Secrets Of Sanctuary Hospital Nightmare Of The Dark Shadows (41 page)

Sarah answers. “Grant is not here and neither
is my husband. Considering what your children did to Jeff’s aunt, I
would prefer that you not come in. I’m sure you understand.” She
moves the door, but I wedge my foot in the opening.

“My children did not do anything to Amelia or
anyone else. However, there is a real threat out there and everyone
has been instructed to move up to the main area of Sanctuary, they
are gathering in the recreation building.”

“I’m sure that we can take care of ourselves,
we don’t need your help.”

“Sarah, I don’t know what I did to you to
instill this type of hostility, but I believe that William’s coven
or at least some of them are here and that is who killed Amelia.
With Grant, Jeff and Paul all out, it would be best if you would at
least go to the recreation building where the rest of our families
are, especially if you would not feel comfortable coming back to
the residency with me.”

“A werewolf killed Amelia and bit Lucas so
stop lying to me.”

Martina interjects. “She is not lying to you.
She is trying to protect you and your family. So please come with
us and get with the others”

“We’ll go but I don’t need you to escort us.”
Ousting my foot, she slams the door.

We are still on the porch when my phone
rings. “Mia, we found Grant and Jeff and are on our way back. You
are absolutely right William’s coven is on our land, or at least
one of them. Jeff said that is what he smelled on Amelia. He wasn’t
coming after us because he thought one of us did it, he was coming
after us to warn us and to find Grant. They were searching for a
lead, but we don’t have any. We don’t know if they are still on the
grounds somewhere, but we are coming back now, we are not far away,
we should be there momentarily. Where are you?”

“We warned the families by the school and are
moving them all up to the recreation center. I’m at Grant’s but
Sarah won’t come with us, she wants to go alone.”

The next moment, Jeff’s voice rings through
the line. “Mia, I’m sorry if I scared you but David’s covens make
me murderously crazy. Please, Grant told me what a powerful witch
you are, do not let my family go alone, they have our scents
because we have been after them before and have caused them damage.
If they catch her alone with the children, she won’t be able to
protect them. Please knock again and see if she will take the
phone.”

I knock but she refuses to answer. Going near
a window, I shout a warning to Charlie or Julianne. “Julianne,
Charlie, please I need you to open to door Jeff is on the phone and
Grant is with him, you need to come with us now, they need to talk
to you, please come and get the phone and have Sarah talk to Jeff.
I’m not leaving until you come with me.” I knock several minutes
and hear arguing. I decide to give her one more minute and then,
we’ll break the door down, if necessary. Finally, someone puts
their hand out and I give them the telephone. I wait outside
scanning the trees and can tell Martina is straining to hear if
anything is approaching.

A minute later, the door opens and Charlie
comes out with Julianne. “She’s just getting something for Andrea
and will be right out.” Charlie hands me the telephone. Without a
word, she comes out and we begin walking back.

We are half-way back when Martina stops
suddenly.

“What’s wrong?”

“There is someone coming up behind but not a
scent I recognize.”

She and I position ourselves in the back and
we all began moving quickly. I whisper to her. “Are you sure it’s
not Grant or Jeff with the others, maybe the combination is messing
up the scent?”

A menacing voice retorts from the trees.
“She’s sure.” All of a sudden, three vampires jump out before us.
One grabs Martina and is about to stake her when I flick my wrist
causing the stake to go flying. She pushes him so forcefully that
he hits the tree. The other two fly toward us but I repel them,
throwing them off balance and yell to the others to start running.
Julianne and Charlie phase and are gone instantly and I can’t
understand why Sarah hasn’t. We are all running, but a male vampire
catches Sarah while another knocks me down from behind. As he lifts
me, I see Martina and the third one fighting. Struggling to loosen
his hold on me, he pulls my hands tightly behind my back. I see the
one holding Sarah run his nose along her neck. I scream and he
looks up at me.

He bares his teeth at me. “Smell her before
you bite. You may have gotten lucky too. This one has a very
familiar scent. She belongs with the ones who attacked our coven
with the wolf. William will be very pleased. Is yours one as
well?”

His cold nose skims my neck as he inhales
deeply. “No, but she has been in a room with Marlena. I can smell
her on this one and it is pretty strong so Marlena must not be too
far.”

The one turns his opened mouth toward Sarah’s
neck, when all of a sudden, something hits the vampire holding me
and I’m free. Knowing what will happen if that vampire bites Sarah
or Andrea, I throw myself at them, with my arms outstretched
knocking all of us off balance. Falling, I feel something cut my
hand. There are growls and tearing sounds. Someone helps me up and
I see Sarah and Andrea get up as well.

Three wolves, Andrew, Jackson, Gabriel and
Francis are fighting the vampires. Andrew yells to Martina. “Get
them out of here.” Raising my hand to repel the vampires to give
Andrew and the others a quick advantage to end this encounter, my
eyes freeze on the blood seeping from my wrist. Martina grabs me
and we are quickly moving away with Sarah.

Running, it hits me that they are sired from
David and what Marlena said. I wonder if they have what can save
Lucas in their blood. Wrenching my hand free and turning on my
heels, I call out. “I have to go back, get Sarah to the recreation
center” As the fight comes into view two have already been
destroyed. “Andrew don’t!” He drops the match engulfing the last.
I’m too late. The adrenaline immediately vaporizes and I fall to my
knees.

Andrew is by my side, yelling to Jackson. “Go
get the first aid kit.”

“Why did you come back?” I can see he is
confused by my actions.

“They were part of David’s coven. Their blood
may have had the same element as David’s to ward off a werewolf
bite.”

Jeff approaches us. “Mia, we have killed some
of William’s coven by biting them. I don’t think that they have
what you need, nor do I think that these ones were sired by David
himself, they were not as strong as his creations.”

Jackson returns, handing a solution to Andrew
who is about to pour it on the bite. Grabbing his arm and pulling
my injured one away, my voice is almost breathless. “Tie a
tourniquet around it instead. Get me to Lucas, please now. If there
is a chance we need to take it.” Andrew takes my arm and I feel his
healing heat. “No stop that can wait too!”

From everyone’s features, I know no one knows
what I’m considering. “There may be some of whoever got me at the
wound site, maybe it could help. We at least need to try.” I’m in
Andrew’s arms and heading toward the terminal building.

Opening the door, Lucas looks terrible.
Catherine appears still as stone and is fighting with every fiber
of her being to maintain control. Andrew places me on the bed next
to Lucas. “Lucas, I need you to bite my wrist.” His features turn
horrified. “Lucas, please, one of William’s men bit me and if our
blood mixed, maybe you could get it before it becomes too
contaminated with mine, please you need to hurry.” Although Jeff is
skeptical, we can’t pass up even the slightest possibility. I place
my bloodied wrist up to him.

But Catherine grabs it. “Mia, you know what
happened to David.” I turn to her. I know, but he drank a lot.
Catherine, look at Marlena, she is alive and she bit me too. We
have to try before it’s too late. What we have given Lucas so far
is not really working.” Patting her hand reassuringly, “Marlena bit
me days ago, she is still here, we don’t have time, Catherine, and
this may be our only chance, please!”

I look back at Lucas. “Please you have to do
this, just remember, not too much.”

“I can’t bite you.”

“You have to before his blood flows and
combines too much with mine. Lucas please you have to do it
now!”

A pained look crosses his face as his teeth
sink in. I lock my wrist tight and force my heart not to speed up
with the pain. He is off my wrist very quickly and whispers. “I’m
sorry.”

I touch his arm with my good hand. “Lucas
this will work, you need to believe it. I do.”

He hugs me tightly.

Knowing that Cecil and Amanda are with the
children and knowing there could be more vampires still on the land
I want to get back to them. “We’ll see you in a while.” Rising, I
feel a little light headed and my gait is unsteady. Andrew places
his arm around my waist and we leave. As soon as we are outside the
door, he sweeps me into his arms, taking me into an unoccupied
room. He washes my wrist with solution before placing his hand over
it. The heat pulsates through the wound, healing it quickly. I try
to rise, but he places his hand on my shoulder, gently holding me
down, and reaches for the EKG leads.

“Andrew, I’m fine, really. I only got a
little dizzy. That’s all.”

After examining me and my several protests,
he allows me to rise. “See I told you that I’m fine. Come on, Eva
said Amelia arrived and I want to see what is going on with the
children.”

Getting off the gurney, Andrew embraces me
tightly. “I know you think that I’m being over cautious, but Mia,
your heart and pulse rate have never returned to the rhythm they
had before David bit you and your blood is still registering those
abnormalities, although the growth rate does seem to be slowing
down. It’s just that with the changes in you and then what happened
to the others, everything seems to be tied to you and I’m very
concerned.”

“I know you are, but I feel fine.” I hug him
and plant a chaste kiss on his sculpted lips. “I really do want to
check on the kids and Andrew, the ones that you destroyed may not
be the only ones out there. Marlena seemed too confident. What if
there are others coming for her?”

“We will handle them. Now that everyone is on
alert and on the main grounds, we can search.”

“But they still have a werewolf or werewolves
out there. What if you are bit. I know I told Lucas it would be
alright, but we don’t know anything for sure.” I feel the panic
rising within me. As we walk down the hall, Jeff comes toward
us.

“How are you feeling?” He inquires standing
beside me.

“Fine. How’s Charlie?”

“He was scared at seeing William’s men, but
he’s better now. I hope you don’t mind, but he asked to see Kayla
and I let him go over to your place.”

“We don’t mind at all. Charlie is a very nice
young man. He is the one who got Kayla speaking again. I’m very
grateful to him for that”

“I’m very grateful to you.” He lifts my
bandaged hand. “If Sarah or Andrea were bit” He shakes his head.
“Thank you.” He turns to Andrew. “If you wouldn’t mind, I need to
see Lucas and his bite.”

“What’s wrong?” Andrew’s interest is
immediately piqued.

Jeff’s eyes fall toward the floor. “When I
went in to see Amelia, I thought I caught Lucas’ scent around her
mouth. I need to confirm whether or not she is the one who bit
Lucas.”

I gasp. “Why would she do that?”

“I don’t know, but I had been speaking with
Lucas earlier and I could have sworn that when I went close to her
I caught it again. I know that Amelia was acting strange and
keeping to herself, so I doubt that she ever spoke with him, but
before I voice my opinion to Grant, I need to see Lucas.”

Heading back down the hall, when we open the
door, Lucas is barreled over in the bed and Catherine is struggling
to straighten him, and reassure him that everything will be
alright. Andrew runs his hands all over him as Jeff inches forward,
taking a deep breath. He shakes his head, inching closer. Andrew
finally gets Lucas to lie back in the bed and he appears to be
calming.

Jeff stands next to him. “Lucas, can I
examine your bite as a wolf?”

Lucas nods but I can tell he is puzzled by
the request. Jeff phases and gets right up to the bite. He stays
there several moments. I gasp as he steps away, the bite is healed.
Jeff phases back and he stares at Lucas. “Thank you. I need to go.”
He is swiftly out the door. Andrew’s hands are still traveling over
Lucas as Catherine speaks softly to him.

I catch Jeff in the hall. “What did you
discover?” Turning around, his eyes are blank and he looks like he
is in shock. “Jeff, what did you find out?” He stares but can’t
seem to find his voice, so I lead him to a bench. “Jeff, please
what’s wrong?”

After several moments, he pushes the words
past his lips. “Amelia bit him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, there were microscopic traces of her
scent around the wound site. Your family wouldn’t have smelled it
because his scent is so overwhelming. In fact, I almost missed it
because I couldn’t believe what else I smelled. “I smelled your
blood in him and the blood of another, but it wasn’t William’s
man.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Mia, I smelled fresh pumping blood, his
blood. His heart was beginning to pump.” Jeff’s voice drops and is
barely audible.

“Are you saying his own blood was flowing
through him and that he’s human now?”

“That can’t be, I know what I heard, but it
has to be impossible. He’s a vampire, his heart can’t be pumping
and his blood cannot be flowing, it was almost free of venom. I
don’t understand it. I must be going crazy. What type of place is
this? Vampires and witches working together; vampires around humans
without feeding on them, and your family back in England trying to
save even the wolves.” As he stares at me, a look of
incomprehension crosses his features. “It’s ironic, I had found
some peace when I first met you, it was because of you that I was
able to begin forgiving and understanding my father, but now, our
paths cross again and you have turned my understanding of
everything upside down. Nothing is making sense anymore. Vampires
can’t change, yet Lucas right now is human. He was a vampire when I
went in to the room and in a matter of moments, he wasn’t anymore.
What is it with you people, who are you, really?”