Blood Therapy (Kismet Knight, Ph.D., Vampire Psychologist) (44 page)

Chapter 23

Whispered voices and shadowy figures greeted me when I cracked an eye.

“She is still very pale,” a male voice said. “We may need to resort to our regular procedures if she does not awaken soon.”

“Should we prepare the blood?” said a woman.

“Wait! Her heart is beating more strongly.” Devereux leaned down and kissed my forehead, his soft hair trailing across my arm. “She is awake.”

As I opened both eyes and they adjusted to the dim light, I recognized a few of the vampires surrounding me. In addition to Devereux, Zephyr, Valentino, and Anne Boleyn studied me with solemn faces. Devereux’s assistant Luna stood off to the side, checking her wristwatch. Behind the vampires I knew were several others I’d never seen before.

Since they were all there, it had to be dark still, so I must not have been unconscious for long.

“How do you feel, my love?”

I tried to speak, but all that came out was a croaking sound. My lips and throat were so dry, I couldn’t form words.

Devereux poured water from a nearby pitcher into a glass, slid his hand under my back, and raised my head high enough to be able to drink. The water tasted wonderful, as if I’d gone without it for a long time.

I cleared my throat. “Better now.”

Relaxing back onto the pillows, I looked down at myself, expecting to see the bloody remains of the clothes I’d been wearing, but they were gone. Instead, I was wearing a sheer white gown. I did a double-take, looking up at the vampires and then down at my body clearly visible through the transparent fabric.

Ack! Bride of Dracula!

Oh my God! What the hell happened while I was out?

“Devereux, can I have a blanket, please?”

He looked at me, a confused expression on his face. “But you are sweating—are you sure you wish to be even warmer?”

“Er, yes.” I looked at the faces peering down at me. “Definitely.”

Nola, one of Devereux’s devotees I’d met around Halloween, brought a satin duvet and spread it over me.

“Thank you, Nola.”

She curtsied and stepped away.

Anne Boleyn sat on the edge of the bed. “We thought we’d lost you. Your heart stopped beating more than once. But you came back.”

“What do you mean? I thought Devereux said I needed blood, but I’d be okay.”

“You did need blood—human blood,” she said, “but we were afraid to give it to you.”

Vampires afraid of blood? What an odd statement. “I don’t understand. Why?”

“Do you remember what I told you about Michael and why he became
stuck
in between being human and vampire?” Devereux asked. “How he drank vampire blood, then had human transfusions?”

“Yes.” A very bad feeling washed over me.

Zephyr leaned in. “We could not determine whether or not the same thing would happen to you. Even though the assembled elders sought visions, the results were unclear.”

“So we decided to use magic alone to see if your body could heal itself,” Anne said.

Valentino gave a wicked, fangless grin. “Luckily, we were eventually able to locate a spell Zephyr created a century ago for a similar situation. And it worked, which I’m especially pleased about. Not only because you’re recovering, but because—had you died—Devereux probably would have lost his mind.”

“Well, we will never know.” Devereux brushed his lips over mine. “I am glad you clung so stubbornly to life. It is true,” he whispered, “I would have been lost without you.”

“But we did give you a little more of the elders’ blood,” Anne said, “just to make up for the amount Lucifer and Dracul sucked from your body, so you will continue to have the brain protection you discussed with Zephyr.”

“I need to tell you what happened with Lucifer and Dracul …”

“We already know,” Devereux said gently. “Zephyr read your mind and saw how the events unfolded from your point of view. We know about Nettie and Mina.”

“Yes, sister! You really kicked some ghost-summoning ass and saved the day!” Anne said, and punched her fist up into the air.

It was good they thought they knew what had happened. I hoped someone would explain it to me.

“You were also having bad dreams after being so close to Lucifer’s foul body,” Devereux said, “so Zephyr muted those memories. They should not trouble you as much now.”

Even hearing those words caused my stomach to cramp.

They were making it sound like they’d held a long vigil, which made me nervous, so I figured I’d just ask and get it over with. “So how long have I been here?”

“Seven days,” Anne said, and I finally noticed she was wearing an “I’m the Queen” T-shirt and jeans, which somehow just didn’t fit for the former wife of Henry VIII.

My brain ground to a halt. “Seven days? Wait a minute. We went over to Dracul’s house on Saturday night. Are you saying that a week has passed since then?” I tried to spring up into a sitting position but Devereux pushed against my shoulders, forcing me down onto the bed again. “I had clients scheduled—and my groups—oh no!”

Anne smiled smugly. “You will be happy to hear that I took care of everything.”

Uh-oh. Anne Boleyn taking care of everything? That could be a disaster. “What exactly did you take care of?” I had visions of my non-vampire clients lying drained in the waiting room.

“That was very good. You are such a creative worrier,” Zephyr said.

“I went to your home, found your appointment book, and called all your clients.” Anne polished her fingernails on her T-shirt. “I told them I was your answering service, and you’d come down with a very bad case of the flu. I said you would call to reschedule as soon as you were able. I canceled your entire week’s clients. And, brilliant actress that I am, I mimicked your voice and changed the messages on your phones to tell callers you were unavailable due to illness. I feel like such a professional!” She grinned and took a bow. “You may thank me now.”

Under any other circumstances, I’d have been concerned about the confidentiality issues raised by having someone other than me contact my clients, but I doubted Anne knew anyone who cared about a human psychologist’s client list or such humdrum mortal activities.

“I do appreciate it, Anne. Thank you. I’m glad I still have the weekend to recuperate.”

“All right!” Anne stood and clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “I think we can leave Kismet in Devereux’s capable hands now.” She grinned at me. “If you know what I mean.”

Suddenly, the room was empty except for Devereux and me.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine in a sensual, lingering kiss. I looped my arms around his neck and pulled him close, taking the kiss deeper. He eased his tongue into my mouth and I opened for him, giving as good as I got. Breathing in his delicious aroma and enjoying the brush of his soft hair on my skin helped my rejuvenation more than anything the elders had done.

Much too soon he broke the kiss, his expression serious. “Not knowing how to assure your survival devastated me. I do not remember ever feeling more afraid in my long life.”

I pulled him in for another quick kiss. “I’m glad you figured it out without turning me into a half-thing like Michael. What would you have done if I hadn’t regained consciousness?”

He sat up and shifted his eyes away. “That is not important. All that matters now is that you did return, and you will recover.”

I peeled the blanket off and slowly rose to a sitting position.

Devereux lifted his hands to push me back down, and I grabbed hold of them before they reached my shoulders. I didn’t want to lie down anymore. I wanted to confront his evasive statement.

“No! I want to sit up and talk about this. I know enough to recognize when someone is lying to me.”

“I am not lying.”

“Yes, you are. You’re lying by evasion. Apparently we need to have another discussion about the level of truth-telling between us. Let me ask you again: what would you have done if I hadn’t awakened?”

He finally met my eyes, the blue-green of his simply lovely rather than entrancing. “If there was no way to bring back your humanity, and to avoid turning you into a half-creature, I would have given you my blood and performed the transformation ritual to change you into a vampire.” He watched for my reaction.

I thought silently for a few seconds. “I see.” I couldn’t say his admission surprised me, because it was actually the most logical course of action. Literally dead or undead. I didn’t know how to feel about either choice. “Thank you for telling me.”

“That is all you have to say? You are not angry? Horrified?” He pressed his palm to my forehead, then against my neck. “Perhaps you are still feverish. I will call one of the healers back—”

“No.” I took his hand again. “I’m fine. I didn’t have a reaction because I really don’t know what I think. Would I really rather be totally dead than be a vampire? After treating so many undead clients, I know there’s nothing black and white about the issue. Each vampire is different, and there are no easy answers. At this point, I’m pretty sure I don’t want to die.”

“Perhaps we should discuss this again in the near future, so I can be aware of your wishes, in case something ever happens where that decision must be made.”

“Yes.” I brushed his hand with my lips. “That’s a good idea. I’m nothing if not pragmatic.” I raised my arms over my head, stretching the unused muscles. “So, fill me in on everything. What happened to Alan and Olivia? How about Michael? And—oh my God—the conference!” My heart rate increased. “I never said good-bye to Doctor Teller, and all my things are still in my hotel room, unless they tossed them out after I ran off—”

“There is nothing to worry about. Let me begin with the easiest. All of your things were retrieved from the hotel and taken to your home. Doctor Teller’s memories were altered so that she believes you told her you were leaving and said good-bye.”

“Thank you for that. I appreciate it. What about the New York cops? They thought I killed Jack Kent. What did you do about them?”

He raised a shoulder. “I merely planted a suggestion in all their minds that you had, indeed, slept through someone bringing the dead man into your room and that there were others involved—a group of organized criminals Kent had been involved with. The police are now searching for that underworld crime connection. They have completely forgotten about you.”

“Gee. You’re pretty handy, aren’t you? I’ll have to think of a way to reward you later.” I kissed him.

He gave me a come-hither look straight out of a vampire romance novel. “Your servant, my love.”

“And Alan and Olivia? Are they okay?”

“As well as can be expected. Alan has moved in with his mother for the time being and said to tell you he will speak to you as soon as you feel better. He would like you to call when you are ready. Olivia is experiencing profound grief, and she has hired several mediums to come to her apartment to connect with Colin.”

“I guess that isn’t totally unexpected, since they were so dedicated to each other. Have any of the mediums made contact with Colin?”

“I believe so. Apparently, a couple of them have been able to actually channel him—to allow him to reside in their bodies. Olivia is very excited about that development. She has become obsessed with forcing the mediums to allow Colin to communicate at her command. For hours and hours at a time.”

“Really? Does Alan know?” Wow. Olivia really did need therapy.

“I do not think so. But I am concerned about where she might be taking this activity. It cannot be good for the mediums in question to constantly host another being without their consent. And at this point, Olivia is not willing to listen to conflicting views. I do not wish to force my will upon her, so I am hoping therapy can help.”

“Shit, Devereux, this is bad—really bad. She’s grieving and in no state of mind to make decisions. We don’t know how long the mediums can act as channels without harming themselves, and if they die, or Olivia decides to keep them, they’d be listed as missing persons, and the police would become involved.”

“Yes, you are correct. One of the men already collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital.”

“Oh no! Is he okay? You changed his memories, of course.”

“Yes, I altered his mind, and he is recovering well. But, thankfully, I believe Colin will help us with this troubling situation. He has expressed his unhappiness about being forced to appear on command. He says it is not pleasant for him or the hosts. He has begged Olivia to come and see you. He said he will speak with her only in your office until she returns to her senses.”

“I’ll be glad if she decides to come for therapy. It sounds like she really needs it. Do you think telling Alan would help? Maybe he could talk to her?”

“I have used Alan as a tool in my discussions with her. I have said if she does not pull herself together and control herself with the mediums, I will tell her son. So far, that appears to have been effective because this evening she is in London with Alan for a change of scene.”

“Well, I can say one thing for sure. Life in the vampire world is never dull.” I indulged myself in a good look at his face. “What about you? How are you feeling now that Lucifer and Dracul are history and you know what happened? It must be strange to have had to kill such a world-renowned vampire as Dracul.”

Yes. Let’s talk about Dracula like it’s a normal thing.

“I have been so concerned about you that I have not given much thought to what happened, but I can say now that I am relieved it is over. Being unable to capture Lucifer brought out the worst in me, and that was humbling and upsetting. I knew Dracul’s mind was deteriorating. Sometimes really old vampires simply choose to die.”

“Really? I’d like to hear more about that later, because it might come up with my clients.”

“Certainly.”

“He really did love Mina, despite what he said?”

“Yes. I believe that unfortunate situation accelerated his madness. He discovered soon after killing her that she had not chosen the mortal after all. He was devastated and repressed the memory.” He stroked his hand along my hair. “How do
you
feel about Dracul’s death?”