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"Is that a sure thing? I mean, will one small transfusion guarantee her transition, provided that she's a Dormant?"
Kian frowned. "Not necessarily. Come to think of it, one of our Dormants was very sick before attempting his transition, and we gave him a transfusion to heal him first and then another one to help him transition. Since Frankie is injured, it might work the same way for her."
Aru let out a breath. "I hope that's what happens. I don't know her well, but she seems like the kind of woman who will hate having the decision made for her."
"You should inform Negal and Dagor about the possible unintended consequences."
"Of course." Aru extinguished his cigarillo and pushed to his feet. "I need to call Negal right away. I hope I'm not too late."
"You are not. Anandur would have called me if he had found them already."
Aru didn't know whether he should be glad or concerned that the physician wasn't with Frankie yet.
"Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."
Kian waved a hand. "Call Negal. I have enough people helping me with this situation. I just hope it's resolved before the wedding tonight."
Dagor
As Negal's phone rang, Dagor's anxiety spiked. Had the doctor encountered a problem on the way?
She could have been ambushed by the cartel, or her vehicle could have crashed.
With how Jin was driving, it was a wonder that they hadn't. The dirt road was not meant for fast driving, and Jin was flooring it.
Cradling Frankie's limp body in his arms as the truck jostled them mercilessly over the rough terrain, Dagor dreaded each bump. He could feel Frankie's heartbeat, but it was weak and erratic under his touch.
"What's going on?" he asked Negal after the call ended. "Where is the doctor?"
"She's on her way." Negal poked his head between the seats. "The redhead is bringing her on his motorcycle, which should make their journey even faster." He glanced at Jin over Dagor's head and continued in a hushed voice, "Aru says to wait on the transfusion. Kian wants the doc to assess Frankie first, and if she says that Frankie is going to make it, we don't need to do it."
"Why not? It can only help."
Negal winced. "There's more to it. If Frankie is a Dormant, a god's blood could trigger her transition. It shouldn't be done without her consent unless it's the only way to save her life."
Dagor's heart sank even further. The idea of Frankie undergoing such a monumental change without consenting to it was disturbing, but the alternative was unthinkable. He glanced down at her pale face and the way her chest was barely moving with the shallow breaths she was taking. He didn't know much about human bodies, but it was obvious that her condition was severe.
"She can hate me for it later," Dagor muttered, more to himself than to Negal. "If it comes to that, I'll beg for her forgiveness. But I can't let her die."
"It might not come to that," Negal said. "The clan's best doctor is going to treat her, and that might be all she needs."
"I hope so."
A surge of anger filled Dagor's chest. He was angry at the circumstances that had forced them into the impossible situation, angry at the unpaved road that was impeding their journey and causing more damage to Frankie, angry at himself for not doing a better job of protecting her. But beneath that anger was an overwhelming fear.
Fear of losing Frankie or having to force her to transition without her consent.
"I don't know why it's taking the doctor so long to intercept us," Negal said, giving voice to Dagor's frustration. "I thought that the motorcycle could navigate the terrain better, and they would get to us faster."
The truth was that it hadn't been even half an hour since Jin had taken the wheel, and if his estimate was correct, they had been more than an hour away from the ship at the start of the mad rush back.
Dagor adjusted his hold on Frankie, trying to make her as comfortable as possible in the cramped space between the seats. She probably couldn't feel a thing, though, which was a small blessing.
As the roar of a motorcycle cut through the tense air, announcing the arrival of the doctor, Dagor released a relieved breath.
Jin slowed the truck to a stop, and as the redhead pulled up alongside it, the doctor dismounted and retrieved a cooler from the bike's storage compartment.
Bridget's swift, purposeful movements offered him a measure of reassurance.
