Blood Rule (Book 4, Dirty Blood series) (10 page)

“
I thought the same thing.
She’s being really hush-hush about that visit with her mom. Did
Cord or Derek say anything to you about how it went?”

“
No, not
really.”

I sighed. “She’s holding back. I think
the hair might be her way of distracting.”

“
Distracting who? Her or
us?”

“
Yes.”

He chuckled.

Wes took the exit for the hospital,
maneuvering through afternoon city traffic. It was nothing compared
to rush hour in the capital, but it still took another thirty
minutes to navigate the few miles left.

“
Will you go back to
public school in the fall?” he asked.

“
I hadn’t really thought
that far ahead,” I said.

He frowned. “I’m sure Edie
has.”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
There are other schools
for Hunters.”

“
You think they’ll send me
away again?”

“
Have you met
Edie?”

I scowled. “She wouldn’t. Not now,
with everything happening with Steppe.”

“
She would if she thought
it would keep you safe.”

I didn’t answer. Partly because he was
right, partly because the thought of Hunters being a safe haven for
me anymore was ridiculous. Even Grandma had to see that.

We parked and made our way to the
Hunter wing. As usual, the nurses let me pass without objection. A
few cast nervous glances at Wes. One openly stared. None of them
looked thrilled by his presence but neither did they object to him
being here. I wondered what Grandma had said to vouch for him in a
place devoted to and filled with Werewolf Hunters.

When—if—the treaty was rescinded, I
had no doubt he wouldn’t be welcome here any longer.

I headed for Alex’s room first. I knew
it wasn’t Wes’s favorite place to be but I had to at least check on
him, for my own peace of mind. At the intersecting hallways, Wes
tugged on my hand.

“
I want to go see Alex
first,” I said. “For a few minutes.”

He hesitated. I sensed the argument on
the tip of his tongue, but he held back. “Why don’t you meet me in
Vera’s room when you’re done in there,” he said.

I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek
and gave him a tight smile. “All right. See you in a
few.”

I sensed him watching me go but I
didn’t turn. It bothered him that I came here every day, though
he’d stopped saying so. Instead, he pretended he was worried about
my mental health, closing myself in a room with a coma patient. But
I knew better. He was jealous.

There was no reason to be. I’d made my
choice weeks ago in that dirty clinic in the woods. I just hadn’t
gotten around to telling Wes yet. Stubbornly, I held back. And
every time he acted jealous or grouchy about Alex, it made me want
to say it less. I shouldn’t have to say it. He should see it. The
simple fact that we were together, that I gave him my time every
day and my kisses every night, should’ve been enough.

Alex’s room was exactly as I’d left it
the night before. The monitors beeped. His chest rose and fell
underneath the thin blanket. My eyes wandered to the table
underneath the window. Someone had removed the dying flowers. Even
the vase was gone.

I pulled the single, empty chair
alongside the bed and sat down. The fake leather was cold against
the back of my bare legs. Everything about hospitals seemed cold to
me.

“
Hey, sleepyhead,” I said
into the silence.

Alex’s doctor insisted coma patients
had been known to wake up claiming to hear the voices of those
who’d visited while they were under. He’d said I should talk as
often as possible. Sometimes, I felt silly doing it, but other
times, like today, it was nice to be able to vent without
judgment.

Other people’s reactions had a
tendency to weigh heavily. I was already carrying an entire pack’s
worth of emotion. I didn’t need any more. And this way, I could
tell Alex absolutely anything, including things I’d never say if he
were awake.

So while I sat, I told him about all
that had happened in the last few days: Nick, Vera’s collapse, my
expulsion, and the growing certainty that Steppe wanted to do more
than dissolve a peace treaty and kick me out of school.

“
It’s building toward
something,” I said. “And I don’t know what it is, but it’s … close.
Like it’s right around the corner.” I looked down at my hands and
realized I’d been twisting them together. I freed my fingers and
reached out, wrapping my fingers gently around Alex’s.

“
Honestly, I’m afraid to
look around that corner. I know whatever’s waiting is going to be
bigger than me. Bigger than I’m capable of. And it would be so much
easier to handle if you were awake. At least then your sarcasm
would make me determined to beat whatever this is. But with you
like this… I need you to wake up, okay?”

And I need to know I
didn’t kill you.

My phone buzzed inside my pocket and I
stood up to slide it free. Angela’s number lit the display. So far,
the “no cell phones inside the hospital” policy hadn’t been
enforced beyond dirty looks from orderlies. I didn’t want to test
the boundaries, so I kept my voice low as I answered.

“
Hi, Ang.”

“
I’m on my way into the
city. Can I see Alex?”

Crap. I’d forgotten she’d asked about
that. “Umm …”

“
Please, Tara? I really
want to. Besides, I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“
I don’t know if they’ll
let you in,” I said honestly. It’s a wing run by
Hunters.”

“
Didn’t they let Wes
in?”

Good point. “I’ll see what I can
do.”

“
Sweet. My mom is dropping
me off in fifteen. Meet you at the main entrance.”

I agreed and disconnected. The chair
scraped as I returned it to its original place against the wall.
Alex’s cheek was deceivingly warm where my lips brushed his skin.
“Be back in a few,” I whispered. Then I went in search of
Wes.

I found him in front of the nurse’s
station speaking with a doctor I recognized as one that’d examined
Alex a few times. His wire-rimmed glasses sat low on his face,
making his eyes look smaller and magnifying the bags
underneath.

“…
Won’t likely see a
change anytime soon if her vitals are any indication,” he was
saying. “At least, not one for the better. I’m sorry.”

Wes nodded, his hands stuffed deep in
his pockets. “Thank you,” he said quietly as the doctor walked
away, updating his clipboard as he went.

“
The doc updated me,” Wes
said when I reached him.

“
I heard.” I wrapped my
arms around him and held tight.

He pressed his lips against my hair.
His arms were stiff in their hold, evidence of his
stress.

“
How’s Alex?” he said
after a moment.

“
The same.” I stepped back
so I could look at him. The pain I’d glimpsed before was gone. I
knew it was still there but he’d hidden it behind a shell of
calm.

“
Did you see her?” I
asked.

“
Yeah. She looks the same.
Did you want to stop in?”

“
Later. Angela called. She
wants to see Alex.”

He frowned. “Will they let her
in?”

“
I guess we’ll find out.
She’ll be here in five.”

“
I’m going to go out on a
limb and say you should ask permission alone,” he said. “I think
they’ve already granted me all the favors I’m going to get by being
allowed through the door.”

I thought of the way the nurses
glowered at him every time he entered. They could definitely sense
him and they didn’t like it. But Grandma had vouched for him, and
being part of The Cause could still open a few doors. “But she’s
human. You’re at least supernatural and covered by a
treaty.”

“
For now. Soon, I don’t
expect that to count for much. Angela will be the one getting us
into a place like this, if at all.”

I sighed. He was probably
right.

Three nurses, two supervisors, and one
phone call to Grandma later, Angela was in.

“
Straight to Mr.
Channing’s room. Straight out,” the burly supervisor instructed.
“No detours.”

Angela agreed with wide eyes and a
resounding, “Yes, sir.” I poked her in the ribs. “Er,
ma’am.”

I hurried us away before they asked
her for a blood oath and texted Wes that we were in.

At the doorway to Alex’s room, Angela
halted. I turned back halfway between the doorway and the bed.
“What?” I asked.

“
He’s so … still,” she
said.

“
He’s in a coma, Ang,” I
said, my voice gentle. I’d spent so much time looking at him this
way, I forgotten what it must be like seeing it for the first
time.

“
I know, I know. I need a
minute.”

She approached the bed slowly, her
eyes trained on Alex’s, as if she expected his to flutter open at
any second. The blood pressure cuff beeped and began inflating.
Angela jumped. She looked up and squinted at the monitor. “What’s
happening?”

“
The machine automatically
takes his blood pressure every hour,” I explained. “So the nurses
don’t have to keep coming in here.”

“
Oh.” She watched as the
cuff inflated and then slowly deflated again. “Is that normal?” she
asked, pointing to the numbers that lit the screen.

“
It is for a
Hunter.”

“
Hey.” Angela and I looked
up and found Wes hovering in the open doorway.

“
Hi, Wes,” Angela
said.

There was a split second of
hesitation. His mouth hardened as if he’d reached a difficult
decision and he walked in and slid his arm around my waist. “How
are you?” he asked Angela.

“
Better than Alex,” she
said on a sigh. “And Vera. How is she? Any change?”

“
No,” he said.

Angela nodded sadly. “I’m so sorry. I
hope she wakes up.”

“
Thanks.” He turned to me.
“Fee called but my reception died. I’m going to take a
walk.”

“
We’ll be here,” I said as
he kissed my cheek. Then he left.

Angela asked a lot of questions and I
gave her as many details as I could about Alex’s condition. Yes,
they’d run blood tests. No, nothing had come back for infections or
any known illness. Yes, he seemed healthy. No, they didn’t know why
he was still unconscious. By the time I’d finished, even I was
impressed with how much medical jargon I could spew.

“
He’s going to wake up,”
Angela assured me.

I didn’t answer.

“
Your blood is powerful
stuff,” she added. “You’ve got an entire pack, healthy and coma
free, as proof. He’s going to wake up.”

Although I didn’t say it, her
encouragement boosted my spirits. I needed someone else to share my
hope.

Wes returned a few minutes later.
“What did Fee say?” I asked when he walked in. The question went
unanswered. He had a strange look on his face. “What’s wrong?” I
asked.

No answer.

His eyes were glazed over in shock.
Loose panic curled through my middle. “Wes?”

He blinked. “Turn on the TV,” he
said.

“
Why?”

“
Just turn it
on.”

I hit the button on the corded remote
that attached to the wall behind the bed. The screen came to life,
lit with cartoons.

“
News,” Wes
said.

“
What—?” Angela
began.

“
Sshh,” Wes cut her
off.

The newscaster’s face filled the
screen, her skin porcelain underneath the lights and the makeup.
Her lips were painted a bright pink that clashed with her dark red
cardigan. But my eyes caught on the picture box in the right corner
and froze there. The screen showed an apartment building, overlaid
with the face of a smiling twenty-something blond. I didn’t
recognize her but the name—I’d heard that name before.

Mallory Gunther. Mallory.
Mal.

Cord’s friend in DC. She’d worked in
CHAS’s science and research division. Wes had gone to her for help
when we’d been looking for a way to save George from turning into a
rabid hybrid. But someone else had found out her intentions and
gotten to her first. She’d been dead when he got there.

The newscaster’s voice was neutral,
devoid of any emotion or attachment to the story. But I didn’t need
any added inflection to get the message like a punch in my
gut.

“…
unsolved murder in
Hanbury Heights last month of a young girl found dead in her
apartment after being reported missing by her employer. No leads
were given at the time and the investigation was suspended, pending
any new information.

“
This morning, we received
word of new details drawn from a surveillance camera mounted on the
parking structure across the street. The police have released a
still photo taken from that video. If you recognize this person,
please call the number at the bottom of your screen. Any
information is helpful.”