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A look of horror on her face, Sharah cal ed for security, but they couldn’t get near the flailing youkai. But Camil e climbed up on the bed, straddling him, holding him down as best she could while they applied heavier restraints. Sharah gave him a shot of something and within seconds, he stopped fighting.>He bit his lip, looking both terrified and relieved. “Okay.” Taking a deep breath, he let it whistle out slowly. “I think I’m just scared. I know I’m not ready for dating, but . . . I don’t like sitting home alone, and it just seemed natural to ask her. I didn’t think she’d real y accept.”
“Chase . . .” I jumped up to sit on the table, swinging my legs as I sat there. “So much is happening to you right now. You’re smart to recognize that you need time to process it. But that doesn’t mean you should be alone. It doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to someone for comfort.
Just don’t mistake it for love. Don’t rush it. Don’t push it. Don’t let yourself be rushed or pushed, either. Let it be whatever it’s meant to be—and maybe it’s only going to be a movie and a hot dog with a friend. You know?”
Flashing me a soft smile, Chase let out a soft snicker. “How’d you get to be so smart? You sure you’re not Dear Abby in disguise?”
“Heaven forbid. Hel , I can’t even manage my own life.” I paused, then laughed. “Look at us.
We’re sitting here talking, like old chums. I kind of miss the days when I scared the shit out of you and used to breathe down your neck just to see you jump.”
He broke into a loud laugh with me. “Oh, Fanged One, you stil scare the shit out of me and I stil jump when you surprise me.” He paused, then said, “I kind of miss those days, too. I thought for sure you were going to put the fang on me, and more than once, I wondered . . .” Breaking off, Chase let his voice drift into silence.
I didn’t want to fol ow the thread of his thought, but it was better to get it out in the open. I was really tired of secrets. “More than once, you wondered what it would feel like? To let me bite you?
Drink from you?”
Silently, he nodded, blushing.
“Listen, Chase . . . it can be sensuous beyond al imagination . . . but it’s a dark al ey for a human to walk. An FBH—even one with an extended life span and burgeoning powers—isn’t cut out to be a bloodwhore for long. And the addiction to letting a vampire feed on you is a one-way street. Yes, it’s sexy as hel , if your owner wants it to be, but it’s not a good idea. That’s why I’ve never fed on Nerissa, and I never wil . She’s my girlfriend, not my lunch.”
His smile flickered, and then he nodded. “Thanks. I needed to hear that. I knew al that, but . . .”
“But you stil wondered. It’s natural.”
“Yeah, there was always the question in the back of my mind. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a bloodwhore. But . . . if anybody made it appealing, you would, with your scary badass braids and the way you don’t take any crap from anybody. I’ve learned a lot from you, Menol y. Thank you for that.” Standing, he hit my knee with the file in his hand and headed for the door. “Meet you over in Medical.”
I fol owed him out the door and turned the other way, not sure what to think. Chase had never before admitted any fascination with the vampire culture, and I wondered just how many secrets would crawl out of the woodwork now that he’d drunk the Nectar of Life.
Pushing through the doors into the medical unit, I caught sight of Sharah and motioned to her.
“How’s—”
She shook her head and pul ed me into her office. “He’s slipping. Listen . . . I’ve done some research and there’s one thing I can think of that might kick him over into recovery, but I don’t know how you’d feel about it.”
“What does it matter how I feel?”
“Because . . .” She broke off with a sigh, her gaze darting to the side.
“Just tel me.”
“Vampire blood. Not enough to turn him, but I’ve heard it has healing properties when injected into a mortal.”
Holy crap. So not what I wanted to hear. So not something I wanted to even think about. “He’s not mortal. He’s a demon. There’s no way to tel what injecting vampire blood wil do to him.”
“He’s not healing, Menol y. The wound on his side won’t coagulate.”
I glanced back at the waiting room. Camil e wasn’t there, but Vanzir and Tril ian were. “Do they know? Camil e?”
Sharah shook her head. “No. I haven’t talked to them yet. I wanted to talk to you first before I approached them. If you say no, I’l let it drop. I think the blood should come from you because you’re friends. A strange vampire might gain some hold that could be used against him. I trust you not to do that.”
“How much do you need?”
Sharah held up a syringe that ran to a tube holding about four ounces. “Doesn’t seem like much, does it, to stand between life and death?”
Gravely, I nodded. “Yeah. You sure this wil work?”
“No, but if it doesn’t, I’m sure he’s going to keep slipping and quite possibly die.”
