Before I can respond, Damon flashes over to us, vampire speed making him appear out of nowhere. He’s holding a small coffee cup, which he extends toward me. I take it reluctantly, stiffening when I see the dark red liquid inside.
“What the hell do I need to drink blood for?” I ask, my voice hoarse from vomiting.
Damon adjusts his perfectly pressed suit jacket. “The handmade bandage Kade made for you is temporary. And you need to see a doctor.”
“Okay, well?—“
“We aren’t taking you to a human hospital,” he interrupts smoothly. “And if Jabari sees you bleeding out when he wakes, this won’t be the end of it. He’ll hunt whoever shot you andthat person’s bloodline.” His expression remains casual, as if it were a typical conversation. “Bear shifters may not be big grudge holders like lion shifters, but that’s only because they’re so good at getting even.”
I stare at him in shock. “What?”
They’re talking to me like it’s perfectly normal to hand a human a cup of blood, to have a massive bear shifter passed out cold in what appears to be a police station. Then again, maybe for them, it is.
“It’s a small amount of my blood,” Damon explains. “Vampire blood has healing capabilities.” He chuckles, the sound oddly musical. “Well, as long as you’re not on the verge of death. Drink this and you won’t need a hospital visit.”
“What if I don’t want to drink your blood?”
Damon adjusts his tie, green eyes regarding me with a casual expression. “That is your choice, but?—“
I don’t let him finish. Taking a deep breath, I bring the cup to my lips and drink. The blood slides down my throat—cold, metallic, and unpleasant. It doesn’t taste bad exactly, but it doesn’t taste good either. It’s just... wrong, in a way I can’t articulate.
I groan and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. Damon takes the empty cup from me.
Almost immediately, the searing pain in my arm begins to subside, becoming a dull throb rather than the sharp agony it was moments before. The lightheadedness that had been plaguing me lifts, fading away gradually.
Leah holds the fabric bag out to me. “Here.”
I take it reluctantly, still a little wary of these supernatural creatures who’ve literally yanked me from one reality into another within the span of a day.
Damon stops in front of us with a mop and bucket. Leah gestures toward the back of the station where a large cell housesJabari’s unconscious bear form. “You get Jabari in the cell. He’s going to be cranky when he wakes up.”
Damon nods and walks over to Jabari’s bear form. He grabs one of the massive hind legs and drags him into the cell with surprising ease, the bear’s fur making a soft scraping sound against the floor.
In a blur of vampire speed, Damon disappears into a back room, returning seconds later with fresh clothing and a blanket. He steps over the sleeping bear and sets the items on the small cot in the corner. After stepping out, he closes the door with a metallic clang and turns the key in the lock.
Leah points toward a small hallway at the back of the station. “The bathroom is that way. I’ll grab some items for your stomach and toiletries like a toothbrush and mouthwash so you can clean yourself up.”
Before I can respond, she extends her palm and, like magic (because it probably is magic), a measuring tape appears out of thin air. I startle as Leah suddenly moves with vampire speed around me, the measuring tape whipping around my waist, hips, bust, and length so fast I barely register what’s happening. Then she’s standing in front of me again, the whole process having taken less than three seconds.
“Sorry for the intrusion,” she says with a genuine smile. “It’s best to get the measurements. Me being a curvy girl myself, stuff never fits right these days.”
I can’t argue with that logic. Finding clothes that fit well has always been a challenge, even without being teleported to a supernatural island with nothing but the clothes on my back—which happen to be stained with blood and vomit now.
I flinch slightly when Leah teleports out of the station, the black smoke dissipating quickly. She’s gone only seconds before returning with a stack of fresh clothing in her hands and a small bag of toiletries, which she offers to me.
“Here, go get yourself cleaned up, then I’ll feed you. And we’ll wait for Jabari to wake.”
“We can get you registered into Wintermoon’s database while you’re in here,” Damon adds, his tone businesslike but not unkind.
I take the clothes and nod, my eyes lingering on Jabari as I walk past his cell. Despite his massive bear form, he looks almost peaceful, curled up on his side, his chest rising and falling in the rhythm of deep sleep. Damon is already at his desk, going through paperwork and grabbing a clipboard.
Turning the corner, I spot the bathroom and step inside, closing the door behind me. I set the clothes and bag down by the sink and gaze at my reflection in the mirror.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, horrified.
I look like hell. Well, I’ve been through hell. My hair is a tangled mess, mascara streaked down my cheeks from tears and sweat. There’s dried blood on my arm and splattered across my dress, and my eyes are red-rimmed and puffy.
Digging through the bag, I find soap, a washcloth, toothpaste, a toothbrush, mouthwash, and deodorant. Simple stuff, but enough to make me feel human again—or as human as I can feel in a place crawling with supernatural beings.
