Page 30 of Blood as Sweet as Roses

As quick as can be, Paige is there. With surprisingly steady fingers, she places the metal straw into the bloody, gaping hole in Eloise’s neck. Murad holds her tightly, keeping her still.

But the second that her airway is punctured, Eloise’s chest rises again, her lungs able to fill with air. She’s breathing through the straw. It’s like a miracle. I’ve never seen anything like it. Her heartbeat steadies.

Murad stares down at Eloise in disbelief. “That’s…that’s incredible…”

“Keep breathing, Eloise, that’s it…” Paige says, rubbing her arm.

“The ambulance is on its way,” shouts the server from the corner of the kitchen where the phone is. “I’ve got them on the line, should I tell them anything else?”

“Tell them we did an emergency tracheotomy,” Paige instructs. “She’s breathing, but they should hurry!”

The server relays the message on the phone.

I watch Paige in amazement. Then her eyes meet mine again.

“Can you make sure the ambulance can get through the gates?” she asks me. “They might need a stretcher.”

“Of…of course,” I answer, getting immediately to my feet.

I do as she requested, clearing out the hallways and shouting at the guards to open the gates.

Within ten minutes, an ambulance arrives, EMT’s rushing in with a stretcher.

They assess Eloise and quickly take her away, Murad by her side.

Paige speaks briefly with the EMTs, explaining what she’s done.

Even they seem impressed. She speaks a medical language I don’t understand, communicating easily with them.

It’s a new side of her that I’ve never seen.

I suppose I don’t really know much about her. But I’m suddenly very curious.

Only one person can ride with Eloise to the hospital.

It’s very clear that Murad is not going to leave her, so he immediately gets into the back of the ambulance.

I’m surprised at the devotion in his eyes.

How long has their affair been going on?

Was I so distracted by Xavian’s passing that I didn’t realize they’d been developing… more serious feelings?

First Kai with their merman, now Murad and Eloise…

A warm touch on my arm brings me back to the present moment.

“Are you all right?” Paige asks softly.

I turn toward her. Her pulse quickens as our eyes meet.

“I should be asking you that,” I reply. “I’m used to blood and chaos…”

She shakes her head, a little smile on her lips. “I’m a bit shaken up, but I’m ok.”

“How did you know what was happening, and what to do? If you hadn’t been here, Eloise would have died,” I tell her, unable to keep the expression of amazement from my face. It’s impossible not to be impressed by her quick thinking, and I find myself looking at her with renewed admiration.

“A lot of people die because of allergic reactions like that,” Paige says with a sigh.

“When I first got here, Eloise told me she’s allergic to shellfish.

She must have had a reaction. Her body reacted against the allergen and her throat swelled and closed up.

She couldn’t breathe, so we had to create an emergency airway.

I’ve read about it before, but I never imagined I would need to use it… ”

She blinks, confusion crossing her beautiful face.

“Hold on…” she goes back over to the counter, where the tray of appetizers still sits.

Servers and cleaners are already tidying up the scene, but of course they don’t dare disturb us or ask us to leave.

Paige takes one of the appetizers between her fingers, a tiny ball on a stick.

“It doesn’t make any sense. Meatballs don’t typically have shrimp or shellfish in them, why would that give her an allergic reaction? ”

“That type of food isn’t poisonous to her?” I ask, a little uncomfortable. I’m not used to being so outside of my depth.

Paige shakes her head, looking thoughtful. “Maybe they were experimenting with some new recipe, one that uses oyster sauce, or something like that. But Eloise told me that the host at the restaurant also has an allergy. Why would they be experimenting with an ingredient like that?”

Eloise’s abandoned purse lies on the counter, pens, lipsticks and other accessories strewn across the counter and kitchen floor where Paige threw them. Now, she ruffles through it again, looking around to see if she missed anything.

“Eloise knew she had an allergy…why wouldn’t she carry an epipen?”

“What sort of pen?” I ask, bending down to help her look through Eloise’s belongings.

“It’s called an epipen. It’s a sort of needle that administers epinephrine. It counteracts the anaphalactic reaction,” Paige explains. “Most people with serious allergies make sure to always have one with them. I’m sure that Eloise would have had one. Unless…”

My mind has gone to the same place. We lock eyes.

“You think it was nefarious?” I say, a flicker of concern in my chest.

“I don’t know,” Paige responds, but I can smell the worry emanating from her skin. “Didn’t you say there’s a threat…those other vampires? Could they have targeted Eloise?”

“Perhaps not Eloise specifically,” I reply, thinking of her and Murad’s relationship.

They weren’t trying to hide it. If I could see their bond, I’m sure anyone else could.

Paige looks at me expectantly. “Eloise and Murad had recently started a more intimate relationship. It’s possible they were trying to send him a warning.

He’s allied himself closely to me since my ascension. ”

The idea of someone targeting Murad because of his closeness to me makes me furious, but I try to hide that from Paige. Still, I can see that she senses my anger. Sharing my blood with her must have tuned her into my moods.

Have I allowed myself to become too close to her? If someone could have targeted Eloise because Murad was drinking from her, certainly they would also be able to see how I’ve favoured Paige.

I feel the warm brush of her skin as she moves closer to me. “Who would know they were having an affair? Could it be someone on the staff, or another vampire in the clan?”

This darkens my thoughts. “I wouldn’t put it past any of them.”

“Maybe we can make a list,” Paige suggests.

Excitedly, she tidies up Eloise’s things, putting them neatly back in her purse.

She doesn’t have to do that, there are plenty of cleaners around.

“Sabina’s certainly suspicious, although it doesn’t necessarily have to be a vampire.

What about that young vampire, the one who’s always blushing?

I thought I heard Eloise talking to him about her allergy… ”

“Don’t worry yourself with such matters,” I interrupt, more sharply than I intend.

“Oh, it’s all right,” Paige says, zipping up Eloise’s purse and leaving it on the counter. She gives me a bright smile. “I’m happy to help!”

The deep marks on her neck suddenly seem lavish, over-the-top. Everyone saw her and I together in the lounge. And Cedric…he witnessed himself how devoted Paige is to me.

At the time, it had seemed like a brilliant way to get the information from him, and to fulfill one of Paige’s fantasies. But now, it seems extremely risky and stupid to have shown everyone just how much I’ve been enjoying her.

That fucking prophecy…

“I don’t require that sort of help from you,” I reply, curtly. “I’ll discuss this matter with my inner council, and with Murad when he returns.”

Her face falls, that bright spark going out in her eyes. A sharp pang of guilt ignites in my stomach.

“Why can’t I help you with this?” she asks. There’s a note of hurt in her voice that’s like a knife twisting in my gut. “I just saved Eloise. I haven’t been here for long, but I’m observant, and smart. I know most of the staff here…”

“My word is final,” I answer. Instinctively, I flash her the crimson in my eyes. She gasps, and takes a step back.

For the first time since I met her, a tinge of irritation crosses her words. “Fine. Then I’m going to bed,” she replies.

Without another word, she leaves the kitchen.

Sucking the warmth and colour from the stark room.