Blood & Roses: Warriors of the Krieger (28 page)

The door in the foyer opened and it was
William. “My lady, we’re ready to leave when you are.” He nodded
his head and turned for the door.

Lydia was standing by the fireplace watching
the glowing embers of the wood. “Are you ready?” I asked. We left
the mansion to attempt to perform a miracle. I sent up a silent
prayer that we can help these poor men.

We made it to the hospital without any
issues. As I approached the glass doors to Greg’s room, I noticed
all of the lights were shut off and the room was completely dark.
As I stepped up, the sensor triggered and the doors slid open. The
bed was empty and the sheets were clean and tucked neatly under the
mattress. There were no monitors, no nurses and no patient. My eyes
welled up with tears and I sunk to my knees. I turned to find Kai
standing in the door behind me.

“I’m sorry, my lady,” she curtsied. “Mr.
Hickman didn’t make it through the night.” Big tears rolled down my
cheek and she stepped closer to me. She rubbed her hand on my back
trying to sooth my sadness.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly. She’d worked
so hard and had been so hopeful about her mother’s potion. I hugged
her again and wished I could help her too. But we had a job to do.
Greg may have been just too far gone. Hopefully the others will so
better signs.

“Where is Dr. Mason?” I asked.

“He’s working on the new patients that came
in tonight. He’s administering the potion to the others. We don’t
know why the potion didn’t work on Greg, but all of the others have
agreed to try. They would rather die than become a hybrid.”

“Why didn’t it work,” I whispered.

“We don’t know why it didn’t work on him, but
the other patient that was treated has been cured. Do you want to
talk to him?” She ran an unsteady hand through her hair, tightening
her fist on the roots.

I gasped when she told me that it had worked
on another. Although I was saddened by the death of Greg, I was
relieved by the news that the potion wasn’t a total loss.

“Yes, please,” I begged. “Tell me about
him.”

“His name is Nikolas,” she paused. “He is a
Krieger
from Campeche Beach.”

“What?” I cried. “Dragus never told me about
this. Take me to him.” I grabbed Kai’s hand and pulled her along.
One of the
Krieger
had been bitten and it hit too close to
home for me. The
Krieger
of Campeche Beach had been in the
woods with Dragus and one had been bitten. I shivered at the
thought. I couldn’t let myself imagine if that had been my mate who
had been bitten.

Brilliam, Kai, Lydia and I walked down the
hall and stopped in front of another I.C.U room. The curtains were
drawn, and inside was a warrior. He was sitting on the edge of the
bed, dressed in his standard issued
Krieger
uniform, tying
the laces on his boots. Kai knocked on the window and I saw the
face of the healed hybrid.

When he stood, Nikolas was just as tall as
Dragus, but a little smaller in size. His blonde hair was long, way
past his shoulders. Big green eyes stared at Kai as we walked in
the room. Once he looked past her, his eyes met mine and he
automatically bowed; fist over heart.

“My lady,” he whispered. As he bowed I
noticed how his dirty blonde hair fell forward making a curtain
around his soft face.

I curtsied and sighed, “Please,
Krieger
Nikolas, have a seat. May I speak with you for a
moment?”

“Yes, my lady,” he smiled.

“How are you feeling?”

“I fell so much better. I am forever in debt
to Mistress Kai and Dr. Mason,” he smiled as he looked around me
and made eye contact with Kai again. I turned to see a faint blush
darken her beautiful skin.

I turned back to the
Krieger
. “Do you
have any side effects from the Lycan poison or the potion?”

He looked away from me and bit his lip. Kai
stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Go ahead,
Nikolas. Lady Charity is here to help. You need to tell her what
happened during the day today.”

I leaned forward as he raised his eyes to
mine, “Please tell me what happened.”

“Once the sedative wore off, I
unintentionally was able to shape shift into a werewolf. I don’t
know what happened. When I woke up, I was disorientated and scared.
Dr. Mason thinks the adrenalin in my body caused the change.”
Nikolas hung his head in shame. I started to reach out to him, but
stopped myself before I made him anymore uncomfortable.

“What happened after you changed?” I
demanded. I
needed
to know. This could be a revelation in
the future of our kind. What could this do? Could it be harmful for
us? For the humans?

“When I realized what I had done, I was able
to control myself and change back. It scared the hell out of
everyone.” He shivered and looked apologetically at Kai.

“Wait! This was during the day?” I
squeaked.

Lydia cleared her throat, “He’s a shape
shifter now; dual natured.
Krieger
Nikolas, and others like
him, will no longer go into a death sleep. They will now sleep,
like he did as a human. My friend in France told me about
this.”

“Genevieve?” I asked.

“Yes, from what I was told when I contacted
her yesterday. The potion had cured some of the vampires of the
poison, but the side effect was they became half vampire, half
Lycan. It’s been a deep secret within our world for some time. I
think, before now, there are only two or three in the world that
can do it.” Lydia turned toward Nikolas and smiled, “Can you do it
again?”

“Yes, ma’am. Do you want me too,” he asked
me. “But I’m not sure it would be proper, unless Master Dragus is
here.”

Brilliam moved forward and each one stood
beside me. Brock leaned down to whisper in my ear, “My lady, I
don’t think it would be wise for you to be in here when he shifts.
It may be too dangerous.”

“He’s right Charity,” Kai said. “He
accidentally destroyed the room he was in before.”

“Well, I want to see this for my own eyes,” I
snapped.

William pulled out his cell phone and called
Dragus. I spun around on him just as Lydia grabbed my arm. “Charity
let him talk to Dragus. Then we will take precautions before you
see him shift.”

I knew they were right in being cautious, but
I was anxious to learn more about them. I had to know what would
happen to the others. Greg had died from the poison and Nikolas was
cured. Was there a reason why one made it through, but not the
other?

Suddenly my body relaxed as I sensed Dragus
was near. I turn around just as he appeared on the other side of
the sliding glass doors. He barged in and marched right up to my
side, dismissing my two guards. Brilliam walked over and took the
two chairs by the wall.

“Master Dragus,” Nikolas bowed.

“
Krieger
Nikolas, how are you my
friend?” Dragus seemed to soften at seeing his comrade healed. The
hardness in his eyes relaxed and he took a steading breath.

“Almost normal sir,” he paused. “I guess
you’re here because of Lady Charity’s request?”

“Will you excuse us for a moment?” Dragus
turned for the door and I followed. Once the doors slid closed he
turned to me. “It’s not safe for you to be in there when he
shifts.”

“I know. The news was so exciting to me and I
just wanted to see it for my own eyes. I wasn’t thinking.” I bowed
my head, a little embarrassed at my behavior.

“I’m excited about the news too. If you want
him to shift, you will need to stay outside the room and watch
through the glass.”

“I understand. Did you know that one of the
patients died this morning?” The thought caused a pink tear to
escape and roll down my eye. Dragus used his thumb to wipe it
away.

“I know how it must sadden you, but at least
another was saved,” he reassured me. “Have you thought of a plan to
get the potion to Adam?”

“No, I have no idea. I think the first thing
to do, is to contact him and tell him I have the potion for him. If
that doesn’t work, you are going to have to take me into the forest
to find him.” I looked up into Dragus’ eyes and saw a bit of blood
in the corners.

“I don’t like that idea, Charity,” he
growled.

“Don’t get all worked up. I haven’t thought
this through yet. There’s still one more night before I need to try
to connect with him. The last time he tried to connect with me I
told him to meet me at my house in four nights. That would be
tomorrow night.”

Kai stepped outside the room about that time
and thankfully Dragus eased off the growling. She seemed nervous
approaching us when she saw the look of Dragus’ eyes. “Pardon me,
my lady. Have you decided how to proceed with Nikolas?”

“If he wants to shift, he needs to do it
alone. Clear the room and have everyone outside the window,” Dragus
interrupted. That got him an elbow to the side from me. Dragus
groaned and pulled me along behind the witch.

Kai escorted everyone out of the room. Lydia
and I stood in front of Brilliam and Dragus. Dragus kept his hands
on the tops of my shoulders, as if to move me in a seconds notice.
Kai stayed in the room until Nikolas was ready. Once she slipped
out, Nikolas turned to face us.

He stood there with his hands out to his
side. The muscles in his neck twitched at a fast pace. He inhaled
deep and long. When he released his breath, he began to change. His
hands turned into paws, slowly. Nikolas never cried out in pain as
his body shifted into the animal.

Hair sprouted, in patches, all over his body
and he fell down onto paws. His head tilted down toward his chest
and when it came back up, a long pointy nose had formed. Nikolas
shook his body like a dog would just out of a bath and when he did,
fur exploded covering his new form. He was no bigger than a large
canine. The only difference between him and a Lycanthrope were his
eyes. The werewolf in the room looked at us with the same green
colored eyes that Nikolas has as a vampire. They did not take on
the strange yellow glow like the werewolves did. This was a good
thing, because there was a distinct way to tell between a
Lycanthrope and the shape shifters.

Nikolas did not become the animal I thought
he would. He sat on his rear haunches just like a trained dog. He
turned his head to the side, I think he was confused. I wanted so
much to go in and touch him.

“Can I go in there now?” I asked Dragus.

“No, it’s not safe,” he whispered. I pulled
away from him and leaned closer to the glass.

Kai walked over to the sliding door and stood
in front of the sensor. When the glass slid open, Nikolas scooted
further back from the entrance, giving her room to enter. He didn’t
attempt to leave or attack, he just sat there waiting for Kai to
come to him.

“Brock and William please go with Mistress
Kai,” Dragus ordered. “Protect her.”

Brilliam entered the room slowly and stood
very close to Kai as she assessed Nikolas. The werewolf huffed and
turned his nose into Kai’s side. Nikolas closed his eyes and rubbed
his muzzle on her leg. Kai let out a startled giggle. Brock placed
a hand on her elbow and pulled her back a foot.

Nikolas stood up on his hind legs and huffed.
His fur disappeared and he returned to his vampire form. That was
the most magical and amazing thing I have ever seen. I know I was
standing there with my mouth open so wide, I’m surprised bats
didn’t fly out.

Chapter 13

Dragus

While Charity and Lydia were making their way
around to see the other victims with Mistress Kai, I slipped away
to go and speak with Nurse Alice. Brilliam, as Charity called the
recruits, followed them as per my instructions. The very polite
nurse was sitting at her desk, working over a new stack of
patient’s charts. She looked up as I approached.

“Master Dragus,” she sighed. “Here to check
on the patients?”

“I wanted to check on Richard Somers. Has he
given you anymore problems?”

The look on her face already told me what I
didn’t want to hear, but she said it anyway, “It’s getting worse
and he is demanding we release him.”

“Has he been given the potion?” I asked.

“Yes sir, he has been cured, but holds the
same ability as
Krieger
Nikolas now,” she grimaced. “And
he’s still overly forward in his torment of my nurses.”

“I’m going to go check on him myself,” I
insisted. Maybe he needed to be reminded of the proper way to act
in the presence of a female. The reports I had seen from the guard
says that he was rather disturbing in his advancements toward the
nurses.

At the moment I turned the corner and laid my
eyes on Charity, I felt her emotional distress. My chest tightened
in response to her panic. She stood frozen in front of Richard
Somers room. Lydia was trying to pull her away. I rushed to her
side and grabbed her by the arm.

“What’s wrong?” I demanded. Charity cringed
at my voice and jerked away from my touch. I looked in the room and
saw that Richard staring at her intensely. He quickly stood up from
the bed and started for the door. His face wore a smug smile that
had me seeing red. When I turned back to look at Charity, she had
bloody tears streaming down her face and in that second she turned
and ran for the stairwell. Lydia gasped followed her quickly toward
the exit.

“Where did she go?” Brock demanded, running
up from behind me as I took off at a dead run.

“Stay here!” I yelled. “That man goes nowhere
until I return!” I heard Brock’s steps falter then stop as I
reached the stairs. I vaulted over the cold gray railing.

Thankfully this stairwell was squared off. I
sailed down feeling the wind whoosh past me as I landed softly on
the ground floor. My feet didn’t have time to absorb the impact
before I was out the emergency exit, causing the alarm to sound.
When I looked around, Charity was nowhere to be found.