Page 71 of Blood as Sweet as Roses

She gestures to me, and we kneel down beside Murad and Eloise.

“I read about this in one of my textbooks,” Paige tells us, pointing at Eloise’s throat. “We can make an airway, by…by puncturing her neck. Do you have any straws?” She asks a nearby server.

“I’ll…I’ll look,” she says, then she rushes over to a counter and starts opening drawers.

“Puncturing herneck?” Murad says, his eyes crimson with stress. He gazes down at Eloise, who’s rapidly fading. Although his fangs are long, I see him hesitate. I understand his concern - neither of us has ever bitten so deep into someone’s throat…and had them survive.

And when I see the way he looks at Eloise, I sense that he deeply cares for her. He holds her tenderly, real fear in his eyes.

My voice is thick as my fangs drop. “I’ll do it,” I tell Paige.

“Here!” the server shouts. She’s gripping a thick, reusable metal straw in one hand. She gives it to Paige. “Will that work?”

“Perfect!” Paige says, clutching the straw.

Then she turns to me, and points at a precise spot on Eloise’s throat. “It’s got to be as clean as you can make it, just below her larynx. You’ll have to puncture her trachea, but don’t go too far. Then I’ll insert the straw.”

“Got it,” I reply. Without thinking about it a moment longer, I act. I bend down over Eloise’s shaking body, and I sink one of my fangs deep into the front of her throat, much deeper than I usually go. I feel it pierce into her windpipe, then I stop. As carefully as I can, I pull my fang out.

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 theback 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.”