Saintcrow's Secrets

Opening all his preternatural senses, Saintcrow circled the hospital. Overlying all the other odors was the scent of blood, some from the living, some from the dead. The sharp stink of antiseptic and urine overshadowed the smell of death and fear. Kadie was not there, though he caught her father's scent. Where was Kadie?

Dissolving into mist, he entered the hospital. The first hunter was in the lobby, hiding behind a newspaper. The second was near the elevators, ostensibly waiting for the next car.

Saintcrow drifted up to the third floor. A pair of hunters stood at the far end of the corridor, trying to look inconspicuous and failing miserably.

He paused at the entrance to Room 305. It was a private room. Through the open door, he saw Kadie's father standing beside the bed. A short, rotund man in a white coat and black shoes stood on the other side, his head bent over a chart.

A girl lay on the bed covered by a thin blanket. Her face was pale, her cheeks gaunt. Her heartbeat was slow and uneven.

After moving into the room, Saintcrow willed the door closed, then assumed his own form. "What's going on? Where's Kadie?"

The hunter dressed like a doctor whirled around, one hand slipping into the pocket of his lab coat.

Ralph Andrews lifted his arm, the gun in his hand aimed at Saintcrow's heart. "She's not here."

"I can see that. Where is she?"

"Safe from you."

"So, this was all a ruse to get me here?"

"No. My daughter is dying," Andrews said. "I may lose her, but I won't lose Kadie to a monster."

Saintcrow shook his head. "Andrews, you're a damn fool. Put that gun away. I can break both your necks before you can pull the trigger."

Scowling, Andrews shoved the pistol into the waistband of his trousers.

Saintcrow was about to turn away when he felt a sharp stabbing pain in the middle of his back. He started to turn, only to collapse as the world went black.

He woke slowly, his senses sluggish. Where the hell was he? Unable to move, he glanced from left to right. He was in a dark room, lying on a gurney, his arms and legs strapped down. A heaviness unlike anything he had ever experienced burned inside of him, searing his veins. Fire itself had not caused him such agony.

What the hell had happened?

A door opened somewhere behind him. The sound of footsteps, and Ralph Andrews appeared beside him, a needle in one hand, a tray in the other. Removing several vials from the tray, he placed them on the end of the gurney.

Andrews jabbed the needle into Saintcrow's arm, filling one container and then another with blood so dark it was almost black.

"Is that for your daughter?"

Andrews nodded. "It occurred to me that the reason the effects from the blood of the other vampires lasted such a short time was because they were all relatively young. I decided I needed someone far older. Someone like you. Blood as old as yours should heal Kathy completely."

"What the hell did you use to knock me out?"

Andrews shrugged. "I'm not sure. I told a Nobel prize-winning research scientist everything I know about vampires and asked if it was possible to find something to render them powerless. I wasn't even sure it would bring you down, but Kathy's time is running out, and it was a risk I was willing to take."

Andrews drew a deep breath, let it out in a long slow sigh. "If it works, I'll drain the rest of your blood. I have several young patients at death's door. I'll need to do it quickly. Although vampire blood heals remarkably well, it's viable outside the body for only a day or two."

Outside the body. Saintcrow swore under his breath. He didn't have to ask what the future held for him after that. He could read it in the man's mind. Once Andrews had bled him dry, the doctor would make a quick visit to an old friend who worked at the town cemetery. Saintcrow swallowed a rising bubble of panic. Completely drained of blood, even a vampire as old as he wouldn't survive being cremated.

"I'm sorry," Andrews said. "But you see how it is? I'm a father and a hunter . . ." He shrugged, as if that made everything all right. Placing the vials on the tray, he left the room, closing and locking the door behind him.

Saintcrow closed his eyes against the pain burning through him. Damn! What had Andrews used to immobilize him? And how the hell was he going to get out of here when he couldn't move?

Kadie! She was his only hope. Forcing himself to relax, he opened the blood bond that linked them together. The pain, more excruciating than anything he had ever known, made it hard to think, hard to concentrate.

Kadie. I need you. Kadie! Dammit, hear me!

Rylan? He heard the worry in her mind. Where are you?

That was the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, wasn't it? He tried to respond, but darkness beckoned and he fell into it, hoping for a respite from the agony burning through him.

Rylan? Rylan! Why didn't he answer?

Kadie paced the floor, her thoughts flying in a dozen directions at once. But one thing she was sure of, her father was behind this.

She pounded her fists on the door, screamed for someone to release her, but to no avail. Screamed until she was hoarse and then she began to pace the basement floor. This couldn't be happening. How could she have lived with her father her whole life and never known him for what he was? When they'd returned to Morro Bay, he had told her, in a voice as calm as a summer day, that he had been born to be a hunter. It was in his blood. He had grinned when he said that, as if it was some kind of joke. He was, he said, locking her up for a few days for her own good.

If she'd had any lingering doubts about her feelings for Rylan, they had all been laid to rest when Kadie realized her father intended to destroy him. She had to get out of here, had to get help. But from who? And how?

Pausing, Kadie smacked herself on the forehead. Her father had taken her purse, but neglected to take her cell phone. Fishing it out of her pocket, she checked the time, then quickly punched in Shirley's number, grateful she'd asked for it before leaving Morgan Creek.

Shirley answered on the second ring. "Hi, Kadie. I'm so . . ."

"Shirley, listen to me. Is Micah there?"

"Yes, why?"

"I don't have time to explain. Can I talk to him, please?"

"Sure."

"Hey, Kadie."

"Micah, Saintcrow's in danger. I need you here. Now."

"What's going on?"

"I'll explain when you get here. I'm locked in the basement of my house." She gave him the address. "I don't know if my father's home, but don't let him see you."

"Don't worry."

"Hurry!"

"I'm already on my way."

Kadie resumed pacing the floor. Micah was a young vampire. Was he able to move from place to place as quickly as Rylan? What if it took hours for him to get here? Hours that they didn't have?

She was contemplating calling Shirley again when Micah materialized in front of her. "So, what's up?"

Kadie's hand flew to her throat. "Micah! You scared me out of a year's growth."

"Sorry. I'd think you'd be used to it, living with Saintcrow and all."

She waved his apology aside. "Can you get me out of here?"

"Sure." He wrapped his arm around her waist. "Hang on."

A heartbeat later they were standing in the backyard.

"Where is he?" Micah asked.

"I don't know! All I know is he's in danger."

"I'm assuming he drank from you?"

"Yes."

"Then you should be able to find him."

Kadie nodded. Somehow, she'd known Saintcrow had returned to Morgan Creek, but she had no idea how she'd come by that knowledge. "So, how do I go about locating him?"

"Concentrate on the bond between you."

"How do I do that?"

"It's like an invisible connection. Once you find it, you can follow it."

Kadie closed her eyes. She pictured Saintcrow in her mind, searching for the invisible link that bound them together. It took her several minutes but gradually she became aware that she was being drawn out of the backyard.

Opening her eyes, she hurried out onto the street, Micah at her side.

"Do you know where he is?" the vampire asked.

"Not exactly."

"Too bad. We could get there a lot faster if you knew where we were going."

Kadie?

Rylan! I'm coming. Where are you?

The hospital. In the basement, I think.

Are you all right?

He didn't answer. Before she could ask again, she felt a horrible burning sensation shooting through her veins.

"Hey!" Ravenwood grabbed her when she started to fall. "What the hell?"

Kadie groaned. "He's in pain. Terrible pain. And my father . . . he's bleeding him." She wrapped her arms around Micah's neck. "The hospital. Hurry."

"Just tell me how to get there." Swinging her into his arms, Micah followed her directions to the hospital. He stopped in the parking lot. "Now what?"

"Well, we can't go in the front door. We'll have to go in through the service entrance."

He nodded. "I'll follow you."

They moved stealthily through the shadows of the parking lot, then slipped in one of the doors at the back.

"Can you still feel him?" Micah asked as they stepped into one of the service elevators.

"Yes." There were several storage rooms in the basement. She paused briefly in front of each one, until she came to the last door on the right. "He's in there," she whispered, and prayed they weren't too late.

Taking a deep breath, Kadie turned the door handle. And nothing happened. "It's locked."

Reaching past her, Micah grasped the knob, gave it a twist and a push, and the door flew open.

Kadie switched on the light, gasped when she saw Saintcrow strapped to a table. His eyes were closed. His body twitched convulsively.

"Rylan." His name whispered past her lips as she hurried toward him. "Rylan, can you hear me?" She stared at him, appalled by how pale and weak he looked. She was only vaguely aware of Micah closing the door behind them.

Saintcrow's eyes opened. "Kadie?"

"He needs blood," Micah said, removing the straps from Saintcrow's hands and feet. "Human blood. Preferably fresh."

Kadie didn't waste time asking how he knew that. Slipping one arm under Saintcrow's head, she held her wrist to his lips. "Drink, Rylan." Seeing the refusal in his eyes, she shook her head. "Just do it."

Saintcrow glanced sideways at Micah. "Don't let me take too much."

Micah nodded.

Saintcrow looked up at Kadie; then grasped her forearm in his hands.

Kadie gasped as his fangs pierced her flesh, closed her eyes as he drank from her. He had tasted her in the past, in moments of passion, but never like this. For the first time, she felt like prey.

She glanced over her shoulder when the door opened. "Dad!"

Andrews glanced from his daughter to Micah to Saintcrow. "What the hell!"

What happened next happened very fast yet Saintcrow experienced it all in horrifying slow motion.

Andrews pulled a gun from his coat pocket. His first shot was for Micah, who reeled backward when the bullet grazed the side of his head.

Summoning what little strength Kadie's blood had given him, Saintcrow sat up, rage pulsing through every fiber of his being.

Andrews took a step backward, his finger curling around the trigger.

With a cry, Kadie threw herself between Saintcrow and her father as Andrews fired the gun twice in rapid succession.

A wordless shriek of denial rose in Andrews's throat as bright red stains blossomed across Kadie's chest and belly. She stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. A moment later, her legs gave way.

Saintcrow caught her before she hit the floor. She lay limp in his arms, her eyes closed, her face as pale as death.

"What have I done? Kadie . . ." Andrews stared at Saintcrow, his face almost as ashen as his daughter's. "Is she . . . ?"

"Not yet." Kadie's heartbeat was barely discernable. Her life's blood was warm where it dripped onto his arm. He was tempted to take her away from here, but she needed a doctor. And she needed one right now.

"Bring her upstairs," Andrews said, his voice thick with unshed tears.

Saintcrow glanced at Ravenwood.

"Go on." Micah pressed a hand to his head. "I'm fine. If you need me, I'll be in Morgan Creek."

With a nod, Saintcrow settled Kadie in his arms and followed Andrews upstairs. Moments later, Kadie was being wheeled into surgery. Andrews left to get his wife.

Alone in the hallway, Saintcrow dissolved into mist and floated into Kadie's room. He hovered near the ceiling while the nurses prepped her for surgery. He had seen blood and death in every form imaginable, caused a good deal of it himself, but watching the surgical team work on the woman he loved was the hardest thing he had ever done. The bullets, silver hollow points specially made for vampires and fired at close range, had done an incredible amount of internal damage.

Saintcrow didn't have to read the surgeon's mind to know that her chances of survival were slim at best. He could see it in the man's eyes.

When the operation was over, they moved Kadie into intensive care. As soon as she was settled, her parents hurried into the room. Carolyn Andrews grasped her daughter's hand and held it tight, as if she could will her daughter to get better.

Ralph Andrews stood by his daughter's bed, unmoving. The last two hours had aged him. His skin looked sallow, his eyes filled with quiet desperation and guilt.

Father and mother stood on opposite sides of the bed, not speaking, not looking at each other. Kadie lay unmoving, her face chalk white. The only sound in the room was her mother's muffled sobs and the hiss and wheeze of the machines that monitored Kadie's every breath.

Time lost all meaning.

A nurse came in periodically to check Kadie's vital signs, rubber soles shushing over the tile floor.

Carolyn's tears gradually subsided. When she spoke to her husband, her whispered words sounded as loud as pistol shots in the stillness of the room. "This is all your fault."

The softly spoken words struck Ralph with the force of a blow. He reeled backward several steps, one hand raised as if to ward off her accusation, and then his face crumpled, his shoulders shaking as sobs wracked his body.

When Kadie's vital signs grew weaker, Saintcrow materialized in the room.

"You!" Carolyn exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking what's mine."

"No! You can't! Ralph, stop him!"

"Carolyn, shut up." Ralph Andrews drew a deep breath.

"He's the only one who can save her."

Ignoring Kadie's parents, Saintcrow went to her side. After biting into his wrist, he parted Kadie's lips.

Carolyn gasped and looked away as several drops of dark red blood trickled into her daughter's mouth.

Kadie grimaced, her eyelids fluttering open as she swallowed. She gazed up at him, her eyes filled with confusion and pain. "Rylan? What happened?"

He took her hand in his. "Listen to me. You're in the hospital. You don't have long. . . ."

A sob rose in Carolyn's throat. "No!"

Saintcrow ignored her. "You only have two choices. I can turn you, or . . ."

He didn't have to put the second choice into words, which was a good thing, because he couldn't bring himself to say it, couldn't imagine continuing his existence without her.

Ralph moved to the other side of the bed, his eyes hard. "What the hell are you saying, vampire? Just give her some of your blood and she'll be fine."

"She's too far gone."

"I've saved dozens of people using vampire blood," Ralph insisted, a note of desperation in his voice. "Kathy's already doing better."

"I doubt if any of the others were shot at close range with bullets meant for my kind. Dammit!" he snarled. "We're out of time."

"No." Andrews shook his head as his daughter flat-lined. "No!"

Scooping Kadie into his arms, Saintcrow willed the two of them out of the hospital.

A thought took him home, to his lair in Morgan Creek.

He just hoped he wasn't too late.