Emerald Eyes (34 page)

All at once, Madison gasped, and briefly coughed, and then began to drink the blood. In a few seconds, she was looking much better and her eyes popped open.

“Thank you, God!” Lois cried and withdrew her wrist.

“Here,” Devin said, biting into his own wrist now. “Drink my blood and your wound will heal.”

“What?”

“Trust him, Mother,” Madison said as she stared up at her from the floor.

Lois bobbed her head, gulped and then put her mouth to his bleeding wrist and drank until he told her she’d had enough. He pulled his wrist away.

“Look at yours,” he said.

She did. It healed in front of her eyes. “I don’t believe it…Why couldn’t you do that for Madison?”

“Because she’s a vampire and needs human blood to get well.”

“Oh! I see. I think.” She laughed lightly then. She really wasn’t sure how all this worked. It was so very new to her and kind of hard to grasp.

“Well!” Sheriff Baker suddenly said so loud that almost everyone jumped. Everyone but the vampires. “I’ve seen enough. There’s no way in
hell
I’m going to write this in any report.” He indicated with a nod to the young man the vampires had rescued. “He all right?’

The young man was able to answer that he was.

“Good enough for me…And I’m thinking that wolf…werewolf…whatever is behind all these killings. Especially, seeing as you vampires did your best to save everyone. I’m going to forget this happened. Chalk the unexplained deaths up to a wild animal. And hope to God you two vampires can take care of the werewolf problem for us. For God knows, I sure as hell don’t want to deal with it.” He looked at his deputies. They all shook their heads in agreement. “So…Guess we’ll leave you good folks. Have a nice rest of the evening.”

“You too, Sheriff Baker,” Alex said, handing his shotgun over to Debra Jean.

Soon as the sheriff and his deputies were gone, everyone except for the vampires who were told to take it easy and enjoy their drinks that Alex got for them, went to help in cleaning up the club, which Alex and Debra Jean appreciated. It was one thirty in the morning when all was finished. The crowd cleared out, and Devin, Madison and Lois went home.

Alex felt pretty sure the wolf wouldn’t return that night, and it was the last night of the full moon, but he reloaded his shotgun just to be on the safe side and set it beside their bed before they went to sleep.

Fourteen

The following morning when Chuck didn’t come home, Indian Joe immediately went out to the campsite. He was horrified to find Chuck lying naked and curled up in a fetal position just outside his tent, and he had lost a lot of blood. He’d been shot and apparently it had been with a shotgun. The buckshot had to be silver, for the wounds weren’t healing.
“No!”
the old man shook his head sadly. “Someone knew you were a werewolf and was ready for you.”

Joe was in his sixties, but he was still strong and kept in shape. He picked Chuck up and managed to carry him through the trail that led to his parked truck. There, he put Chuck in the passenger side and left in a cloud of dust and headed back to the village. He called ahead to let Tickling Feather know that Chuck was badly hurt and to have Running Red Sky waiting.

It was only a little after ten when someone knocked on Devin’s front door. Lois knew her vampire daughter and Devin were still asleep. It was with caution that she opened the door, but was very surprised to see the tearful Indian woman standing there that she’d met at the store previously.

“Chuck’s dying!” the young woman blurted. “Running Red Sky says he can’t save him.” She couldn’t help herself, the tears gushed. “I’m pregnant. If he dies, he’ll never see our baby!”

“And you’re here why?”

“Only a vampire can save him,” Tickling Feather replied.

Lois cleared her throat. She didn’t know what to do. “Is this Chuck…Is he the werewolf my daughter and Devin fought so furiously last night? That wolf almost killed a young man! That wolf nearly killed Madison!”

“I don’t know about any of that! But I do know that when Chuck is himself, he is one of the sweetest, nicest human beings one could ever meet. Please! Please get your daughter. Or Devin.”

Devin suddenly materialized beside Lois. She jumped. He apologized for scaring her, and then asked Ticking Feather to step in, as the sunlight hurt his eyes.

“Can you please save Chuck? Please!”

“Chuck almost killed Madison last night, Tickling Feather.”

“As I told Madison’s mother here, I don’t know about that. I just know my husband is dying! There is no one else who can help him. Running Red Sky pulled out all the silver buckshot, but he’s not getting any better.”

“Tell me why we should save him.”

“I know he’s done horrible things as a wolf. But he doesn’t want to!” she emphasized with a shake of her head. “There is a medicine man my grandfather summoned to the village to help him. He has a potion that can keep him from transitioning when it’s not the full moon. He can tame down the wolf in him where he won’t be so fierce. Please! This is Chuck’s chance to live an almost normal life. It’s his only change to live! Please!”

“I don’t know, Tickling Feather.”

“Please!” she begged, eyes welling with tears again. “I’m pregnant. I’m going to have a baby.”

Madison suddenly appeared, also causing her mother to jump back.

“Damn!” Lois said. “It’s going to take me some getting used to that.”

“Sorry, Mother.” She spoke to Ticking Feather then. “Do you know that Chuck caused me to lose
my
baby? That I almost died. In order to live, Devin had to turn me. I am glad he saved me, but I can never have children now. Do you know that?”

Tickling Feather shook her head in defeat and mumbled that she was sorry and ran out the door.

Lois bit her bottom lip and stared imploringly at her daughter. “Honey, it’s not her fault.”

Madison thought about it a minute. Her mother spoke the truth. When human, Chuck was a decent man, and none of this was Tickling Feather’s fault. “Okay…” She stuck her head out the door and called out after Tickling Feather, who was about to get in her grandfather’s truck that she’d borrowed. “Wait a minute!”

Seeing Madison’s almost smile and a nod that it was okay, Tickling Feather swiftly turned around and ran back inside as Madison held the door open for her.

“I am taking it that he is too sick to be brought here?” Devin asked.

“Running Red Sky says he won’t stand the trip.”

Devin met eyes with Madison. They would probably burn severely if they went out.

This Lois immediately understood. “They’ll burn. Can it wait until evening?”

Tickling Feather replied, “No! He’ll be dead by then.”

“It is your call, Madison,” Devin said.

“I don’t want Chuck’s baby to grow up without a father,” Madison replied, eyes misting. “Had I not lost my baby, I would want her father to be around for her.”

“Okay, my love.” He faced Tickling Feather. “We will come. But give us a few minutes to cover ourselves, and then we will follow you in my Oldsmobile. It may be old, but it is in mint condition. I also had the windows tinted with a special coating to block out the harmful rays.”

“Oh thank you! Thank you!”

“I am hoping he is inside,” Devin said.

“He’s in a special tent Running Red Sky has set up. Will that work?”

“It should offer us some protection.”

“I’m coming!” Lois stated, and no one gave her an argument.

Five minutes later, the vampires and Lois were following Tickling Feather to the reservation.

Chuck heard someone calling his name and opened his eyes to the smoke-filled tent. Tickling Feather stood over him, deep concern in her face, but she was attempting to smile.

Outside, Running Red Sky and other Indians chanted and made music with their instruments.

“I’m dying, aren’t I?” Chuck asked, staring up at his lovely wife.

“No! No! I’ve brought help,” she replied.

He was confused. “Who can help me? I was shot with silver buckshot! I know your medicine man can’t help me.”

“Not Running Red Sky,” Tickling Feather said, moving aside.

Chuck couldn’t believe it when Devin’s stepped up, removed his dark sunglasses and peered down at him with emerald eyes.

Madison suddenly stood at Chuck’s other side. She, too, removed her sunglasses. “We’ve come to help you,” she said.

“I don’t understand! Why should you help me?”

“Let’s just say that Tickling Feather makes a very good case in your defense,” Devin replied. “Now, this is a onetime thing. We’ve been assured by your medicine man and Tickling Feather that you can be helped. That your inner wolf can be tamed, and you won’t transition except on the full moons. What’s more, you won’t be nearly as fierce. Still, if we ever have any more problems with you, we won’t hesitate to act.” He glanced back at Tickling Feather who now stood by the tent door. “Agreed?” She shook her head that she did. He turned back to Chuck. “Are you ready?”

“I think so,” he replied weakly.

Devin raised his wrist to his mouth and ripped it open. Blood oozed out. Then he quickly laid his wrist over Chuck’s mouth and told him to drink.

Chuck winced.

“Drink or die! It’s your choice. We didn’t chance coming out in the daylight for the hell of it.”

“I understand. Thank you!” He drank in then. Almost instantly his color improved. Devin held his wrist there a few more seconds and then removed it. Already it was healing. “That should be sufficient,” he stated and stepped back.

Tickling Feather gave Devin a thankful smile and moved up to her husband and washed his face off with a warm, wet cloth. Already, Chuck was strong enough to sit up and he did, swinging his legs over to the side.

Lois had been standing outside the tent door watching. She stepped inside. “I have to admit that I would have never believed any of this had someone told me. Yet, I am happy to see the way things have turned out here.”

Chuck stood then, with Tickling Feather helping. The dancing and music had ceased outside, and Indian Joe stepped in with Running Red Sky. Each thanked the vampires for coming, and Lois too.

“Now,” Devin said, seeing blisters forming on Madison’s face in spite of their precautions. “We must get home!”

“Yes!” Lois said, observing her daughter. Who was blistering faster than Devin.

“Wait!” Indian Joe asked, stepping up to Devin. “We’re having Chuck’s ceremony tonight, and afterwards a celebration. We would be honored if you would all attend.”

“Why thank you!” Devin said and turned to Madison. “Your call, my sweet.’

“Yes! We’ll be here.”

Indian Joe smiled with his dark eyes, nodded in appreciation and went over to talk to Chuck.

Tickling Feather ran up to them. “I owe you both so much! And I am truly sorry for what you have lost, Madison, but I am happy for you that you and Devin have one another. What’s more, once this wolf in my husband is tamed, I hope we can all live as friends.”

“So do we,” Devin replied. “Now, we really must get home.”

“I understand. I’ll walk you to your car.”

Later that evening, just as the stars came out and the waning moon was far overhead, Indian Joe, Tickling Feather, Chuck and other members of their tribe sat in a circle with their friends, Devin, Madison and Lois, watching and listening as the young men and women danced and sang around the campfire in celebration of Chuck’s taming down his inner wolf.

Lois noticed that a nice looking Indian man about her age had been smiling at her for a while with interest.

Tickling Feather noticed too and leaned over and whispered that the man was a widower and was looking for a wife.

“Hmmm! Thanks for telling me.” She leaned to her right and whispered to Madison, “You know, I think I may just move up here.”

“What?” Madison said, and then saw how the handsome Indian was looking at her mother. “Oh! That would be great, Mother!” She nudged Devin who saw too.

“Yes! That would be really nice.” He grinned, gave Madison a hug and kissed her cheek, and then said where only she could hear, “All’s well that ends well.”

“Damn right!”

Their attention went back to the ceremony.

The end