Enemy Within (Vampire Born Trilogy, #2) (18 page)

Unless …

I turn back to Mirko. “If Kaitlynn doesn’t get better, could we turn her?”

Jaren sits forward. “You mean … make her into a Zao Duh?”

“It could save her, right?” I ask Mirko, feeling hopeful.

Mirko exhales as if he’s almost overwhelmed by the thought.

If it can save Kaitlynn, we have to do it. “Could we?”

“The process is complicated, Slatki.”

“How so?” Jaren asks.

“There’s a lot to it. You have to get the timing right, the person turning has to be strong enough, and someone has to die so the other person can turn.”

“Are you kidding me?” I figured it wasn’t a simple bite-and-rise-from-the-dead system, but someone has to
die
?

“Everything in nature takes balance.”

“So,” Jaren says, “someone had to die when you were turned?”

“They did … but it’s not always violent. People die all the time, so if you can find a person about to die, you could use them.”

I have a feeling Mirko’s was violent, though. Knowing Jelena and Dikan were the ones who turned him, there was no other way he could have turned.

“Well, how would you do that?”

“We’re in a hospital. People die here every day. The real challenge for us would be to find a Pijawika willing to offer up their blood for the change.”

My dad.

I’ll ask him.

Kaitlynn stirs, opening her eyes.

“Hey,” I say and grab her hand.

It’s cold.

Very cold.

Worry ricochets in my gut. We have to move fast if we’re going to turn her. “How do you feel?”

“Sick.” She bends to the side of the bed, and I rush the blue bed pan in front of her face. She grabs it and pukes yellowish liquid into the bowl.

When she wipes her mouth, I take the bowl and hand her a jug of water with a straw.

Mirko grabs the bowl and moves to wash it out.

“Oh, no, Mirko. Don’t do that,” Kaitlynn whines.

“It’s fine. I’ve taken care of sick people before, and dealt with much worse things than this.”

She takes a sip of her water. “Well, thank you. And I’m sorry.” She grimaces.

“Don’t be,” he says and then goes into the bathroom. The toilet splashes and then the water from the sink runs.

What sort of person is kind and caring enough to do that? My guy, that’s who.

I freaking love him.

“Listen, Kaitlynn.” I squeeze her hand. “You’re sick. So sick the doctors say you could die from this. And you’re not getting better, but I think we can save you if it comes down to it. I talked to Mirko and he said we could turn you.”

She stares at me, pain mixed with confusion in her scrunched face. “What do you mean? As in make me a Zao Duh?”

“Yes, but we have to do it before you get too weak.”

“Oh, I dunno, Brooke. I’m not sure I want that.”

“What? Why not?” How can she not want to do it if it means she survives?

“Because I would never be the same. Because I’d be giving up one life for one that mostly sucks.”

I flinch.

“No, I mean … you told me how everyone treats Mirko. I would be in the same world in the same way he is, but it would be worse, right? Because I’m a girl.” She shakes her head slowly. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want that.”

I can’t believe this. “So, you’d rather die?”

She winces.

“Slatki,” Mirko growls. “In the hall.”

“Please, Kaitlynn. Think about this. It doesn’t have to be all bad. You can live.”

“Now,” Mirko demands.

I rise and storm out into the hall.

Once the door clicks behind us, Mirko lays into me. “How could you be so selfish? This is her life, her decision, and it’s not one she should take lightly.”

“Heck, yeah, I’m gonna be selfish. When it comes to Kaitlynn living or dying, I will always be selfish! I would die for her. All I’m asking is that she live.”

“You could die tomorrow and then where would that leave Kaitlynn? She has to have more of a reason to do this than because it’s what you want.”

“It’s more than what I want. It’s what I need. Nothing matters to me anymore if Kaitlynn’s not a part of my life. And the fact that she’ll still be alive should be enough of a reason to do it. And that’s partly why I’m so pissed. I didn’t get a choice into this life, but if came down to living or dying, I’d suck it up. She can’t give up. It’s not our way. We fight to survive, no matter how slim the chances are or how bleak the future is. We fight.”

Mirko clenches his jaw.

I don’t care. He matters to me, but right now, he’s trying to talk me out of fighting for Kaitlynn. This conversation might be one of those I’ll regret later, but I’m pissed. Beyond angry. We have a real chance at saving Kaitlynn and we need to do everything in our power to do so. Her not wanting to accept the help is not an option for me.

“I know you’re mad at me,” Mirko says, “but I’m not backing down. It’s her choice. Her future. She should be able to make the decision with all the facts. You’re being irrational and insensitive to her.”

“Irrational? Not at all. Insensitive? Why, because I want her to live? Because I’m not ready to see her die? Uh-uh, we’ve found a way to save her. She needs to take it.”

Mirko shakes his head. “Stay out here until you calm down. She needs a moment to think about this without you breathing down her neck.”

“Whatever.” I glare at the back of his head when he walks back inside.

How dare he kick me out of my best friend’s room?

On her deathbed?

I spin on my heel and punch the wall. Aggression consumes me, which isn’t like me at all.

Jaren comes out into the hall. “Probably not your best idea.” He nods toward the dent. “That’s gonna leave a mark.”

I glance down at my hand expecting to see torn knuckles, scraped skin at the very least, but my hand’s unmarred. It doesn’t hurt, either. Not sure if that’s a sign of my skin’s strength or the adrenaline pumping through my angry veins.

I’m boiling, but every time I try to talk myself into calming down, I circle back to the same point that riles me up again. This is Kaitlynn.

“Yeah. Have ’em bill me.” I turn my back to him and walk away. He most likely came out into the hall because it’s an opportunity to tell me what I want to hear, that he thinks Kaitlynn should turn. But his motives are impure—he’d only say it because he wants me to give him another chance. He should tell me that because he thinks that’s truly what Kaitlynn should do.

And because I’ll question his intent, I won’t let him speak to me. It’ll only make me madder. Especially because Mirko and I are fighting.

This all went downhill way too fast.

Is this what Lijepa meant when she said my Pijawikan side would change me? That I’ll be more aggressive, more selfish?

Am I already losing my humanity?

It’s times like this I feel it slipping.

I need fresh air, so I smack the button to call the elevator. It shows it’s on the main floor.

I’m too keyed up to wait so I take the stairs. I go faster and faster down each flight, trying to burn off some of my frustration.

When I finally reach the ground floor, I figure I might be able to talk to someone without biting their head off. Progress, but I still need the air. 

The drop in temperature when I step outside is exactly what I need. The cold breeze hits my face, sinking into my veins and chilling the anger in my blood.

When I’m calm enough to speak rationally, I call my dad.

“Brooke?”

“Yeah, hi, Dad.” I bet the “dad” part throws him a little. I’ve only ever addressed him as “father.”

“Hello.”

“Listen, I’ve never had a dad. I’ve always hated that you weren’t around, and I promised myself if I ever found you, I wouldn’t ask for anything more from you than for you to want me as your daughter. And I’m so glad that you’ve given me that, but I have to ask you for something else.”

“Brooke? What’s going on?”

“Kaitlynn is sick. She might die. I talked to Mirko about turning her into a Zao Duh, but he said our biggest obstacle is finding a Pijawika to give us the blood. And since you’re really the only one who doesn’t want to kill me, I kind of need your blood. Please.” I throw the plea in for good measure.

He’s quiet.

Please say yes.

“This is a bit unexpected. Brooke, you have to understand I am not unwilling to help you save your friend, but I have not turned a Zao Duh in centuries. I am careful about the people I turn because once someone is turned, I am responsible for them for a long time, you see.”

“I haven’t asked you for anything since you’ve come around. You missed over sixteen years of my life. You haven’t even been here for even one percent of my life. And I will never ask you for another thing as long as I live if you’ll just give me this one thing. She’s a good person, Dad. I can’t bear it if she dies.” I suck a deep breath of cold air into my lungs. “Please,” I beg, letting all my desperation and hopelessness come out in that one word.

“Brooke … I will see what I can do. Let me talk to Emerik. We have to go to this meeting with the Commission, so it may not be until afterward.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I hop up and down on the sidewalk and kiss my phone.

If we were speaking to one another in person rather than via phone, I would plant a million kisses on his cheeks. I don’t care that we were never close before, I love my dad.

He laughs into the phone. “All right. We must leave now. I will talk to you about this later.”

That dampens some of my giddiness. This meeting is serious, and none of us are certain of its outcome. “Okay. Good luck.” I mean it. I don’t want to find him and then have to face losing him. Nor do I want to stand before the Commission myself.

But Kaitlynn’s my focus now.

I’ve got the Pijawikan blood; that’s one hurdle crossed. The next is convincing Kaitlynn to turn, and then getting Mirko and my dad to help me with the rest. We don’t have much time. Rorik said he bought Kaitlynn time because he recognized the symptoms of meningitis, but during her last check from the doctor, he said if the antibiotics don’t make progress soon, Kaitlynn’s organs might start failing. Once that happens, there’s pretty much nothing else they can do for her. So we have—

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out.

David.

“Geez, what’s taking so long?”

“You need to listen to me closely.” It isn’t David. The man’s voice is deep and gravelly, like a chain smoker’s.

“Who is this?”

“What’s important is for you to listen to me. You need to run. Stay away from our politics. Stay away from the Commission. Run and hide, and never be found. David is a sacrifice to show you how serious this is. You have to leave, or another one of your friends will be next.”

“Who—”

The line goes dead.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Brooke

I don’t stop to consider if anyone is watching me before I flex my Nestati.

I blink.

I’m outside David’s house.

I pull his front door open so hard one of the hinges howls as it tears from its wood frame.