Out for Blood
Page 21
Her eyes widened. “Crap. Will he turn? Are there marks?”
“I don’t think so. But no one can tell me for sure if there was any saliva or blood exchange. It was just a convenience feeding.”
“So he needs the infirmary,” Hunter said.
“There are some teachers on campus,” Kieran assured us. “But they’ve got their hands full.”
“I’ll take him,” she offered right away.
Kieran frowned. “Hunter, campus is crawling with Hel-Blar.”
“Duh. And you have to stay here. You’re the one with the actual rank; the rest of us are just students. Plus, you’ve only got one good arm.”
“Shit,” he grumbled. He knew she was right. “I don’t like it. It’s dangerous.”
I didn’t like it either.
“Blah, blah, blah,” Hunter cut him off. “Are you going to hold my hand every time we’re out in the field?”
“There’s gratitude for you,” Kieran said.
She kissed his cheek. I was oddly glad it looked like the kind of kiss Solange might give me. Sister to brother. “I love you, stupid.”
“You too, idiot.”
“So get out of my way already.” She had to shove him. “Give him some space,” she told the others, trying to get through the clump of horrified students. “You’ll be fine, Will.”
“That’s a lot of blood,” someone said dubiously.
“Which is why I’m taking him to the infirmary.” She hooked her arm under his shoulder and helped him up. He was clammy and pale and looked surprisingly heavy for someone so lanky. And he was about a foot taller than she was, which didn’t help matters.
“I’ve got him,” I murmured, coming up to support his other side. Will jerked away wild-eyed, and then gagged on a sound of pain when his shoulder bled more profusely at the sudden movement.
“Easy,” Hunter said gently. “He’s just helping.”
I couldn’t stop my fangs from biting through my gums. I clamped my lips together. I was glad my eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. I knew they’d look too blue and too pale in this weird light.
“Vampire,” Will croaked.
“Want to lose your arm?” Hunter asked him sharply. He shook his head, gulping. “Then shut up and let him help you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nearly saluted.
Kieran moved aside to let us out the door. “Watch her back,” he told me.
I snorted. “I let you grope my little sister and I haven’t broken your other arm for it yet. You can trust your little sister with me.”
Hunter paused. She skewered each of us with a stare. Someone in the room started to sweat, she was that good. I could have kissed her right then and there.
“First—ew. Second—I can look after myself. If you guys want to do the macho knight-in-shining-armor thing, do it on your own time. And find yourself another damsel in distress, because I’m not her.”
We exchanged a glance, then looked at her. Kieran sighed. “Just be careful, Hunter.”
“I’m always careful.”
“Uh-huh.”
She stumbled a little. “Look, Will’s leaving a puddle of blood on the floor and he’s not getting any lighter. Stop worrying and let’s do this already.”
At that moment the phone in the common room, all of the phones in the dorm, and every cell phone in every pocket rang.
The sound was sudden and shrill enough to make everyone jump. I jerked back slightly as it pierced my sensitive hearing. Hunter nearly dropped Will. I caught him and hefted him easily over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold.
“What the hell is that?” I snapped as Hunter checked her phone. The text and voice mail icons flashed.
“It’s the first all-clear,” Hunter explained as she read the message. “We’re still in lockdown but the immediate attack should be over.”
Kieran nodded. “Go on then. And try not to accidentally stake a prof making the rounds.”
She made a face. It was cute as hell. “How was I supposed to know she wasn’t a vampire? And that was four years ago. I’d barely been here a month,” she grumbled.
I carried Will down the stairs. Hunter went ahead. She pushed the front door open and slipped out first to make sure it was safe. I could have told her not to bother. I couldn’t smell a fresh waft of mildew and mushrooms so I knew there was no Hel-Blar in the immediate vicinity.
The lights outlined everything in pale yellow, like a movie special effect. Every leaf was delineated, every blade of grass. On the edge of the gardens there was a blackness soothing to my eyes. They were actually watering under the force of so many UV bulbs.
She led me down the path from the dorm to one of the main buildings. The lower floor was the infirmary—I could tell by the sheer blinding force of the white paint on the walls and the faint underlying odor of antiseptic.
Will moaned again.
“Nearly there,” Hunter promised. “Theo’ll fix you up in no time. You know he’s really good with stitches.”
“That Hel-Blar bitch stank. And she had white spiky hair. D-Don’t want to turn into that,” he stammered. “Gran would … kill … me.”
We exchanged a grim look over his head. It was hard to know if he’d been speaking metaphorically or not. You never could tell in hunter families. Or vampire families for that matter.
“I don’t think so. But no one can tell me for sure if there was any saliva or blood exchange. It was just a convenience feeding.”
“So he needs the infirmary,” Hunter said.
“There are some teachers on campus,” Kieran assured us. “But they’ve got their hands full.”
“I’ll take him,” she offered right away.
Kieran frowned. “Hunter, campus is crawling with Hel-Blar.”
“Duh. And you have to stay here. You’re the one with the actual rank; the rest of us are just students. Plus, you’ve only got one good arm.”
“Shit,” he grumbled. He knew she was right. “I don’t like it. It’s dangerous.”
I didn’t like it either.
“Blah, blah, blah,” Hunter cut him off. “Are you going to hold my hand every time we’re out in the field?”
“There’s gratitude for you,” Kieran said.
She kissed his cheek. I was oddly glad it looked like the kind of kiss Solange might give me. Sister to brother. “I love you, stupid.”
“You too, idiot.”
“So get out of my way already.” She had to shove him. “Give him some space,” she told the others, trying to get through the clump of horrified students. “You’ll be fine, Will.”
“That’s a lot of blood,” someone said dubiously.
“Which is why I’m taking him to the infirmary.” She hooked her arm under his shoulder and helped him up. He was clammy and pale and looked surprisingly heavy for someone so lanky. And he was about a foot taller than she was, which didn’t help matters.
“I’ve got him,” I murmured, coming up to support his other side. Will jerked away wild-eyed, and then gagged on a sound of pain when his shoulder bled more profusely at the sudden movement.
“Easy,” Hunter said gently. “He’s just helping.”
I couldn’t stop my fangs from biting through my gums. I clamped my lips together. I was glad my eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. I knew they’d look too blue and too pale in this weird light.
“Vampire,” Will croaked.
“Want to lose your arm?” Hunter asked him sharply. He shook his head, gulping. “Then shut up and let him help you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nearly saluted.
Kieran moved aside to let us out the door. “Watch her back,” he told me.
I snorted. “I let you grope my little sister and I haven’t broken your other arm for it yet. You can trust your little sister with me.”
Hunter paused. She skewered each of us with a stare. Someone in the room started to sweat, she was that good. I could have kissed her right then and there.
“First—ew. Second—I can look after myself. If you guys want to do the macho knight-in-shining-armor thing, do it on your own time. And find yourself another damsel in distress, because I’m not her.”
We exchanged a glance, then looked at her. Kieran sighed. “Just be careful, Hunter.”
“I’m always careful.”
“Uh-huh.”
She stumbled a little. “Look, Will’s leaving a puddle of blood on the floor and he’s not getting any lighter. Stop worrying and let’s do this already.”
At that moment the phone in the common room, all of the phones in the dorm, and every cell phone in every pocket rang.
The sound was sudden and shrill enough to make everyone jump. I jerked back slightly as it pierced my sensitive hearing. Hunter nearly dropped Will. I caught him and hefted him easily over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold.
“What the hell is that?” I snapped as Hunter checked her phone. The text and voice mail icons flashed.
“It’s the first all-clear,” Hunter explained as she read the message. “We’re still in lockdown but the immediate attack should be over.”
Kieran nodded. “Go on then. And try not to accidentally stake a prof making the rounds.”
She made a face. It was cute as hell. “How was I supposed to know she wasn’t a vampire? And that was four years ago. I’d barely been here a month,” she grumbled.
I carried Will down the stairs. Hunter went ahead. She pushed the front door open and slipped out first to make sure it was safe. I could have told her not to bother. I couldn’t smell a fresh waft of mildew and mushrooms so I knew there was no Hel-Blar in the immediate vicinity.
The lights outlined everything in pale yellow, like a movie special effect. Every leaf was delineated, every blade of grass. On the edge of the gardens there was a blackness soothing to my eyes. They were actually watering under the force of so many UV bulbs.
She led me down the path from the dorm to one of the main buildings. The lower floor was the infirmary—I could tell by the sheer blinding force of the white paint on the walls and the faint underlying odor of antiseptic.
Will moaned again.
“Nearly there,” Hunter promised. “Theo’ll fix you up in no time. You know he’s really good with stitches.”
“That Hel-Blar bitch stank. And she had white spiky hair. D-Don’t want to turn into that,” he stammered. “Gran would … kill … me.”
We exchanged a grim look over his head. It was hard to know if he’d been speaking metaphorically or not. You never could tell in hunter families. Or vampire families for that matter.
