Claude rushed over, scooped up the little boy, and carried him out.
The next thing I knew, Shepherd and Christian were bickering.
“I’ll not do it,” Christian snapped.
“She might die. One little drop in the bag won’t hurt.”
Christian shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that.”
Blue tipped forward. “Don’t you dare give that baby your blood!”
Shepherd listened to the girl’s heart with a stethoscope. “I’m just saying it might help speed things along. What if she’s got brain damage?”
Wyatt snorted. “Then you two will have a lot in common.”
Shepherd lunged, but Christian held him back.
“Get your aloof fucking Gravewalker ass out of here,” he growled, pointing his finger at Wyatt. “She’s a kid. Out of my medical room. Out!”
Wyatt threw his hands up. “Maybe she wants to go to the other side. Ever thought of that? When it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go. Sometimes holding on to the living world is worse than death. But go ahead. Play God,” he said, leaving the room.
Shepherd scowled. “Next time he wants me to save his ass, I’m going to throw him onto the ferryman’s boat myself.”
“What’s in the IV?” I asked.
Shepherd rolled up a stool and attended to the girl. “Just some water and electrolytes. She’s dehydrated, but the first thing we need to do is get her temperature down. Then we can see the damage done.”
He wiped the sweaty hair away from the girl’s beet-red face and then rested his hand on her forehead. His touch seemed to slow down her panting, and I guessed he was using his Sensor gifts to make her comfortable. When she started shivering, Shepherd reached across the table, and I handed him the red vial.
After administering an injection, he switched off the overhead lights so only the dimmers beneath the cabinets were on. I wondered why at first, but new places and medical rooms could be scary for kids—especially with everyone watching. We waited for several long minutes in the darkened room.
Finally, the girl stirred. “I gotta pee.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“She’s gonna be just fine,” Shepherd announced.
Gem rushed in. “I woke Kira. She doesn’t know what’s happening, but I put a blanket and pillow on the floor for the girl. I think you should put her in there tonight. Kira can watch her, and she’ll be close to the kitchen, bathroom, and medical room.”
Shepherd lifted her into his arms. “Get the pole and stay close behind me. I don’t want you yanking her line out.”
Once they left the room, Blue grimaced as she stood up and then lost her balance. Viktor put his arm around her middle so she could put her weight on him.
“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.”