside,” she said.
“Nyet. Your falcon will be weak and vulnerable.”
I trailed behind them in case Blue needed something.
“My animal can’t sleep inside,” Blue pointed out, blood dripping onto the floor. “Just bring out some raw chicken. I’ll be fine. She’s small, so the blood loss won’t be as severe. I just need her to sleep.”
I slowed when they reached the front door. As it opened, Blue’s clothes fell away, and her falcon flew into the night. Viktor was left holding her flannel shirt, and he stood there for a moment before heading to the kitchen.
Niko reached the stairs. “I think we should reconvene tomorrow to discuss our findings. Blue needs time to heal.”
“Sounds good. Maybe I should call the Relic and see if he’d be willing to meet with us again.”
“As you wish.”
I watched him slowly ascend the stairs. “Later, alligator.”
“After a while, crocodile.”
I smiled. Sometimes it felt like I’d been with Keystone for a million years. I sat down on the steps and stared at the pile of clothes by the front door.
Christian sat next to me. “Never a dull moment.”
We watched Claude walk by with a bucket and mop. When he disappeared from sight, I asked, “Why didn’t you give that girl your blood?”
“Why didn’t you?”
“My blood isn’t pure. You could have healed her.”
“That’s not how it works.”
“You once ran through fire to save a little human girl. You can’t give up one drop of blood?”
“You were going to burn alive. That girl was already halfway to the other side, and who knows what I might have brought back.” He rested his forearms on his knees. “If you think it’s a mark on my character, then so be it. Vampire blood is sacred, and it’s powerful. It’s not a magic pill that fixes everything. If people begin to think of Vampires as cattle, they’ll treat us that way. My maker told stories about Vampires who were staked and held against their will, used for healing by humans and other Breeds. Decades and centuries of lying in a tomb, only to have it opened when someone needed blood.”
“She could have died.”
“Aye, and it would have been an easy death. We should all be so lucky. I don’t like seeing the wee ones suffer, but something else you should consider is that not everyone takes kindly to those who have consumed blood. Her pack might turn her away, thinking a Vampire now has influence over her. Shifters think it taints their purity, and maybe it does. We don’t know what might happen if that child grows up with one drop of Vampire blood inside her. That’s one reason we don’t share it with everyone.”
“But you’d give it to one of us.”
“You’re not a minor. I’d be forcing a dark magic inside her that she didn’t ask for. There was a good chance she suffered brain damage, and I’m afraid some things blood can’t cure. What if all I could do was save her from death, but she lived out the rest of her days as a vegetable? Besides, I know the sound of a dying heart, and hers was thumping against my eardrums like a battle song.”
I nudged him. “You should have told Blue. She was bleeding to death, waiting to see how it turned out.”
“Everyone likes a good suspense.” Christian stood and rested his hand on the newel. “Do you think she would have taken my word for it? Don’t be daft. That woman doesn’t trust me as far as she can throw me.” He glanced up at the tall ceilings. “What a ridiculous saying. Trust can’t be measured by distance.”
I propped my elbows on the step behind me and stretched out my legs. “You looked sexy tonight fighting those bears, Mr. Poe. I like seeing what you can do with your hands.”
Christian gave me a hot look that made my heart quicken. His black eyes shimmered as they skimmed over my bloodstained shirt. “Are you tempting me, Miss Black?”
“It doesn’t take much.” I sat up and looked at my bloody hands. “This is the most convoluted case. I thought I’d ask a few questions, get a few answers, but now we’re fighting bears and stealing children. We could end up pissing off more people than we help. But I can’t quit.” I yawned, exhausted from the flashing I’d done earlier. “It’s too bad we can’t see into the future.” When I looked up, Christian held a guarded look.
He clasped his hands behind his back and frowned. “I don’t know if that’s entirely true.”
“Thinking of getting a tarot reading?”
Christian retrieved a peppermint from his pocket and paced the floor. “Have you ever heard of a Gemini?”
