On the Edge of Humanity (35 page)

“She drank some of Patrick’s blood,” Webb replied.

“Shit. Drugged?” Tripp asked.

“It appears so,” Webb replied.

“Sir, the Plutariums are shackled and ready for transport. The commander is taking Sam back to headquarters,” Tripp said.

“Sam? Ish…he…okay?” I asked, my words slurred. I shook my head. What was I saying? Sam wasn’t okay. “Where ish Sam?” I asked as my body swayed.

Webb placed his arm around me. “Sam is with your father. We need to get you back to headquarters ASAP.”

“Why? He’ll be dead before Steven has a chance to save him,” Patrick blurted out.

His words catapulted me out of the fog I was in. As if someone had touched me with a lighted match, I spun around with superhuman speed and lunged at the mortal monster.
Killing Patrick would be a vampire blessing.

He sat still as my body blanketed his, tackling him backwards, his head hitting the floor. Without another thought, my fangs clamped down on his throat. I began to pull, ripping his skin.

“Get off him, Jo,” Tripp growled as his hands grabbed me from behind, pulling me toward him.

“Tripp, she’ll rip his throat,” Webb intoned.

Now the vamp boys were getting the idea. I wanted to mangle the asshole.

Webb bent down and whispered, “You’ll have your moment, Jo. This isn’t it. Let him go. He’s a human. We don’t kill humans.”

In my world Patrick wasn’t human. He was a beast from the depths of hell.

“Think of Sam,” Tripp said in a soft tone. “We need to get back to him. Time is critical.”

Wow, that wasn’t fair, but he was right. I was wasting precious moments.

I released my bite and looked down at Patrick as Tripp pulled me off him. As he lay there with his feet shackled and hands cuffed, he stared at me with a smirk on his face. I wanted to unleash my rage and go another round, but Sam needed me more right now.

“What are you going to do with him?” I asked. My tongue seemed to be cooperating now.

“We’ll lock all of them up in our prison wing and we’ll deal with them accordingly.”

I drew my eyebrows together and said, “What does that mean?”

“It means, Jo, that I will be seeing you again,” Patrick said.

“Shut up. I didn’t ask you,” I barked. “The only time I’ll see you is when we’re lowering you into your grave.” My fangs hadn’t retracted yet and I desperately wanted to rip out his heart, no matter how much of his drug-laden blood I drank.

He laughed. “So young and so naïve,” he said as he glared at me.

“What does that mean?” I asked, squirming for Tripp to release me.

“He’s not worth it. Besides, we have laws that protect him,” Tripp said.

“I don’t care about the stupid—”

“Get her out of here. Dr. Vieira is waiting,” Webb commanded. “Head back to the compound ASAP. Olivia and I will stay here and clean this up. We’ll meet you back at headquarters in an hour.”

I didn’t need to hold on to Tripp. His grip around me was so tight I couldn’t breathe.

“Can you loosen your arm a bit?” I pleaded.

“Not until we are out of here.”

“I can’t breathe.”

“You’re vampire now, you’ll be fine,” he said as he carried me through the basement of the hospital.

What was that suppose to mean? I might be a vampire, but I still needed to breathe to live—or did I?
Boy, I have a ton to learn about all this vamp stuff.

Once outside, Tripp released me. My legs were like rubber, my knees shaking. He walked behind me as I staggered, making our way to the van. I took in a deep breath. The fresh air was a welcoming relief from the odors and smells that had me in a tizzy since I had first walked into the hospital.

I was anxious to see Dr. Vieira. I’d had my doubts when I ran from the van. He said he had been a vampire for a long time, but with two Plutariums against one Sentinel I wasn’t convinced Dr. Vieira would win.

When we reached the front of the van, Dr. Vieira wasn’t in view. The area around it seemed eerily quiet. The other car that Tripp and Olivia drove was gone.

“What happened?” Dr. Vieira said as he walked around from the back of the van. He studied me as he pulled my arms to him examining my wrists. Then he wiped my mouth with his fingers. “Whose blood is this?” His expression went from concerned to a deer-in-the-headlights look.

“Patrick’s,” Tripp said as he stood behind me, keeping me sandwiched between him and Dr. Vieira. “His blood was laced with some type of drug.”

I craned my neck and glared at him. “Thanks,” I said. The fog from whatever was in Patrick’s blood returned as the adrenaline in me seemed to disappear. My head began to hurt and with my legs on the verge of turning into Gumby, I was thankful that Tripp was at least behind me in the event I fell backwards.

“I told you to stay hidden. What have you done?” Dr. Vieira dropped his hands from my wrists. “Didn’t your father tell you that the only blood you could drink was his for the next few months?” He stood in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yeah, but…never mind. Can we just go? Sam needs me.”

Dr. Vieira nodded. “I need to get her back so I can somehow figure out how to cleanse her system,” he said. “And the others?”

“The commander rushed Sam back to headquarters about fifteen minutes ago. Webb and Olivia will secure the premises. Viking II has taken control of the Plutariums and is taking them back to headquarters as we speak. Patrick is secured and with Webb who will escort him back,” Tripp replied.

“We need to hurry then. Between Sam and now Jo, I have my work cut out for me,” Dr. Vieira said.

I slid out from between them, praying I could at least walk to the passenger side of the van. When I reached the open door, I fell in. A few seconds later Dr. Vieira slid in and helped me into my seat. Within seconds, the van was moving. I settled in my seat and surveyed my stomach where Fernando had stabbed me. My shirt was stained with blood, but that was it. My stomach showed no signs of Fernando using me as a voodoo doll. I looked at Dr. Vieira, then back at my stomach. I shook my head a few times. I remembered the pain I went through when Cliff had stabbed me, and how my body took forever to heal. Today—not even a scratch. I didn’t know whether to be excited or shocked.

As if Dr. Vieira knew what I was thinking, he said, “It takes some getting used to. I’m surprised though, that you healed so quickly. New vampires usually take a little bit longer for the skin to heal due to their nutrient levels. But I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised since you are a Mason.”

I had no idea what he meant by his last statement, but with my new vampire life I had time to tailor that thought for now.

I sat back and tried to relax as Tripp drove back, but all I kept thinking about was Sam. Could this car go any faster? I was tapping my foot when Dr. Vieira cleared his throat.

“Jo.” His nostrils flared and he looked like he was about to explode.

What now?

“I know that all this is very hard for you. But in the future, if you don’t listen to me, if you don’t heed my words or warning when I speak, you will not last long as a vampire. In addition, when I tell you what to do when we’re back in my medical facility, you
will
listen. Your teenage petulance will not get in the way of my job and saving your brother. Do you understand me?”

All I could do was nod. His words were sharp, his tone unyielding. Sam was the most important person to me. For the moment, I understood what he was saying and would listen to him, but I couldn’t promise anything more after he helped save my brother’s life.

Chapter 20

B
y the time we arrived
at headquarters, the drug had waned. I didn’t feel woozy, but just to be sure I stepped out of the van and took inventory of my senses. My legs weren’t shaky and the fog surrounding my brain was gone. I gave myself the
all clear
sign and ran into the building through the heavy steel doors, directly to the elevator. I banged on the button until the door opened. I couldn’t wait any longer. As the door closed, a hand slid around the edge, forcing it back, and my father stepped in. I stared at the panel of buttons, avoiding him. I guess it was his turn to yell at me, to tell me how disappointed he was that I ended up in a middle of a fight when he told me to stay with Dr. Vieira. I could hear all the grown-up words and military jargon he was about to unleash on me.

The door closed and the elevator began to move, climbing as if the gears were stuck, inching up slowly. He stared straight ahead with his hands clasped behind his back, not even looking at me. I stood still, shocked as silence filled the car. Now who was being childish?

The number three lit up indicating we were close to our destination. Then my father hit the stop button. The bell dinged for a few seconds and the loud, steady buzz stabbed my ears. I covered them when the car jerked to a stop. I closed my eyes, stilling the dizziness that suddenly surfaced. I hated small spaces.

“I want to speak to you before we go in,” he said, his tone obstinate, his posture stiff.

“Um, can we do this out of the elevator?” Drops of perspiration beaded up on my forehead and my hands suddenly became clammy.

“We need to do this now,” he said.

“Dad, please. I have to get out of here.”

He jumped back.

I patted my cheeks, unsure if something odd peppered my face or my appearance changed to prompt his reaction. No, everything seemed normal except the sweat trickling down.

“You called me Dad.” A smile split his face, stretching from ear to ear.

“I did?” I raised my eyebrows, surprised the word slipped off my tongue, as a drop of liquid dripped down the bridge of my nose.

He released the stop button.

“I’m sorry; I wasn’t aware small spaces bothered you.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know,” I said, still panicked. I wanted to be more of a smart ass, but my phobia with small spaces kept me from clawing at him. I reminded myself I had plenty of time to break out my repressed daddy issues later—like an eternity.

The elevator door opened and I jumped out, the chilly air washing over me. I let out a deep sigh and leaned against the wall, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand.

My father followed. “Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

I shook my head, inhaled and pushed off the wall. We walked, not talking. The sound of our breathing vibrated with every step, echoing around us. We had at least ten minutes before we arrived at the first set of double doors. I dreaded the trek since he had plenty of time to wield his wrath on me.

“Sam is in bad shape,” he said as his baritone voice echoed off the walls. “I want you to stay calm through the process. An elevated level of adrenaline can be dangerous for you as well as Sam. It can cause you to go into shock, then we can’t extract your blood for him.”

I swallowed hard. “He’s still alive?” I stopped, waiting for confirmation.

“Um…” he said as he looked down at me.

My father was over six feet tall and I had to crane my neck to meet his gaze.

As if we were hardwired, I sensed he wasn’t telling me something. I searched, looking for some hint, but all I could see was that his eyes had shifted a tint closer to silver.

“What are you not telling me?” I asked, blackness creeping in as my eyes shifted too.

“The human body has about six quarts of blood. Draining more than thirty percent causes a human’s system to shut down, then death is eminent. Unlike humans, and as I explained the other day, those who carry the vampire gene have a little more time. But, how long, we haven’t figured out. We know Patrick was taking blood from Sam in small vials over the past three days, until today when he started draining his system. I’m not sure how much blood Sam’s lost, but his heart is barely beating.”

He spoke as if he were my instructor in an Anatomy and Physiology class. After a couple of days with these vamps, I could probably get my medical license.

“You told me that already. You’re leaving out something.” I started biting my lip then tapped my foot.

He blew out a breath. “I’m not sure you’ll…you’ll…make it through either. Sam may need more blood than you can give him. And it’s crucial that he receives
your
blood.”

“What’re you saying?”

“This procedure is dangerous for you. You’ll be donating a lot of blood. While you’re young and your system can probably handle it, your organs haven’t completely developed. Your heart muscle is not strong yet. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Is that all you’ve got?” I balled both my hands into fists and glared at him. I hated him as much as I hated shedding my humanity. “Why didn’t you tell me that before I made the change? Why didn’t you tell me about all the risks? Wait. Your mission is more important than your long lost kids, right?” I started jogging, trying to get away from him, far away. What the heck did he mean about my organs not being developed yet?

“We knew this was a risk,” he called out as I disappeared around a corner down another hallway.

I turned, and before I could speak, he stood in front of me, his eyes soft.

“No,
you
knew the risks. I didn’t.” I punched him, releasing some of my bottled up anger. “I’m not going to die and neither is Sam,” I shouted.

“You don’t know that,” he replied. “And you don’t have to shout.”

I wanted to do more than shout. I wanted to rip out all the other emotions that I had stuffed down a black hole and sling them at him.

“And you do know?” I asked in a sarcastic tone.

“I have…special abilities that—”

“That what? Webb told me you can read minds, but that has nothing to do with you seeing the future, does it?”

I didn’t know what he was trying to tell me. Could he see into the future? Was I going to die? I thought I had already by shifting my existence into this vampire world.

He shook his head. “I can’t see into the future, but I can sense things.”

“Then sense this.” I stuck out my middle finger and ran. I didn’t know what came over me. It was if someone were punching keys on a keyboard and hit the command for
raise middle finger
. I suspected that he was seething, but I didn’t want to turn around to find out.

“Jo!” he shouted, his voice boomed and sent a shiver up my spine.

“I’m tired and I don’t want to do this anymore,” I said in a high-pitched tone.

Emotionally, I
was
tired. While there were some physical benefits to my new vampire body, my mind and emotions were still operating in the human realm. I was beginning to regret enlisting into the world of the undead.

I kept running. I wanted to get as far away from my father as possible. Besides, Sam was more important right now than arguing with him. I was grateful when the double doors opened and Dr. Vieira stepped out.