Immortals And Melodies (Blood And Guitars #2) (34 page)

For a regrettable moment, I got careless and let my imagination run wild, picturing what my life would be like if this didn’t work. My heart was racing by the time I realized what I was doing and forced myself to stop. It had to work. She had to wake up, and she had to be herself when she did.

Beck and I heard footsteps coming down the hallway twenty minutes later. Mark entered the room with an IV stand on wheels that held a bag of blood and bag of some clear solution. He also carried something that resembled a medium-sized tackle box. I got to my feet, wanting to make myself useful.

“Set this up at the head of the bed here,” Mark said, sliding the IV stand in my direction. I did as I was told and then stood with Beck, watching as Mark set to work preparing everything. He worked with focused precision as he slid a needle into a vein in Aurora’s arm and then attached it to the tubing that ran from the blood bag that hung on the rack. He let the clear solution enter her arm first, and then after a moment he released a valve of some sort and the Synod Elder’s blood began flowing through the tubing.

“What now?” I asked.

Chapter 45

Aurora

THE FOG, WHICH HAD become so dense that I couldn't see through it, suddenly started to withdraw and fade. The change was subtle at first, but then it became evident that it was dispersing, pulling away from me slowly but surely. My nerves were raw in anticipation of another flash. My time here had been like a rollercoaster. I went from being isolated and numb, to feeling faint rays of hope every time the blackness dissolved into a moment from my life. But even those moments that had started out happy hadn't ended well. Not in the twisted versions I was forced to witness.

I sat there in the blackness, watching as the fog moved further from me. I had no idea what would make it retreat like that, or if it was even a good sign, but I preferred the empty blackness to the feeling of suffocation the fog brought on. The fact that something was happening, something was changing, was good enough for now.

I wondered if there was anything I could do to bring about another flash. As terrible as they seemed as they were coming to an end, the last one had helped me connect with Trey on some level. I didn't know much about the place I was in, but I was certain about that. Had I been thinking about Trey before the flash had been triggered? The answer to that was a big, fat, resounding yes. But I was always thinking about Trey. I still had no idea what had happened to him when I wound up in this place. For all I knew, Malena was holding him. She could even be torturing him, if that suited her plans. I shuddered at the thought and pushed away the mental image that came with it.

Malena and I had never gotten along well, but I never would have dreamed she was capable of some of the things she'd done lately. I didn't want to think about what else she might be willing to do to make me pay for Antonio's affection, Damir's obsession, or whatever else it might be that she hated me for.

I could only hope Trey was alive and that I could find my way back to him somehow. I closed my eyes, which wasn't really a change of scenery considering the endless black that surrounded me. I focused solely on Trey. I thought about the crystal, clear blue of his eyes, and the way they smiled right along with his lips when he was happy. I thought about the smell of his cologne, and how I liked to rest my head in the crook of his neck, breathing it in. I thought about his voice, and not just his voice when he was singing, but the way his voice sounded when he laughed or whispered my name. I thought about being wrapped up in his arms and how crazy it was that I'd always felt so safe when he was holding me, even when he was human. I thought about what it tasted like to kiss him, and the way I always let myself get caught up in the whirlwind of his emotions, reveling in the pure honesty of them. I thought about my favorite song, and how even as a vampire, his heartbeat was the most comforting sound I’d ever known.

Trey was alive. I just knew it.

I opened my eyes again and looked out at the retreating fog, surprised to find that it had slinked even farther away from me now. It wasn't until then that I realized I felt different. My body, if that's still what you would call it in this drifting state of being, was different somehow. Had it been this way since I'd come to the blackness? I thought about that for a minute but decided with certainly that it hadn't. Something was changing, and it was changing at that exact moment. I sat quietly, paying attention to the changes, trying to identify them, but it was like trying to pick out individual grains of sand as they fell from an hourglass. I couldn't distinguish any specific thing, but I was aware the changes were happening.

I began to feel stronger, more substantial, like I might be able to affect my surroundings for the first time. I got to my feet and found that I was more or less standing now instead of floating. I no longer drifted about the darkness, but instead remained where I stood, watching as the fog continued to ebb away from me. Maybe I was the one forcing the fog back, keeping it at bay. I couldn't be sure, but that wasn't going to stop me from trying. If I were to have any chance at finding Trey again, at getting out of this place, I needed to be able to navigate through it all. I still had the blackness to deal with, but that seemed more manageable without the task of eliminating the fog as well.

Chapter 46

Trey

“SIT DOWN, TREY. IT could take a while,” Mark said from where he was sitting in the bay window. The storm was over, and the sun was coming over the horizon now, its rays pouring in through the slats in the blinds.

“You said that.” I continued pacing back and force, casting hopeful glances at Aurora. It had been an hour since the last drop of
Stanislav
Vidic’s
blood had entered her veins. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I hadn’t thought it would take this long. Beck sat on the floor, leaning against the wall across the room, playing with his cell phone.

“Maybe you should get some air,” Mark told me.

“You know, your ability to stay calm and collected is really pissing me off,” I said half-heartedly.

He smiled, and we both looked up when a knock sounded on the door. One of Stanislav’s assistant’s came inside carrying a tray with a bottle of
Vidic
wine/blood and two wine glasses.

“Mr.
Vidic
thought you could use some nourishment,” he said as he set the tray down.

“Please let him know we appreciate his hospitality,” Mark said.

“Mr.
Vidic
was also hoping for a report on her condition,” the vampire added, glancing at Aurora.

“There’s been no change, yet.”

The vampire nodded. Then he left us alone again. Mark got to his feet and opened the wine bottle, pouring each of us a glass.

I raised mine, saying, “To Aurora.”

“To Aurora,” they echoed.

I took a sip and was caught off guard by the explosive combination of tastes on my tongue. Beck must have read the surprise in my face, because he raised his eyebrows at me.

“Be careful. This stuff will turn you off of any other blood-laced wine.”

“I can see that,” I admitted, taking a second sip.

We stood in silence for a moment as we drank and then a knowing smile stretched across Mark’s face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Listen.”

I did as he asked, and focused on the only sounds in the room. It took a moment before I realized what was different. Aurora’s heartbeat was growing stronger and steadier. It was starting to sound more normal. Well, normal for a vampire, anyway.

“It’s working,” I said, unable to hide the relief in my voice.

“It’s a start.” Mark looked more than a little relieved, himself.

Another hour and a half passed, and while Aurora’s heartbeat sounded like it should, she still hadn’t opened her eyes.
Beck had gone to the next bedroom to sleep as soon as the first rays of sunlight had shown through the blinds. My phone buzzed in my pocket but I didn’t reach for it. Apparently, the cell towers were back online. Eventually, I was going to have to call O’Shea back. We were supposed to start rehearsing for the tour again today, but that wasn’t going to happen now.

“Go,” Mark said to me. “Take a walk. Clear your head. Call whoever you need to call. She’s going to need you when she wakes up, whenever that is.” I hesitated, wrapping my fingers around my phone in my pocket. “I’ll stay with her and send for you if there’s any change,” he added. I decided he was probably right. A little fresh air would do me good.

“I won’t be long,” I said. Then I went to the bed and bent low, kissing Aurora’s cheek. “I’ll be right back,” I whispered to her. I made my way down the long, marble hall and out the back doors. The storm had completely moved out, and the sun’s rays felt warm on my face, despite the cool morning air. I looked out at the maze of rows that held grapes earlier in the season and just started walking. I pulled my phone from my pocket and called my best friend.

“So have you just fallen off the planet or what?” O’Shea said when he picked up. “Rehearsal started five minutes ago.”

“I’m really sorry,” I said. “I meant to call you. I’m not going to make rehearsal.”

“Why not?” O’Shea asked matter-of-factly. “You know we’re playing at the album release party. We’re nowhere near ready.”

“It’s a long story.” I hated lying to him, but this was just the beginning of all the lies I would have to tell O’Shea and the other guys in order to protect them.

“Is it the storm?” O’Shea asked. “I just assumed you’d hole up in that giant house of yours and ride it out. That’s what the rest of us did.”

“It’s not the storm,” I said. “Although that definitely didn’t help the situation.”

“Okay.… You could start by telling me where you are.” he said. I sighed, not sure what I could say. I hadn’t seen any of the guys since we’d our swim with the sharks. Before I’d become a vampire. “I know you’ve been on your honeymoon and all, but-”

“I think the honeymoon is officially over,” I said, stuffing a hand in my pocket as I walked along the maze of dying vines.

“You and Aurora aren’t having problems, are you?”

“No. It’s nothing like that.”

“What’s going on?”

I stopped walking and dug the toe of my shoe into the dirt. “Aurora’s sick,” I said at last. I didn’t see the harm in telling him that much.

“Sick like the flu?”

“No. It’s a little more serious than that.... She’s in pretty bad shape.” O’Shea was quiet for a second, probably trying to process what I was saying. “She has a friend who is a doctor, and he got a hold of someone who is helping her. He’s ... a specialist.” It was the best way I could explain things without raising suspicion.

“I’m really sorry to hear that, man. She’ll be okay, right?”

“I hope so,” I said. “You know Aurora. She’s tough.”

“Tell her to get feeling better soon.”

“I will.”

“I’ll let the guys know what’s going on. We’ll postpone rehearsals until you’re ready.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“Keep me posted,” he added.

“I will.” I put my phone in my pocket and headed back for the mansion. Mark looked up when I walked in. A glance at Aurora told me she hadn’t moved since I’d left.

“I’m going to make some phone calls,” Mark said as he got to his feet. Of course, Antonio would be expecting Mark to call with an update on Aurora’s condition. So would Hana. We left her at the beach house, after all. “Send for me, if you need. I won’t go far.”