Page 26 of The Vampire's Seduction

Dr. Wells sprang into action and shouted into the hallway for assistance. Nurses rushed in as he began CPR. Olivia scurried out of the way and squeezed into the corner with Sam and Marek. If she’d had the chance, she would’ve distanced herself from Marek even more.

Time dragged on as Olivia’s gaze darted between the frantically working hospital staff and her sister. Betsy’s monitor continued to beep like normal, a sound Olivia was grateful to hear.

Her sister was alive.

Was it selfish of her? To have so much hope when someone else was dying in front of her? But she was human. If forced to choose between her sister and a stranger, she’d choose Betsy without hesitation.

She wasn’t a saint.

Olivia’s shoulders sagged in defeat when Dr. Wells pronounced the time of death. This wasn’t her first time facing death. She’d been there when Papa and Mama had closed their eyes forever after a drawn-out battle with cancer. Still, the finality of it stole her breath.

The nurses comforted one another. One patted Dr. Wells on the shoulder. “We did everything we could.”

Dr. Wells nodded, but Olivia saw he wished he could do more. Her respect for the doctor grew. What must it be like to know your best wasn’t enough?

Actually, scratch that. She knew exactly how it felt, driven constantly to do your best by the perpetual fear of failure. Except her fear stemmed from selfish reasons, while Dr. Wells seemed to genuinely care about his patients.

Sam stepped forward once the nurses left. “I’m sorry, Dr. Wells. You and your team did your best. Can you give me a call once you confirm the cause of death?”

“Yeah, but I doubt it’ll be different from the others.”

“Others?” Olivia asked, her heart thumped harder. “This happened before?”

“Yes, two other witches died just like this,” Dr. Wells said.

“And cause of death?” Olivia asked.

“Heart failure.”

Olivia wanted to sit down. Betsy could die at any moment. It was pure luck her roommate died instead of her.

A warm, comforting hand on her lower back steadied her. Marek. She glanced at his marble profile and felt strength flooding into her. For a second, she had the ridiculous urge to lean against his wide shoulders, to let him take the reins.

Yeah, right. As if she could give up control for even one second. To a vampire she’d just met, no less.

Vampire. Olivia looked back at Dr. Wells. “Have you tried VB?”

Beside her, Marek stiffened. Dr. Wells’ disapproval was clear as day. “No, we haven’t.”

Olivia pulled away from Marek and returned to Betsy’s side. In this short amount of time, her sister seemed to have shrunk, looking frailer by the second. Or it was her fear speaking.

Betsy, please wake up,she silently begged.I won’t even be mad at you for not telling me about joining a coven.

She could almost hear her sister’s blithe laugh. “It was all just a bit of fun, Ollie.”

Marek stepped up next to her. His presence seemed to fill up the entire space. She didn’t wish to focus on the fact it was beginning to feel familiar, almost friendly even.

“If it’ll help, I can part with a bit of my blood.”

She stared at him. Despite his light tone, he was serious. Considering how he’d reacted to her job, his offer surprised her.

“You’re sure? You won’t blame me if something bad happens to you?”

“Do you have something nefarious planned?” Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at his smile.

“No, but you’re not known to be the reasonable sort.”

He inclined his head. “Point taken, but unless you or your sister are versed in blood magic—”