Exsanguinate (31 page)

“
H
ow is she
?” Khaldon met us at the elevator.

“Fine, considering the circumstances.” I tried to hold back the emotions harboring in my throat.

“Your father is outside in the truck with Harris, waiting for you. He’s okay, Chey. He actually looks well-rested. Harris isn’t leaving his side.”

Tears of relief ran down my face.

“The cleaner crew and the medical teams are dismantling the harness systems and, helping to stabilize the women. We’re taking them to safe-houses where they have equipment, mid-wives, and other available resources to help until we can find out who they are,” Khaldon said. “Truthfully, Cheyenne, I’m not comfortable with you and Sheridan going to your place. If the Priestess shows up, that’ll be the first place she’ll look for you.”

“Where else would we go? I guess I can take her to the Super Market.”

“They can stay at my place, Khaldon,” Torchy offered. “I’ve got that huge house. In fact, I have room for two more women if you need the extra beds.”

“Torch, that’s a fantastic idea.” Khaldon grabbed his shoulder. “I know they’ll be safe with you. If I trust anyone on this planet, it’s you.”

I smiled at them. I’d had no idea they were as close as brothers.

“Is this okay with you, Cheyenne?” Khaldon asked. “Do you have any problems with this arrangement?”

“Where’s your home, Torchy? Is it far?”

“It’s just around the corner from Khaldon’s place. You can practically talk over two cans and a string between us.” Torchy smiled. His eyes were kind. We would be safe with him. I also trusted Khaldon never to do anything to hurt me.
Ever.

“Okay – fair enough. When do you think you’ll be able to come by?” I asked Khaldon.

“We need to get this place cleared out, the women and babies safe, and the equipment removed. This could easily turn into an all-nighter – even with the teams Briggs and Harris brought along. We need to stay on alert and make sure this is an empty tomb before daybreak.”

“I understand. I wish I could help, but I’m not leaving my family’s side.”

“No worries. Not to sound like a chauvinist, I know you’re tough, so please don’t take this wrong – you’ve been through a helluvalot. Stay with your family tonight, Chey. Seriously, let us take care of this. You take care of yours, okay?” He looked at me with
please don’t be angry
eyes.

I honestly didn’t have any strength left to argue. I wanted nothing more than to have Daddy and Sheridan safely tucked away, and to plan our next move. I gave him a sideways smile as he kissed me on my forehead.

“We need to complete the logistics of discreetly purging this facility tonight. There’s a lot more women here than we first thought.”

“Let’s get this done.” Not willingly, I accepted this current plan of action. “Please call me if you need an extra pair of hands, or if we need to make room for those others. But I have to be honest here, I just don’t know if I’m capable of handling the mental health of women who’ve been here for God knows how long. Hell, when they wake up, they may not even remember who they are.”

Khaldon bobbed his head at Torch and me to step away from Sheridan’s bedside. My eyes never left her. He lowered his voice. “Listen, I didn’t want to say this out loud, but I believe you need to know.” He ran his hand through his hair and then placed both his hands on my shoulders. Khaldon looked me straight in the eyes. “Sheridan is pregnant.”

“What? Oh no! They did it already?” My hands held the side of my face.

Khaldon nodded. “I’m so sorry, Cheyenne. She was impregnated three weeks ago when she arrived here. From her records, it seems they placed two embryos for viability. She could have twins.”

“Twins!” My eyes felt as though they bugged out of my head.

“I’m going to kill these feckers!” Torchy’s face blazed.

I pulled away from Khaldon and turned back towards Sheridan.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back closer. “Cheyenne, the one thing about a dhampir pregnancy is we’re talking weeks to months ratios. So in essence, she is close to moving into the second trimester with this baby, or babies, we won’t have confirmation until we get her in for an ultrasound.”

I swallowed hard at his news, not wanting to believe any of it.

Oh Sheridan. I’m so sorry I didn’t find you in time. Why did this happen? What are we going to do?

“She’s going to need very specific food and nutritional supplements to maintain her and the baby’s health,” he continued. “Otherwise the dhampir fetus will take everything her human body has to offer.”

“Come on, Cheyenne. Meet me at the front entrance. We need to get some good food in her. Ain’t no way in bloody hell we’re gonna let anything else happen to her. You hear me?” Torchy grabbed my elbow as we walked towards Sheridan’s gurney. “I’ll go get the truck. We can put you in the back seat with Sheridan. Let her stay flat until she can sit up on her own.”

“Yes, all right.” I stammered still trying to understand this news and figure out how the hell I was going to tell her.

We jostled Sheridan through the vestibule, as the broken glass crunched beneath the gurney’s wheels.

“I’m sure your dad is starving for quality food too. There’s no telling what they’ve been giving him. I’ll make dinner when we get to my place. Do we need to stop and pick up the pups?”

Numb from horrific shock, I was grateful Torchy held the level of concern for us that he did. I hardly knew him, and yet he was taking care of us as if we were family. I gave him a wry smile and nodded in agreement. He took off to get the truck.

My heart raced when I saw my father next to Harris. Daddy waved at me. I pushed the gurney forward. Khaldon stopped me. I turned to face him.

“At least we found them, Chey. I know you’re still worried about Dakota. Look at it this way. Tonight we not only rescued your sister, but it looks like we rescued a lot of other sisters, mothers, wives, and daughters here as well. You’ve done good.”

F
eeling
a bit relieved to have Sheridan and my father safe with me again, I watched out the window as a photoshopped Florida sunset graced us with its presence. Torchy’s home had a magnificent view of the Big Sand Lake. Just across the way from Khaldon’s condo, Torch had a lakeside view with lighted marinas docked at each home. I watched as a little green lizard darted across the lanai patio off the side of the guest room.

Torchy and I sat in his comfortable guest room trying to stave off the tension of when Sheridan would fully awake from the anesthesia. We each held one of her hands and watched
True Blood
on HBO Go
using Torchy’s laptop. It was curious to see Torchy so attached to my sister. I remembered when Khaldon had explained to me how smitten Torchy was with Sheridan. He loved how smart she was in her interview. After he had seen her photo in
Gamer Magazine
, he wished one day to meet her. Who wouldn’t? She was one of the most successful women in the gaming industry having built a global, multi-mass player role playing game. None of us would have ever found one another if it weren’t for the overwhelming success of ExsanguiNation.

I heard Sheridan moan as she slowly moved her head.

Standing up, I cradled her cheek in my hand. “Hey there, Sher – how ya doing?”

It was easy to tell she was confused and most likely coming out of a nightmare. “It’s okay, Sheridan. I’m here. You’re safe.”

Torchy sat closer to the bedside, but not too close.

“Wha …where?” Sheridan whispered in a groggy voice.

“Sheridan. It’s me, Cheyenne, your pain in the ass little sister. Remember me?”

A partial smile curved at the side of her mouth. “Yeah …” Her tongue snaked out across her lips. They were cracked and dry.

“Do you want some water? I have a glass and a straw here,” I asked.

She nodded.

“Okay then, I’ll have to set you up just a little. Can you open your eyes?”

She nodded again. She pulled at her eyelids with the muscles in her face, and they tentatively opened. Squinting at the light in the room, Torchy immediately grabbed the remote and turned down the brightness in the room.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “You’ve been through quite a spell.” She nodded again. “My friend here, Torchy, is gonna help me pull you up, all right? We have lots of nice, comfy pillows here for you. They’re white – your favorite color.”

A wry smiled crossed her face. “Okay here we go… one, two and a three.” Torchy and I carefully propped her up on the pillows and stashed more under her arms to help stabilize.

She had her eyes opened, still trying to adjust to her surroundings. She looked up at me, her puffy face made me want to burst out crying, but I held my composure to keep her as calm as possible. “There now, you look like a princess, sitting there with a hundred pillows at your beck and call.” Stormy jumped on the bed and cuddled in beside her. She stroked the furry monster.

I grabbed the water cup off the nightstand and held it for her while she sucked it down greedily. After a few moments, I pulled the cup away.

Her mouth grabbed for the straw again. “Mo … more,” she said.

“You need to take it easy, sweetie. You’ve been in an induced coma, and your body needs to adjust. If you drink too much too fast —” And with that, she promptly threw up on me.

“It’s all right. Go easy – just easy little sips now. I’ll go get some towels,” Torchy said as he got up and left the room.

“He’s kinda cute isn’t he?” I winked at her.

She nodded again with a stupid grin.

“It’s good to see you smile and even better that you’re safe here with me.” I leaned in for a hug. “Sher – I thought for sure I had lost you.”

She hugged me back with what little bit of strength she had.

Torchy returned with towels and something that looked like a vanilla milk-shake. “Aye now, lassie, here ya go.” He handed me the towel and we got her sopped up. “I’ve brought you something here you might not like, but it’s got vitamins in it to help you gain some strength back.”

“I think it’s the same stuff you gave Daddy when he was in the hospital.”

She scrunched up her face.

“Yeah – I know, not a Ghirardelli gourmet shake. Let’s just stick with water for now, until your tummy settles. You’ll be hungry enough soon.”

“Daddy? Where? Is he …?” she stammered.

“He’s okay. He’s in the next room catching a snoozer.” Torchy stood up and opened the adjoining door to the suite. Our father was sleeping on a bed with Beano nestled up against his back. Sheridan winced as she turned her neck and reached for the place where the blood shunt had been located. She nodded and turned back to face us.

Torchy sat back down beside her. “Are you hungry? Are you in any pain?”

Almost on cue, Sheridan’s stomach rumbled. She held her arms frozen across her belly, her eyes opened wide. I held the water straw in front of her again, and this time she managed a tiny sip. She looked down at her belly and ran her hands over the top of it.

I could see the hamster wheel of questions running through her mind when she looked up at me. “What … happened? I don’t remember.”

I let her take another sip of water.

“There is a lot to explain, how do you feel?”

She looked at me and then again at Torchy.

“It’s okay – he’s one of the good guys,” I explained.

“I hurt. Everything is sore. Like a moose ran over me or something. I’m starving. What happened? Where’s Dakota?”

How was I going to explain about her kidnapping, pregnancy, and Dakota? Let alone me – how was I going to explain to her, I was a vampire?

“Dakota is all right. She’s not here right now. I hope she’ll be back soon.”

“Cheyenne, can you help me to the bathroom? I really feel terrible. Can I take a shower or something?”

“Absolutely,” Torchy said. “Let me draw you a bath.” He jumped up and left the room.

Within moments, we heard the hot water filling the tub. I helped her walk gingerly to the bathroom. Sheridan stopped mid-step with her eyes glued on the mirror. With shaking fingers, she touched the swollen, purple bruises at her collarbone and between her thighs.

I swallowed hard not sure of what to say. Words could not express the pain I held in my heart for her. I wished I could take her place and could have saved her from this awful nightmare. She remained silent and headed for the steamy bath water. When she was ready to talk, she would let me know.

Sheridan continued to cry silent tears as I washed and conditioned her hair.

I finally broke the heavy silence. “I’m going to find you some pain medicine. You need a good night sleep tonight without any worries, okay?”

She nodded.

“There’s a lot to tell you, but just for tonight, let’s concentrate on you feeling better. Everything is gonna be just fine.”

I turned to leave the room. She shot her hand up out of the water, splashing the floor. She grabbed my arm. Her eyes frightened.

“I’m here – I’m not leaving. Do you want me to leave the door open? I’ll be right back. I promise.”

She slowly released the death grip on my wrist and nodded. I kissed her on top of her head. Suddenly I understood what my father had felt like when he took care of me in the hospital.

* * *

F
ollowing
the smells of dinner cooking, I met up with Torchy in the kitchen. “She’s pretty shook up, Torch.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine the horror and violation she must be feeling inside.” He chopped an onion into the skillet and seared it in the garlic and butter.

Abruptly, a loud emergency signal blared out of the television.

“We interrupt this regularly scheduled broadcast to announce a mandatory lockdown of Lakeshore Palms Community Golf Course and Driving Range. Anyone around this area is asked to stay in your house. Lock all doors and windows. State police and National Guard are securing the surrounding area. An unknown force is killing people on the golf course. Over ten eyewitness accounts have seen a flying creature terrorizing the golfers and homeowners. Repeat … this is an emergency broadcast encouraging residents of Lakeshore Palms to stay indoors under mandatory lockdown.”

I looked at Torchy and rubbed at my forehead. “Well, I think we’ve found Dakota.”