Page 18

T he world was nothing more than a bright blur as Isabel’s eyes fluttered open. Slowly, they came into focus and she found herself in a white room surrounded by medical equipment. A heart monitor beeped softly in the corner, and she discovered an IV in her arm when she lifted it to rub her eyes.

“Oh, thank everything you’re awake!” Sebastian appeared at her side, his hair a disaster from running his fingers through it, and his face slightly puffy. “You scared the crap out of me again. You’ve got to stop doing that, dolcezza. One of these times I’m actually going to lose my mind.”

He reached out and stroked Isabel’s cheek, and she couldn’t help the shiver that ran down her spine. He was so cold! “Do you need a blanket or something?” she murmured, her words slightly slurred still. “Your fingers are freezing.”

“You are the one in the hospital, and you’re worried about me?” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry. I just need to eat and I’ll be fine. I should have hunted before you arrived in Vernazza, but I lost track of my schedule. I’ll handle it tonight while you sleep.”

Isabel suddenly felt much more awake. “You mean you need to go…drink…blood?” Just bringing herself to say the words was difficult, much less process them. Sebastian nodded and she felt her stomach lurch.

“I don’t actually hurt anyone when I hunt, I swear.

My venom is able to knock them out almost instantly and part of standard vampire magic allows our saliva to heal the puncture wounds in seconds.

They just wake up really tired and might feel sluggish for a day or so while their bodies replace the lost blood.

I need less than a standard blood donation takes.

” He stared at her with a mixture of earnestness and sadness on his face, so much so that Isabel wanted to just accept his answer without question.

But she still couldn’t believe her life had taken such a strange turn. “Did we at least make it to Venice?” she asked, deciding she’d rather change the topic and process her feelings on his dietary needs later.

“No. We’re in Genova. We can worry about getting the rest of the way once you’re recovered. What happened, anyway?”

Isabel shrugged, fighting the brain fog which made her feel like her thoughts were swimming in pea soup.

“I don’t really remember,” she replied, closing her eyes.

“I remember going in the bathroom, and then I glanced in the mirror and-” She froze, the memory playing behind her eyelids.

“I saw that shadow thing again. It was standing right behind me and when I turned around to look, everything went black. Just like when I saw it in the mirror at home. But this time it was closer.”

“You saw it previously? Were there any other times?” Sebastian pulled a chair over to Isabel’s bedside and sat, bringing their faces level. She thought for a moment, shook her head, then paused again.

“Only in your paintings at the Louvre.”

Sebastian sat back and closed his eyes in concentration. “So paintings and reflections, pretty much? Any time you see your face?”

“Well, not every time. But every time it has happened, it was when I saw myself, yes.” She had no idea what the relationship was, but now that it had been pointed out, the correlation was clear.

“But what is it? And why is it haunting me? Because I feel like I’m in a horror movie.

” Isabel grimaced as she tried to roll over into a more comfortable position and her IV pulled at her arm.

Sebastian shifted the line to give it more slack, relieving the pain.

“I don’t know exactly what it is, but I have a hunch that Victor might.

And more than a hunch that whatever it is, we need to deal with it as quickly as possible.

” He looked at the clock on the wall, frowned, and looked at the heart monitor.

“The doctor said he’d be back almost an hour ago. What is taking the tests so long?!”

Isabel shrugged and licked her lips, realizing they were chapped.

Her tongue, too, was quite dry. As if this realization woke the rest of her body, her stomach also began complaining loudly.

“I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. I hope I can get out of here soon so I can have something to eat.

Or at least I can have something here.” She looked at the door, willing someone to come through it.

No one did, though shifting her attention in that direction pointed her eyes to a pulsing call light.

Sebastian noticed it, too. “You know, we should probably let the staff know that you’re awake.

I really should have done that the moment you did.

” He pressed the button and a chime echoed in the room.

A couple of minutes later, a nurse stuck her head in the door.

Isabel couldn’t understand what the nurse was saying, but thankfully Sebastian took over the translating. The nurse smiled and nodded, they conversed a little longer, and then she left. “What did you two talk about?”

“I told her that you woke up and wanted something to eat, and she told me she would tell the doctor. She also said she would ask the doctor if you’re allowed to have any food, and if so, she will get you some.”

“Thank everything,” Isabel replied, tossing her head back.

Sebastian chuckled and she shot him a death glare, which only made him laugh louder.

“I see my lady hasn’t changed a bit. I’ve gotten out of the habit of carrying snacks in my pocket, but I guess I’ll have to get back into it.

I wouldn’t want to meet the fair maiden’s wrath by letting her go hungry. ”

“Dang straight.”

The door opened and the doctor entered the room with a clipboard in hand. Sebastian stood to greet him. “My girlfriend doesn’t speak Italian, but I can translate for her.” The doctor asked a question, which must have been inquiring after her native language, because he switched to English.

“The news is good,” the doctor said with a smile. “Other than being very anemic, you seem to be in good health. We’ll give you a blood transfusion to get you back on your feet, then you should follow up with your regular doctor when you reach Venice.”

Isabel was about to say she didn’t have a doctor in Venice, but Sebastian shot her a look that definitely said “not another word.” He turned and smiled at the doctor, nodding.

“Yes, I’ll make sure she gets in to see the doctor as soon as we arrive in Venice.

Does this mean we can go as soon as she’s finished with the transfusion?

We’re eager to get there and find out the root cause of her health problems.”

“How am I supposed to pay for all this?” Isabel interjected, the concern strong on her face.

“I really only saved up enough money for this trip, Sebastian. I didn’t factor in hospital stays and blood transfusions and whatever else I have to pay for now.

I can guarantee my health insurance doesn’t cover any of it.

” Her voice rose in panic with each word until Sebastian grabbed her waving hand and pressed his lips to her palm.

“It’s okay, amore mio. I’ll take care of it. Your only job is to get better.” His calm strength and even tone immediately lowered her blood pressure. After a few moments of staring into his eyes, she relaxed completely.

The doctor waited patiently until Isabel sighed and said, “Okay. I suppose I don’t have a choice, anyway. We might as well get it done. But can I also have something to eat? I’m thirsty and starving.”

“Yes, the nurse will bring you a meal. You need the nutrition! Do you have any food allergies we need to be aware of?” When Isabel shook her head, the doctor scribbled on the clipboard and gave her another smile.

“Alright, then. I’ll send in the nurses to handle the transfusion and bring your meal, and then we’ll have you on your way. ”

He was true to his word. Soon Isabel enjoyed an iron-rich meal of beef and greens while the machine slowly delivered her new blood. “Isn’t it hard for you to sit here and watch this bag of blood empty?” she asked around a mouthful of vegetables.

“No, not any harder than it is for you to sit next to someone enjoying a large bowl of pasta. It’s not my meal. Plus, I’ve had centuries to practice control. It’s barely an afterthought most of the time. Only when I’m due to hunt does blood even sound appetizing.”

Isabel was struck with a sudden thought that made her pause mid-chew.

She forced herself to swallow and turned her big blue eyes on Sebastian.

“Tell me the truth. Is this blood unappealing to you and I’m suddenly so anemic because you’ve already had your fill?

You said your prey don’t even know what happened.

They just wake up-” It was horrible, but the pieces all fit together.

Her hand searched the side of her neck for any sign of a wound, despite him telling her he could magically heal the fang punctures.

“No!” Sebastian insisted, his voice one step below a shout.

Isabel shrunk into herself and he grimaced.

He took a deep breath and continued at a lower volume.

“No, dolcezza. I would never feed from you without your express permission. Some lives you enjoy it, some you don’t.

I always ask when we get to that comfort level and respect your boundaries. ”

Isabel’s lip curled up to expose her teeth and her shoulders tensed. “Even if I’ve lived all these lives you claim I’ve lived, why would I ever enjoy being treated like a juice box?!”

“Vampire venom can produce hallucinogenic effects. It’s also an intimacy thing.

” Sebastian gave her a half-smile and shrugged.

“We aren’t anywhere near there yet, obviously.

And I get why. I came on much too strong.

” He reached out his hand and Isabel hesitated, but finally took it.

She still couldn’t believe in the multiple lives thing or that she’d ever want to be bitten by a vampire, but she also couldn’t discount it either.

“But if you only bite and let people go, doesn’t that result in more vampires? That’s what happens in all the books and movies.”

Sebastian shook his head and waved one hand. “No, the conscious decision has to be made to Turn someone. It’s a different venom, and even the newest of vampires is able to control which venom flows through their fangs during a bite.”

“Oh. So whoever Turned you did it on purpose. Was that…something you wanted?”

A range of emotions flashed across Sebastian’s face and Isabel wished she could read his thoughts.

The silence stretched on so long that she began to worry that she’d made a mistake in asking.

But finally, he sighed, “If I could start again, I wouldn’t choose this life.

But at the time Victor made the offer, I was happy to take it. ”

As curious as she was, he seemed hesitant to say anything more. So she swallowed down her questions and chased them with the rest of her dinner. It provided a long enough excuse to keep her mouth closed that the transfusion bag emptied and the nurse returned.

She spoke to Sebastian, who nodded and smiled. “We’re good to go,” he announced. “You just have to sign the paperwork, and I’ll go take care of the payment. I’ll be back as soon as I’m finished, okay?”

Being left alone in a hospital room in a country where she didn’t speak the language sounded terrible, but Isabel nodded as the nurse began removing the sensors, IV, and transfusion lines.

As the nurse worked, Isabel mulled over the things she had learned and how she felt about them.

When she made the choice to come with Sebastian instead of going home, she didn’t realize how much stranger things were going to get.

And if she really was headed to meet this master vampire guy, odds were she hadn’t even gotten close to the maximum weirdness level yet.