Vampire Vendetta Page 2

  “What the hell?”

  The chancellor immediately holstered his weapon and loped across to where she leaned against the gate trying to ride out another wave of pain. He did his best to support her as they shuffled toward the porch.

  “Sorry, I don’t mean to be a bother,” Megan managed to gasp as she clung to his strong arm. The pain was back, already sharper than ever.

  When she bent almost double, he muttered a curse and swept her up in his arms. She wasn’t particularly petite, but the chancellor handled her weight with ease. He carried her carefully, but the motion was making her sicker. If he didn’t put her down soon, she was sorely afraid she was going to humiliate herself even further.

  Finally, he set her down on a bed. “I’ll be right back. Stay there.”

  Like she needed to be told that. Did he think she was an imbecile? Well, if so, maybe he had a point. Now that she was horizontal, the pain eased up. She only hoped that her reluctant rescuer returned soon.

  The door to Seamus’s room slammed open with enough force to wake the dead. Most vampires his age slept throughout the day, but the irregular hours in medical school had forced him to adjust. He went from sound asleep to wide-awake by the time the door bounced off the wall and a rough hand grabbed him by the shoulder.

  Seamus recognized Conlan by scent even as he knocked his hand away. “What’s wrong?”

  “You say you’re a medic. Well, now’s your chance to prove it.” The chancellor was already heading back out into the hallway. “Get dressed and then meet me in the first room on the right. Bring that fancy gear of yours because I guarantee you’re damn well going to need it.”

  The familiar surge of adrenaline roared through Seamus’s veins as he yanked on a clean shirt and jeans. Picking up the med kit, he trotted after the chancellor. Obviously someone else had arrived, someone who was in need of medical care. Conlan didn’t strike Seamus as the kind to panic. If he said to hurry, he meant it.

  Out in the hallway, Seamus’s fangs ran out at the sour scent of fresh blood mixed with something else, something foul. The smell grew stronger the closer he got to where Conlan stood waiting for him. The other man stepped aside to let Seamus pass. It didn’t take long to assess the situation. He’d been expecting an injury, but instead found a desperately ill female chancellor.

  He pegged Conlan with a hard glance. “Stay with her while I wash up—then, would you clean my instruments?”

  He weighed Conlan’s response, trying to judge just how much help the other man would be. Enough, he decided, even though Conlan clearly was not happy about his guest quarters suddenly being turned into a makeshift hospital.

  Seamus set his case down and ran for the bathroom to scrub himself clean. When he got back, he picked out the instruments he’d be most likely to need and handed them to Conlan. “Scrub up and use alcohol to wipe these down. Then wrap them all in a clean towel. I don’t need to tell you to hurry.”

  Conlan glanced past him to the woman hanging off the edge of the bed and retching up blood into a wastebasket. “No, you don’t.”

  When he was gone, Seamus approached his patient. She lay curled up on her side, her arms wrapped around her stomach. He took her pulse and listened to her heart. As soon as he touched her, she stirred and opened her eyes. He answered her unspoken questions.

  “My name is Seamus Fitzhugh, and I’m a…a medic,” he told her, stumbling a bit over the last word. “We’re going to get you through this, you understand?”

  She nodded and immediately tensed. He helped her lean out over the wastebasket again and supported her forehead as dry heaves racked her body.

  When the spasm finally passed, he asked, “Can you tell me your name?”

  She answered through gritted teeth. “Megan Perez.”

  “How long have you been sick?” he asked as he mentally cataloged her symptoms. No fever, but clammy. Racing pulse. Vomiting. Severely dehydrated.

  Conlan appeared in the doorway with a stack of clean towels and sheets. “Thought you might need these.”

  “Thanks. Set them there and bring me a pan of cool water and some smaller rags. After that, find me any emergency medical supplies you have.”

  As soon as he disappeared again, Seamus picked up one of the sheets and a couple of the towels. “Okay, Megan, I’m going to have to do a quick exam. Are you all right with that?” She had no choice, but he needed her to trust him.

  She grabbed his arm, a wild look in her eyes. “Not me. Where’s my baby? Is she all right?”

  Conlan hadn’t mentioned a baby. Seamus looked around the room and spotted a pack lying on the dresser across the room. It was the right shape and size, but way too quiet. Knowing his patient wouldn’t relax until he checked her baby, he crossed the room with a sick knot twisting in his gut. Positioning himself to block the worried mother’s view, he reluctantly peeled back the tightly wrapped blanket from around the pack, dreading what he was about to uncover.

  A pair of eyes, more lavender than blue, blinked up at him as the baby contentedly sucked on her fist. The relief at seeing the child alive was overwhelming.

  “Hey, there, little one. I’m surprised you’re not screaming your lungs out.”

  Conlan chose that moment to return. “Why would I be screaming?”

  “Not you—the baby.”

  The chancellor set down the pan and rags near Megan’s bed and then looked over Seamus’s shoulder. “Holy hell, she didn’t tell me it was a baby. No wonder the woman pitched a fit when I took the pack away from her.”

  Seamus lifted the infant out of the carrier and cuddled her up on his shoulder. He held her out to show his patient. “The baby’s fine.”

  The woman struggled to lift her head, but was unable to hold it up for more than a second. Her eyes, so like her daughter’s, caught Seamus’s as she tried to talk.

  He crossed the room and knelt down beside the bed as she whispered, “Tell Joss, if I don’t make it…my daughter…hers now. Promise.”

  Seamus told her what she wanted to hear. “I promise, but you can tell her yourself when you’re stronger.”

  When the tension abruptly drained out of Megan and her eyes rolled back, Seamus shoved the infant at Conlan. “Here, take her.”

  Any other time Seamus would’ve found the panic in the tough-looking chancellor’s expression amusing, but not now. He grabbed Megan’s wrist and felt for her pulse. It was thready and weak, but definitely still there.

  Conlan glanced toward the mother. “Is she…”

  “No, but she will be if I don’t get some fluids in her. I still need those medical supplies.”

  “Where can I put this?” he asked, awkwardly holding the baby straight out from his chest.

  “It’s a youngling, not a this.” Seamus shot Conlan a disgusted look. “Make a bed for her out of a basket or a box of some kind. Hell, as small as she is even an empty drawer will do. Just pad it with towels or a blanket first.”

  The chancellor disappeared, allowing Seamus to turn his attention back to his primary patient. He resumed his assessment of her condition. She was practically skin and bones, far too thin for her height and build, as if she’d been too long without even basic nutrition. Nursing the child would have robbed her body’s resources, but not enough to account for her condition. Right now, she’d definitely be vulnerable to any variety of illnesses.

  Back at the medical center, an array of machinery and a battery of tests would’ve told him everything necessary to make an accurate diagnosis in a matter of minutes. But here, in the middle of nowhere, he was going to have to go with his gut instincts, and he wasn’t liking what they were telling him.

  He considered his options. A medic would treat her with IVs and maybe some antinausea medication. If he were smart, that’s exactly what he’d do rather than risk blowing his cover story. But maybe he wasn’t all that bright or maybe his vow to heal took precedence over his mission of revenge. Either way, it didn’t matter. He opened his med kit and triggered the re
lease for the shallow hidden compartment at the bottom.

  His hand hovered over the vial he needed to save this woman’s life. Controlled substances weren’t as readily available to medics as they would be for physicians. If he used it, he might not be able to replace it, but then he’d already made his decision. Reaching for a syringe, he drew up the full dose and injected it in Megan’s hip before he could second-guess himself. Then he sat back and waited to see if he’d gotten to her in time or if his efforts had been wasted.

  After all, Megan Perez wasn’t sick. She’d been poisoned.

  Chapter 2

  As the sun went down, Seamus collapsed on the chair Conlan had brought in sometime during the long daylight hours. The antidote he’d given Megan had done its job, although it had been touch and go there for a while. He’d hesitated before administering a full dose of the anti-iron medication. Meant for vampires, it was a dicey move to give it to a chancellor. Despite the genetic characteristics they shared in common with vampires, they were just as much human.

  All of which meant that the injection had stood about an equal chance of killing her as it did counteracting the poison, especially in her weakened condition. As soon as the drug hit her bloodstream, it had triggered a series of violent seizures. But once those had passed, her color had gradually improved and the stomach spasms stopped, finally allowing her to rest.

  Seamus shifted, trying to get comfortable on the hard chair. Right then, he wasn’t sure which hurt more—his feet, his legs or his head. Not that it mattered; he was too busy being exhausted to care. Leaning his head back against the wall, he closed his eyes. The relief lasted all of fifteen seconds before Conlan walked into the room.

  “How are they?” At least he kept his voice to a soft whisper.

  Seamus straightened up and stretched. “Better. Sleeping for now.”

  “You okay?”

  Why did the man care? It wasn’t like they’d spent the day bonding. They’d been too busy emptying basins and changing Megan’s bed linens over and over again for them to get chummy. Still, he couldn’t deny that the chancellor had followed every order Seamus had barked at him right up until Megan had finally settled into peaceful sleep. Seamus studied the woman’s exhausted face.

  “She’ll need to eat soon, preferably something bland and light.” He would, too, but the patient came first.

  Conlan nodded and tossed Seamus a warm blood pack. “Why don’t you snack on that while I heat up some soup for both of you? I’ll also go through some more of the emergency supplies and see if Rafferty thought to stock some diapers. We’ve already used up the few she’d stashed in the baby’s carrier.”

  Seamus smiled at the worried note in the chancellor’s voice. He was willing to bet the man could face down vampires on a rampage without blinking, but evidently a baby without diapers was more than he could handle.

  “Soft toweling will do in a pinch.” He leaned back again, preferring to feed after Conlan left.

  “Odd that she didn’t have any luggage,” the chancellor said.

  Seamus stored that bit of information with the few facts he’d been able to put together. None of it was adding up to anything good. “When you let her in the gate, did she say how she got here? She wasn’t on the turbo. I was the only one who got off at this stop.”

  Conlan leaned against the door frame. “Walked, I guess. I would’ve heard a vehicle or an air drop.”

  “Think she might’ve jettisoned the luggage on her way? Frankly, as sick as she was, I’m amazed she made it this far.”

  “The thought crossed my mind, too. When the soup’s ready, I’ll take a run down the trail and look. If it’s out there, I’ll find it.”

  “I’m sure she’d appreciate having her own things.”

  “Back in a few.” He eyed the blood pack in Seamus’s hand. “Drain that. You look like hell.”

  When he was gone, Seamus opened his eyes to study his patient. The thought of her out there on that rough trail alone and in pain made him furious. What would’ve possessed her to risk such a crazy trip instead of seeking medical help? Judging by how thin she was, he knew damn well she hadn’t gotten into such bad shape overnight. There was only one logical answer to that—she’d do anything to protect her baby, even if it meant her own death.

  So the real question wasn’t what had driven her to such a desperate move, but who? He’d already noted the lack of a wedding ring. By itself, that didn’t mean much, although most human pairings went through some kind of marriage ceremony, as did betrothed vampire couples. He ignored the twinge of bitterness over the outcome of his sister’s fractured betrothal. Now wasn’t the time.

  But Megan was a chancellor with a purebred vampire baby. If she’d mated with another of her own kind, there was only a twenty-five percent chance of that happening. No, it was more likely that the child’s father was a vampire.

  And maybe that’s why Megan had run.

  It was guesswork on his part, but it felt right. Other than making sure both mother and child were physically all right, none of this was his problem, but he hated the fear in Megan’s pretty eyes. Since Conlan was head of security, Seamus considered whether or not to tell him his suspicions. Then the chancellor and his vampire boss could worry about what kind of trouble might be trailing after Megan Perez.

  But revealing Megan’s secrets meant endangering his own. A mere medic wouldn’t have the training to diagnose and treat Megan’s condition. O’Day and Conlan might not know that, but he couldn’t risk them finding out.

  A few minutes later Conlan returned with the soup. “If you don’t need me for anything, I’ll head out to look for her stuff. I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour. Any farther than that, it will be too dark to see anything.”

  “We’ll be fine.”

  “I’ve got to say, you did a heck of a job, kid.” His voice was gruff, as if giving compliments wasn’t his usual habit. Then Conlan hesitated in the doorway. “I hope she knows how lucky she was that you were here.”

  A soft voice joined the conversation. “Believe me, I know. The two of us owe you both more than we can repay.”

  The whispered comment brought both men to full attention. Seamus stood up, setting his unopened blood pack aside. He approached the bed. “How are you feeling?”

  Her smile looked shaky, but the expression in her eyes was definitely warm. “I’ve been better, but I’m not complaining.”

  Seamus did a quick check of her pulse. “I regret that I couldn’t risk giving you anything for the pain.”

  “I’m just grateful I made it here in time.”

  Her daughter stirred in her makeshift bed, immediately bringing a touch of worry to Megan’s expression. “She’s all right, isn’t she?”

  Seamus nodded as he settled the baby in her mother’s arms. “You can check for yourself, but I did a thorough exam. Conlan found some formula among his supplies. Your youngling fussed a bit, probably because of the odd taste, but with some coaxing she took a full bottle.”

  The new mother’s smile grew stronger as she gently unwrapped her tiny daughter. Seamus figured it would take a lot harder heart than his to not enjoy watching a mother fuss over her youngling. It was a shame that life itself would wear away that sweet innocence all too soon.

  The baby protested, her cry sounding hungry to Seamus. “Try nursing her if you feel up to it. We can always supplement with another bottle if necessary. Right now physical proximity is the important thing for both of you.”

  Megan immediately tried to sit up, but couldn’t quite make it on her own.

  “Here, let me help.”

  Seamus immediately fluffed a couple of pillows to put behind her. Then he tried to hand the baby to Conlan to hold, so he could help shift the weary woman up into a sitting position. The chancellor immediately backed away, holding his hands up.

  “No, that’s okay.”

  “Come on, Conlan. The baby won’t bite. She won’t even have fangs for at least ten years.” The needs of yo
unglings of all three races were virtually interchangeable until puberty hit.

  “It’s not that. If I don’t head out now, I’ll lose the light.” He looked past Seamus to Megan. “We were pretty sure that you’d left luggage somewhere along the trail here. I was leaving to go look when you woke up.”

  The twinkle in her eyes said she wasn’t buying that story, not completely, anyway. However, she didn’t call him on it. “I had a small cart with several bags and boxes on it. It shouldn’t be hard to spot if it’s still there.”

  “I’ll be back.”

  Seamus waited until Conlan disappeared to speak in a stage whisper, knowing his comment would easily carry to the chancellor. “To think a big, tough chancellor would be afraid of someone that small.”

  “Shut up, Seamus!” Conlan shouted from down the hall.

  Seamus chuckled and helped both mother and baby into a better position for Megan to feed her child. “I’ll give you some privacy, but I won’t go far. Yell if you need anything.”

  “I will. But before you go, I have to ask you something.” The good humor was gone, replaced by a deep-rooted fear.

  “What?”

  “How sick was I? Is Phoebe in any danger?”

  “No, she’s not.” Time for some hard truths. “Because you weren’t sick.”

  She didn’t look as shocked as she should have, and her eyes slid away from his. “Of course I was. I haven’t been careful about what I’ve been eating. Maybe it was food poisoning.”

  “You’re half right—it was poisoning, but not the kind you get from bad food.”

  She looked past him toward the door. “Does he know?”

  Where was she going with this? “Not yet.”

  “Can you not tell him? At least for now?” Her voice cracked.

  “Conlan is the head of security around here. He’s your best bet for keeping you and your daughter safe.” Not to mention focusing on Megan’s problems might delay Conlan’s investigation of Seamus for a while.

  “Please.” The word cost her.