Master for Tonight (19 page)

“Bring it to me, then. Nothing but your full
threat.” Reese backed away, motioning with his hands for Julian to
advance.

They fought intensely, showing each other
combative moves unrestrained—the skills and tricks they would never
show another of their kind. A vampire’s fighting ability was a
dangerous thing to display, as any talents could be exploited in
tactical advantage. Such was their bond in friendship that neither
feared the other’s knowing.

“Enough, Julian.”

“Do you yield? Do you agree I am the
victor?” Julian pushed against Reese’s hold, eyeing the silver
knife at his neck.

Reese dropped Julian and extended his hand.
“That, I most definitely do not. You’re a fighter in the street
sense and can handle yourself. You could outmaneuver Evangeline,
but your strength, in no way exceeds hers. I have a way to help, if
you will accept it.”

“I accept whatever it is, whatever the
cost.”

Reese extended his wrist. “Drink.”

“Why do you offer me this now?” Julian
grasped his friend’s forearm, but waited for a reply.

“I thought your interest in this woman, a
passing phase. It happens with our kind. These connections come and
then fade with time. It isn’t uncommon. Humans lose interest in
each other, as well. You followed through with our plan, deceived
Evangeline for this long, and now I know your history with her. It
isn’t, and never was, a passing thing with Kate. Drink, Julian.
This is a battle you must win.”

*

“Ms. Dowe, I can’t discuss her status, as
you are not Ms. Collins’ family,” the attending physician replied
to her request for Kate’s condition. “There are federal rules
around releasing patient information that I must follow.”

“I
am
her family! She can’t fill out
your form. She’s unconscious. Doctor Barr, please!”

“I am sorry, but I can’t. My hands are
tied.” He walked down the hall, his white coat billowing behind
him.

“This can’t be happening. Someone has to
tell me something,” she spoke to herself at the nurse’s
station.

“Ma’am, you need to take a seat now.” A
nurse said as she typed at her keyboard. “The waiting room down the
hall and to your left is unoccupied.”

“Yes. I’ll go there and wait again, I
guess.” Dejected, Mazzie turned away and went to the waiting room
the nurse suggested.

“That woman! No respect for rules. What does
she think? We can just tell her everything about patients? How do
we know who she is? Shiiiit.” She got up from the office chair and
went to the pill cart. “I gotta go on rounds now. Y’all hold down
the fort, okay?”

Seconds later, the waiting room door opened,
and the nurse walked in, shushing her.

“Okay. Now listen, I am not here, and you
haven’t heard a thing. Understood?” Her name tag read ‘Nurse
La’Rainne, R.N.’

“Yes, ma’am! I know nothing.”

“Your friend came in with what is normally
called Shaken Baby Syndrome. There was some retinal bleeding,
swelling in the brain, and bruises on the upper parts of her arms.
We see this in adults in cases of domestic abuse. Does she have a
boyfriend who beats her?”

“No. She’s single. There is no one in her
life who would do this to her. No one!” Mazzie eyed the nurse with
disbelief and shock.

“Well, someone or something did this to her.
I heard about the bite marks on her. Not sure what kind of animal
around here could have done that kind of damage. I’ve seen some
crazy things people do to each other in my line of business. Just
sayin’. Sometimes you never know how things happened. Sometimes you
don’t know people the way you think you do. Anyway, what the
doctors are worried about now is her ability to see and the neck
damage. They did what they could in surgery, but there’s only so
much that can be done. She’s in a medically induced coma now, and
they gave her some blood transfusions. One good thing is she is
somehow breathing on her own and didn’t need intubation. Her ribs
will heal, too. I hate to tell you this, Ms. Dowe, but there is a
possibility she will suffer some paralysis.” Nurse La’Rainne patted
Mazzie’s knee and stood to go. “That’s all I can tell you. I know
you love her. She’s your friend, and you should know, despite the
rules. She’ll be in ICU a few days to make sure she’s stable before
she’s moved to a private room. I manage the ICU and where she will
be moved, so I’ll be around if you need something. Try not to worry
too much. We’re going to take good care of her.”

Mazzie stared at the wall, seeing nothing as
she processed what the nurse told her.

“Paralysis? Thank you. No one was telling me
anything. Can you put me in her chart, maybe? You know? As an
approved person?”

“I’ll see what I can do. Mazzie Dowe, right?
Not like I haven’t heard your name enough.”

Mazzie thanked her again and reached for her
phone. She texted Reese Kate’s condition as the nurse left the
room. Seconds later, the door opened again. “Sneak into the room,
girl, while my back is turned,” Nurse La’Rainne said. “Once you’re
in, you’re in. They usually don’t ask questions after that. Just
go.”

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Mazzie said
as she hurried into the room where Kate lay. She wasn’t prepared to
see the IV lines and machines attached to her. All of them purposed
to keep Kate alive. Her knees buckled, and she caught herself with
the door. Her eyes swam with tears as she made her way to the
bed.

“Oh, my God, K. How did this happen?”

She pulled a chair over and took Kate’s
bandaged hand in hers.

“I love you, K. I’m sorry about what I said
when I left before. I didn’t mean it. I’ll be here when you wake
up. We’re going to get through this. We always do.”

Mazzie prayed for the first time in years,
pleading and promising anything, if only Kate would be okay.

*

“Julian, sit down. Stop your walking back
and forth. It isn’t helping anything. You’re making me dizzy.”

“Then don’t watch me. I feel fucking
useless, Reese! I could help Kate, but I can’t get to her!”

“We need to hunt your Maker while Kate’s
recovering in a secure location. I’ve reached out to my trusted
resources, asking them to let me know when and where she is
sighted. She’ll turn up somewhere, and when she does, we’ll make
our move.”

Julian stopped pacing. “She’s mine to
destroy.”

“Understood. I’m just here to help locate
her.” He rubbed his jaw. “Probably the only smart thing she’s ever
done in her existence—running.”

“Read me Mazzie’s latest text again.”

“It’s the same message as it was two minutes
ago. Kate is being moved from ICU tomorrow, into a private room.
The swelling in her brain has lessened, but they are keeping her
under medication because of the level of pain she would be in if
she was awake.”

Julian’s fists went through the concrete
wall, and it crumbled to the ground.

“Useless!”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to
say to Kate when she wakes up?”

Julian sighed and ran his dusty fingers
through his hair. “Yeah, I have. She has to know the truth, even
though she probably won’t want me once she does. My standing in her
life was precarious enough before any of this with Evangeline
happened. All of this is my fault, Reese.”

“Yes, it is. Hopefully, both of you will
work it out in the end. Let’s get out of here and search the city
while it’s still dark. You know Evangeline better than anyone.
Where would she go? What would she do?”

“Whatever she had to, in order to save her
wretched skin. I have some ideas.”

“Like where?”

“Evangeline doesn’t pick off criminals like
I do. She’s always gone to the trendier parts of the city to hunt.
I saw something today on the local news. There has been a series of
murders, and the police believe the perpetrator is the same person.
They’re calling the killer ‘The Cutter” because all the victims’
throats are cut, and the bodies are hung upside-down in the trees.
The police believe it’s a man, but I’m wondering if it’s
Evangeline. She doesn’t have to kill when she feeds. She’s either
getting sloppy and killing them by accident, cutting their throats
before dumping the bodies in the woods, or something else is going
on. She knows those parts of the city where these disappearances
are happening. We should begin there.”

“No wonder, she was getting Kate into the
woods when I arrived. I wondered why she didn’t just wreck the car
with Kate inside. You know, make it look like a late night car
accident. It would have been easier, cleaner, and not raised any
suspicion. There are accidents at that location all the time. It’s
a common place for deer to cross at night. I’ve fed from several,
myself. Chewy, but does the job.” He grabbed Julian’s shoulder.
“Evangeline has to be destroyed, Julian. If she is this killer, I
can’t promise you I won’t be the one to do it if I locate her
first. I’m sorry, my friend, but I can’t.” Reese waited as Julian
took a few moments to mull it over. “I know you want to do it, but
she can’t be allowed to destroy any more lives.”

“I can’t deny what you’re saying, and her
destruction is more important than at whose hands. Whoever gets to
her first, then?”

“Agreed. Let the hunt begin.”

“Mazzie, get up and come with me. I’m taking
you to Kate’s house to rest. You’ve been here for five days,
running on coffee and snack food from the vending machines. You’re
going to make yourself sick, and then what good will you be for
Kate when she wakes up?”

“I can’t leave her. We had an argument that
keeps running through my head. I was so mean to her.”

“You can, and you will.” He held his hand
out to her. “She’d tell you not to worry about a silly exchange of
words. Kate knows you love her. You two are more sisters than
friends, and siblings fight.”

“Those can’t be the last words she heard
from me. Yelling at her to get over it and get her act together. I
can’t believe what I said to her the other night. I don’t blame her
for hanging up on me.”

“Come on. You need a hot shower and a warm
bed, at least for a few hours. She’s not going anywhere. You know
she would tell you the same thing I am.”

“Yeah, I know she would tell me to go. I
suppose you’re right. A few hours won’t matter. I just don’t feel
right leaving her.”

“What’s with the sleep mask?” Reese
chuckled, his hand still extended, motioning for her to take
it.

“I bought it in the gift shop and put it on
her to make it look like she was sleeping. I know it looks funny.
You should’ve seen the looks the staff here gave me. But it helps
me to look at her and think she’s sleeping, instead of fighting for
her life. Plus, when they turn the lights on, her eyelids jerk like
it’s painful. So I think it’s good for her, too. Can’t hurt,
right?” She took his hand, and he pulled her to him.

“I think it’s a great idea, Maz. You’re a
good friend. Now, let’s go.” He guided her out the door and down
the hall to the right. He cleared his throat loudly.

“You okay?” Mazzie asked, placing her hand
on his back.

“Just a tickle in my throat. Keep
walking.”

“Would you stop ordering me around?”

Hearing the signal, Julian came around the
corner and slipped into the room from the hallway to the left,
locking the door behind him. He and Reese had timed his arrival
between nurses’ rounds to allow him enough time to get in and get
situated.

Julian’s heart plummeted when he saw her,
and he leaned against the door for support. She was so frail and
small in the bed. The light in the room was dim, but he saw the
cuts and abrasions on her face and body. Her bright skin was gaunt
with a yellowish tinge. Her weight loss was evident. The heart
monitor beeped in the background, a low and steady rhythm. Colored
wires ran from it, to underneath her dingy, blue hospital gown. The
IV stand held three pouches of medicine, one of which was dripping
into the plastic tubing, trailing to the needle on top of her right
hand. A fresh bandage was wrapped around her forehead.

He approached the bed, picking up the chart
at the end of it. He couldn’t make out all the medical jargon, but
the numerous pages of orders jolted him. He flipped through them,
counting at least twenty, before stopping. He returned the chart
and seated himself in the chair beside her.

He took her bandaged hand in his and
trembled as he pressed his lips against her pale skin. Reese had
described her condition, but the reality of it was nothing like he
had imagined. It was much worse, and it frightened him anew at how
close she had come to death. Her entire body appeared shattered. He
lifted the blanket and pushed her hospital gown up, baring her
broken body to him. Bloody gauze covered the surgery incisions on
her chest. He replaced her gown and the blanket with shaking
hands.

He laid his head against her hip with her
hand still in his, wrapped his other arm around her body at her
waist, and cried silent tears of regret and misery. His shoulders
shook with his efforts to contain his wails as his bloody tears
soaked into the blanket.

He looked at her face, his eyes blurry,
seeing her in a reddish hue, as if she was covered in blood
again.

“I’m so sorry, Kate. I’m so sorry, my love.
Please forgive me. I will kill her for what she did to you. I swear
it.”

Her hand twitched in his, and he jerked his
head up, loosening his grip. “Am I hurting you? Are you in pain?”
His eyes darted over her face, and he ran his fingers over her
cheeks, pushing the sleep mask up onto her forehead. The dark
circles under her eyes were more pronounced at the crescents her
closed eyelashes made.

Again, he pleaded, “Please forgive me, Kate.
I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.” He begged, unashamed.
His tears dried in two rivers of red down his face. “You will
recover fully. I promise you this, whether you choose to have me,
or not. You will be whole.”