Blood Sacrifice (21 page)

“Healing spell, healing spell,” I muttered, mentally rifling through my repertoire. “Hold him still, please,” I asked as I knelt down at Tucker’s head. Calling energy, I placed my hands just above his skin, not quite touching him. “
Heal
, damn you,” I whispered as I forced the spell out from my hands onto him. I made three passes, up and down, up and down, over all his limbs, his torso, his face. The welts reduced a bit and he lay still. “Turn him over, please.”

Niko and Adam complied. Thank the powers that be I had two vampires with me. Tucker weighed a freaking ton. It would’ve been difficult for me to move him on my own. I repeated my actions on his back, once again down his legs. After a few moments, he began to stir.

“Tucker,
cariad
?” Niko bent close to Tucker’s face, his hand cupping my brother’s jaw.

“Hello, love,” Tucker grunted. “What happened?”

“Fire ants,” I said. “A huge swarm of them. I didn’t know you were allergic.”

Tucker’s brow furrowed as he stared at me in the dim light. “I’m not.”

I packed up the debris from the first aid kit into a small trash bag and stuffed it underneath one of the rear seat benches. “You’re not? You sure reacted as if you were. Swollen tongue, not breathing, the whole nine. I had to jab you with two EpiPens plus a healing spell to get you to breathe.”

“Let me up,” he said to Niko, who, with an arm around him, helped Tucker to his feet. He wavered a moment, then steadied. “Damn it. It’s like I was hit by a really big truck.”

“That was the biggest swarm I’ve ever seen,” I said. “Bigger than the one Bea got into one summer when we were camping at the lake.”

“Wait, that’s not…” Tucker turned his head to look back at the cemetery. “Fire ants build mounds in moist soil,” he said. “Like lakeside. Not—”

“Not in dry, cracked dirt,” I finished. “I’m going back there.”

“You are not.” Adam put a hand on my arm. “Keira, if you’re saying that there was an infestation of insects where there should be none, then something is causing that. You’ve already been attacked one other time tonight, I say we table this now and regroup back at Bea’s house.”

Regroup? Do this all over again tomorrow? I sighed. “Okay, maybe you’re right. But tomorrow, I think Tucker and I need to come out here in the daylight. As much as I want the two of you with us, daylight helps us. Harder to hide.”

Adam began to protest, but I held up my hand. “I promise we’ll only look and not touch. I’ll take pictures
of all the stones if it makes you feel better. We need to get to the bottom of this. I’m willing to take a risk.”

“It does a little,” Adam said, “but I’m still wary of the place. There’s a subtle energy here that I feel now. It didn’t seem to be there until you—“

“Rang the doorbell?” Facetious or no, I was pretty sure that’s exactly what I did by touching that gravestone. “I know I probably announced our presence, but…”

“What’s wrong?” Antonio walked toward us, his stole still draped over his shoulders. “I saw you all over here.”

“Tucker got into a fire ant mound,” I said. “We’ll need to come back tomorrow. I need to get him home.”

“Oh dear, that’s terrible.” Antonio peered at Tucker, his human eyes not able to see well in the dim light. “Tomorrow is fine. I’ve begun the process, but I can finish it later,” he said. “Could we do it in the daylight? It’s rather difficult…” He let his voice trail off, a sheepish look on his face as he realized he was addressing two vampires.

“We’re actually coming back during the day,” I said. “Tucker and I.”

“Very well then.”

“To suffering there is a limit; to fearing, none.”

—Sir Francis Bacon

“S
he’s not at the café,” I growled. “Or at least she’s not answering.”

We’d arrived at Bea’s in record time, Tucker shivering in the back, even with a blanket on him. I drove with Adam as shotgun while Niko tried to comfort my ailing brother. I’d managed to heal down most of the ant bites, but his body was still in shock. When we’d pulled into the drive, there was no sign of Bea’s car.

“Adam, I need to go find her. The café closes at nine. She should’ve been back by now. It’s nearly midnight.”

Niko looked up from where he was coddling Tucker. “Keira, it’s not a good idea. We’re already down one person tonight. We don’t need to make it two… especially you.”

“You’re the heir,” Tucker muttered from underneath his blanket. He was ensconced on the couch, wrapped in two Hudson Bay blankets and Niko. “Under no circumstances will you go gallivanting around—”

“It’s Bea,” I protested.

“Call Carlton,” Tucker insisted. “He can go look for her.”

I slapped my own forehead and dialed a number I knew all too well.

“Larsen.”

“Carlton, Keira here.”

“She’s at the emergency clinic,” he said with no preamble.

“Bea? What’s wrong, what happened?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

Adam sprung up at the words and began to gather my backpack and keys.

“No.” Niko whispered fiercely. Adam flashed fang at his second. “No.” Niko removed himself from Tucker’s side to take Adam into the back hallway as I talked to Carlton.

“There was a fire,” Carlton was saying. “At the café.”

“Is she okay?”

“A little smoke inhalation, but she’s fine,” he said. “The café’s pretty bad off, though.” He let out a deep sigh. “Keira, I’m afraid that there’s more to it.”

“More how?”

“Those vandals that hit the cemetery?”

“Yeah?”

“I think they’re responsible.”

A million thoughts whirled through my head. “How so?”

“I saw some of the same tagging signs there earlier today,” Carlton said. “Along the back and side walls. Some more down by the deli. I had one of my guys take some pictures, hoping that the more evidence I could get, the easier it will be to nail the bastards when they’re finally caught. Only now…”

“Now what? Did the entire café burn down?” My heart sank as I considered this. Bea’s Place—the café established by her long-dead parents, the place we’d practically grown up in—burned to a crisp? Sure, I could pour money at it, rebuild, but the memories… This couldn’t be happening. But it was, the saner side of my brain insisted.
It was and it is and it’s all your damned fault.

“There’s a lot of damage,” Carlton admitted. “More than I would’ve thought for a simple grease fire.”

“Grease? I thought you said vandals were responsible.”

“I did. Some greasy rags were up against the back door, as if someone dropped them there when they dumped the trash.” He paused a moment, then continued. “Keira, the entire strip center is damaged. Smoke and water, some fire. The deli caught some sparks and it went up pretty quickly.”

I sank into a chair and buried my face in my hands as I handed the phone to Adam.

“Larsen, Walker here. Were there any other injuries?”

“What? I mean. No. Just Bea. Her aunt and uncle weren’t there. Noe was, but he’s okay. Is Keira okay?” Carlton’s voice softened a little.

“Not particularly,” Adam responded. “We’ll go pick Bea up at the clinic.”

“They’re keeping her overnight for observation,” Carlton said. “Just in case.”

I grabbed Adam’s arm. “No,” I whispered. “No blood tests.”

“Thank you, we’ll be in touch.” Adam ended the call and whirled. “Niko. Get out there now. Pick her up. Do whatever you need to.”

Niko flew out the front door, keys already in hand.

“Do whatever he needs to?” I gave Adam a quizzical look.

Adam put the phone on the counter and came to sit with me in the armchair. I scooted over to give him room. “He will glamour whomever needs it to get Bea home. You can check her out when she gets here.”

“In the meantime, I’m going to check out Tucker. He’s still shaking. I don’t like that.”

“Nor do I.” Adam rose and walked over to the couch where Tucker, swaddled in blankets as if it were winter at the South Pole instead of high summer in Central Texas, looked at him with a baleful glare.

“I hate this.” My brother’s voice came from below the blanket, muffled. The only part of him exposed was from his eyes to the top of his fiery red head.

“As you should.” Adam reached down and placed his hand on Tucker’s forehead. “His fever is rising, Keira.”

“Damn it.” I joined him, my own hand sliding below Adam’s. Tucker’s skin burned with heat. His eyes glazed over as he watched me. “I’m going to have to try something else,” I said. “Adam, can you get Isabel on the phone, please? Tell her what happened and what I’ve done. See if she’s got any suggestions.”

“Will do.”

I pushed Tucker over as much as I could so I could perch on the edge of the couch next to him. “Close your eyes,” I said in a gentle voice. “Relax as much as you can.”

He nodded and complied.

Taking deep breaths, I focused inward, calling to my energy, the part that lived deep inside, at my core. Normal healing spells never touched this, but I didn’t
have a choice. I’d done everything I could under usual circumstances, used every trick I’d been taught, but still, Tucker’s fever raged. The ant bites had all but disappeared, healed and gone in mere minutes. I had no idea why he was still burning up. With an effort, I pulled energy out my arms, to my hands, let it swirl around me as I once again passed my palms over Tucker’s body. For a brief heart-stopping moment, I couldn’t feel him. My eyes flew open, only to see him still shivering in his blanket cocoon.

“Sorry, hon,” I said. “I need to do this.” I began unwrapping the covers, exposing as much skin as I could. He was nude underneath, having stripped down in the car, afraid of lurking ants. I couldn’t help but admire his strong, tough body, defined muscles deceptively smooth underneath tanned skin. No bodybuilder physique, only that of someone born to fight, born to run wild. Run wild. An idea occurred to me. “Tucker, shift.”

“Do what?” he murmured.

“Shift.” I rose and pushed the low coffee table aside. “Bring the wolf. I think it will help.”

With no sound, Tucker closed his eyes. His body shimmered, faded, and was still.

“Tucker?” I tentatively reached toward him. He hadn’t shifted. Could he not?

“Keira, don’t.” Adam’s warning came too late as Tucker’s arm whipped out, grabbed me and pulled me to him. I landed flat atop him, my back to his chest. His right arm gripped me tight against him. A growl came from his lips. I could feel the slobber dripping against my neck, sharp fangs pressing against the skin. I struggled, but couldn’t budge his iron grasp. His left hand stroked my cheek, my neck, traveled down my body,
cupping my breast in some parody of a lover’s touch, caressing my belly, farther, down. The growl softened as his fingers sought to slide underneath my waistband.

In a flash, Adam was there, his hands on Tucker’s, ripping them aside and pulling me away. My brother snarled, his face half twisted in the shift, part wolf, part human. Saliva flecks flew as his head shook from side-to-side, fast, faster. I stumbled back against Adam, my heart in my throat, trying to gather what little wits I had left. My brother, my own brother had… No, stop. Don’t dwell on it. Figure out how—I threw a hand out toward him.

“Subside.” The freakish subharmonics of my command voice echoed, bouncing off the walls and the furniture, the very air shuddering with its strength. Tucker whimpered, convulsed and was still. Slowly, his face and teeth shifted back to normal. I fell into the armchair, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.

Adam crouched next to me, running his hands over my arms, cupping my jaw, kissing my forehead. “Keira, are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. I’m…” I looked over at my peaceful brother, now fast asleep, no longer shivering. “What happened?”

“The fever affected his ability to shift,” Adam said. “Isabel…” He motioned to the phone, now broken on the floor. “She was on the line, telling me that you shouldn’t let him shift, when…”

“Yeah, well. Too late.” I gave a weary chuckle. “Did she say anything else?”

“To put him to sleep—no, not that way,” he said as I jerked my head up and glared. “He needs to sleep it off. He’s weak and the fever and shivering will just make him weaker.”

“Well, I guess I eventually figured that out.” I sighed. “Could you phone Isabel back? She’s probably going a bit bonkers right now. I don’t think she has your phone number.”

Adam kissed my forehead again and rose. “I will. You relax here in the chair, okay? I know it’s foolish to think you’ll go to bed.”

“Well, yeah.” I snuggled into the chair, my arms cradling my head against the side. “I’ll keep an eye on him. At least, until Niko gets back with Bea. Then he can take over.”

Adam glanced at the kitchen clock. “He’ll be at least an hour, assuming all goes well.”

“Where’s Antonio?” I asked. He’d gone to use the facilities when we’d returned, but I hadn’t seen him since.

“I glamoured him.” Adam bent to pick up the pieces of the broken phone, pulling out the SIM card.

“You did? Why?”

“He needed to sleep. I preferred to not have him wandering around.”

“You don’t trust him?”

Adam shook his head, his dark hair obscuring his face. “I do not. I would not say this with Niko present, as he feels a certain reverence toward the priests of his religion, but I find that this man is too much of an enigma. His story makes sense, though I do not understand why he is so eager to help us. For all I know, he plots against us.”

I yawned and shuffled my body to a more comfortable position. “Plots? I’m not sure he’s gone that far,” I said.

“Keira, I was married to the woman he loved. The story he told us? His version only: that he rejected her
and she committed suicide. Fact is, the only truth we know is that she drowned. Did she truly kill herself and her unborn child rather than be with Antonio or with me?” Adam raised one eyebrow at me.

“Okay, you’ve got a point,” I admitted. “But if you don’t trust him, why did you agree to have him come along earlier?”

“He’s the only one I know who can re-consecrate that cemetery,” Adam said. “At least, he already knows about us. It would be rather awkward and perhaps dangerous to involve any outside clergy at this point.”