Almost Human (15 page)

Pagan all but dragged me to the stairs where
she paused. She looked up the long, narrow stairway and then back
at me. “Nope. I’m not dragging your sorry ass up there. It will be
too hard. Your feet and the awkward angle of dragging you is
slowing us down.”

“Great.” My knees started to slide out from
under me. If she wasn’t going to help, I could sit. “I’ll lay down
here.”

She snorted and crouched down in front of
me. Before I knew what was happening, she’d hoisted me over her
shoulder in a firemen’s carry. The pain in my head increased
tenfold and bile swam up my throat.

“I’m gonna hurl.”

“Don’t you dare puke on me, Kori. It’s a
short walk and we’ll be there.”

I groaned and held as still as possible, but
every time she stepped, my stomach jammed against her shoulder. We
made it to the landing and into the room closest to the stairs. She
set me on my feet before pushing me face down on the bed,
presumably so she could doctor my back.

“Stay here. I need to get some medical
supplies.”

“I couldn’t move if I tried.” And I really
couldn’t have. The amount of spinning the room was doing rivaled a
roller coaster ride.

She poked her head back into the room and
tossed something on the bed. I lifted my head and my eyes focused
on what it was.

“Bagged blood? Seriously. Is that even going
to work?”

“You can’t survive on it forever. I think it
has something to do with a lack of psychic energy that you get when
you feed or whatever. But it will give you some strength until you
can feed properly.”

I grimaced. Feed properly? I wasn’t sure I
could take some unwilling victim, and until Alaric was on his feet,
I couldn’t feed from him.

She left again, and I reluctantly drank the
blood. She was right. It wasn’t satisfying at all. It was like
eating Lean Cuisine compared to a homemade meal. That boring, “Why
should I even bother finishing this?” feeling.

However, my head stopped simulating a roller
coaster ride, and for that I was grateful. My senses sharpened as
well. I could hear people moving around the living quarters. Fallon
was cursing in the room next to mine. I was shocked and very
relieved that they could wake him.

Pagan came back through the door and dumped
medical supplies on the bed next to my head.

“Everyone has settled in. I’m sure you’ll be
happy to know that Casey actually came here with Dagger before you
guys made it here. I would have told you sooner, but it completely
slipped my mind when you all arrived so battered.”

A tension deep inside my chest, that I
hadn’t realized was there, eased. No matter how old she was, Casey
would always be my baby sister. I’d loved her and replaced a mother
that hadn’t loved either of us. We’d been born to carry on the
line. I was supposed to protect her, and I’d failed her enough for
one lifetime. Longer…

I sighed and attempted to clear my mind. “I
don’t suppose I get drugs for this doctoring you’re going to
do?”

Pagan snorted. “Well, if you’d like a little
heroin, I’m sure that could be arranged, but beyond that Nyx is a
‘suck it up and embrace the pain’ kind of guy. And for that matter,
I’m that kind of girl. Hell. I’ve done stitches on myself. Did you
get pain killers, ever?”

I snorted. “Hell, yeah. Astra’s parents were
doctors. She’s got the hook up. And a witch specializing in healing
can master a spell to eradicate pain, and we always had one of
those in our network.”

She snorted. “Lucky you. After my brother
quit hunting I had to do my doctoring on my own. Never did have any
pain meds much stronger than aspirin.”

She cut the shirt off my back and pulled the
sides apart. She let out a low whistle. “Well, on the upside, these
seem to be slowly scabbing over. I think the bleeding has slowed if
the amount of blood on your pants and shirt are any indication,
because it’s barely leaking now. Strange that these are healing so
slowly.”

“They’re demon cuts. I think that must have
something to do with it. Glad they’re healing though.”

“They seem to be healing at a human pace.
Sucks to be you.”

She stuck a needle into my skin to begin
stitching and I growled at her. “I think I hate you.”

She snickered. “Love you too, honey.”

Back wounds are the worst. If you injure any
other part of you, you can compensate. If you break a leg, you use
crutches. If you break an arm, you string it up and use the other.
But when you hurt your back, every tiny move you make sets it on
fire. If you walk, you’re in pain and if you move your arms, you’re
in pain. You can’t sit, stand, or even lay down without causing
some kind of twinge.

I sighed and tried not to shift in my seat
or touch my back to the chair. Unfortunately, the cuts came down to
the top of my ass, so jeans were a problem, too.

We’d all gathered in Dagger’s room after
we’d been patched up. He was still down for the count, but he had
information we’d need, so he had to be in on the plan. The only one
who hadn’t joined us was Fallon, who was resting comfortably. Well,
relatively speaking.

Nyx paused in his pacing and faced us. “So
what now, people?”

Dagger frowned at him. “This is none of your
concern. We shouldn’t even be here. We’re putting you in danger. If
I hadn’t been unconscious, I would have told Casey not to come
here.”

Nyx crossed his arms over his chest. “I want
to help you fight this evil she-bitch. Now that I know the kind of
trouble you’re in, I want to help.”

“No, take your fledgling and your werewolf,
close the bar, and get gone for a few days. I won’t put you at
risk.”

Nyx shook his head. “You need me.”

“I’m stronger than you, boy. I don’t need
you.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, but have you
mentioned to these people that you can’t access most of your powers
without losing control?”

Dagger opened his mouth to retort but was
cut off by Alaric.

“Stop bickering. Nyx is a big boy. He’s
older than everyone here but you. That’s not the point of this
meeting. The point is to find out what the heck we need to do
next.”

Dagger took a deep breath and flinched. “We
call a Gate Guardian.” He looked at me. “You had a decent plan, but
we failed, and now we have no choice.”

I sighed and ran my hands over my face. “I
agree, but I don’t have that kind of power. Neither does
Casey.”

“Together, you and I have enough power.
We’ll leave Casey out of it.” He glanced at her. “No offense,
honey, but you don’t have enough power or control to pull this off.
What we’re about to do will make you very, very evil.” He looked at
me. “I think you can do it, though.”

“Can you do it? Is Nyx’s statement about not
being able to use your powers true?”

He glared at Nyx. “I should have let you die
on that battlefield long ago, boy. You and your fledglings cause me
nothing but headaches. That Fallon is a pain in the ass.”

“Dagger, answer the question.”

He shrugged. “Yes, occasionally using my
powers can make me lose control and kill some folks. But, there
will be a conveniently summoned Guardian. Gideon knows to kill me
if he believes I’ve lost it. Hell, it’s kind of hard to convince
him not to kill me. I’m part demon, and he feels that means I don’t
belong in this realm.”

I laughed. “Great, so do you think you’ll be
safe summoning him?”

“Yeah, we’ve reached an agreement. But, I
need time to heal and so do you. If we’re not at full strength,
things could go badly. Calling Guardians has a delightful way of
backfiring—everything from calling more demons to setting your cat
on fire.”

Alaric laughed and then bit his lip to hold
his laughter in when Dagger glared at him. “Holy shit. You’re not
kidding?”

“Nope. Mr. Whiskers was my ex-girlfriend’s
cat. You can understand why she’s an ex.”

Nyx snorted. “Because of that cat’s awful
name?”

“Yep.” He glanced at Alaric. “You need to
feed and heal in case we need you to, you know, cut off my head or
something.”

I nodded at Dagger. “What about you? Are you
healed and ready to go?”

He frowned and rubbed his stomach. “We don’t
have a choice. We need to get this done quickly. I’m not a hundred
percent, but I’ll feed again. And you need to also, but I have
another thing in mind for you.”

I arched an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

“You’re going to feed, and then you’re going
to have some of my blood.”

I scowled at him. I didn’t like that at all.
But then, the whole need for blood was skeeving me out anyway. “And
why will I be feeding from you?”

Alaric growled. “Yes, please explain
that.”

He sighed and shook his head at Alaric.
“Don’t get your possessive panties in a twist. I’m hoping giving
her a bit of my blood will strengthen her and give her a bit of
immunity against the dark realm we’re tapping into here. Hopefully
if she’s got a bit of evil in that lily white soul, it won’t be
physically painful to bring this guardian. And I’m hoping if she
gets used to the sensation now, she won’t go completely dark side
when two tons of evil dumps down on her. We’re messing with wicked
shit, and I’m guessing she’s only done good magic.”

I snorted. “Good magic is as powerful as the
bad, and can be used to do some pretty nasty stuff. Just because
there is no blood sacrifice but our own occasionally doesn’t mean
it’s weak.”

He nodded. “I know that, but still, its
white magic. No decent witch in her right mind would open a portal
to a demon realm. Not knowing what could piggyback out.”

I shook my head. “You’re right. I’ve got to
be crazy.”

Alaric chuckled. It wasn’t a happy sound.
“Well the way I hear it, we’ve got no choice.”

No, we didn’t, but that didn’t mean I wanted
to jump into next level shit. What if I couldn’t handle all this
evil Dagger was talking about? He was right. I’d only done pure
magic. I’d done nothing that could stain my soul, because of how
dangerous I knew it could be. It could turn me into one of the
monsters I hunted. Or worse. Being killed outright was the least of
my worries. At least no one else would get hurt if I kicked the
bucket.

Pagan stood. “Well, I guess I’d better go
ask around for some more willing donors. Ours have given blood
twice already. They’re resting. Fortunately, the bar is well
stocked.”

I shuddered. Willing donors. Another word
for junkies looking for a bigger rush than any drug could give
them. It was disgusting. But it would have to do. Everyone slowly
filed out of the room, leaving me alone with Alaric. He motioned me
over, so I came to sit next to him on the bed.

“What do you think about all this?”

He grasped my hand and shook his head.
“Well, I don’t like it. I’m worried about what this will do to you,
but you and Dagger have both said we don’t have a choice, so it
doesn’t matter what I want.”

I sighed. “I don’t see another choice. If I
did I’d take it, but Dagger’s weapons didn’t hurt her nearly
enough.”

“I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He
cleared his throat. “I think your sister would kick my ass.”

I glanced away from the intense look in his
eyes. Could he love me? It seemed too soon for that. But I’d been
so worried when he’d almost died. Like I might perish with him. And
then with our new strange psychic bond, I felt connected to him. If
it wasn’t love, it was close. I stared at where our hands were
joined before I glanced at his face for a second. “I don’t want
anything to happen to you either. And it has nothing to do with
your brothers killing me. I have to do this to save you.” I
snorted. “And everyone else. Sherra’s zombie will keep killing
after she gets you, and this demon…depending on the type, it could
be trying for world domination.”

I finally met his gaze. “If I don’t pull
this off, I need you to take care of my sister.”

He cupped my cheek. “She’s already family.
You never had to ask. Misha would do anything to keep her safe, and
that’s enough for her to win my loyalty. You should go feed.”

I stood but he didn’t release my hand.
“Kori, you won’t fail. You can’t. You shouldn’t even think about
it.”

He said it with complete confidence. There
was absolutely no doubt.

* * * *

I stepped into Alaric’s room, thoroughly
sickened with myself. Alaric turned around and frowned at me.

“Did you feed? How is your back?”

I swallowed the bile creeping into my
throat. “Yes, I fed. And my back is healing rapidly.”

He squinted at me, as if he were trying to
read my mind. “You don’t look like you enjoyed taking someone’s
blood.”

The words rushed out of me before I had a
chance to think. “Of course I didn’t enjoy it, Alaric. These people
freak me out. They’re willing the let a vamp do whatever they want.
And they don’t particularly care if they die. I almost couldn’t do
it. I don’t think I ever want to again.”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but this is
something you’ll have to get over. Be glad there is a willing food
source. In my day there wasn’t, and you truly did prey on possibly
innocent people. I’m actually surprised you fed.”

I glared at him. “I don’t think I can get
over it. It’s wrong, though, yes, in your day it would have been
worse. The only reason I managed is because Pagan’s husband is an
asshole.”

Alaric chuckled. “He’s used to getting the
unwilling to feed. It’s what makes him a good sire. He won’t let
you give up and die. How did he manage with you?”

“Pure guilt. That man can bully and
manipulate anyone into anything. He nicked her with a knife and
said if I wasn’t at my full strength we’d all die, and he’d merrily
leave us to it if I didn’t feed.”