Vampire in Crisis (4 page)

As she went to ask him what was with the colors, she could sense his energy fading away again. Why? Because he was tired? Or because the question wasn’t so important as to need him to give an answer? Or had she waited too long and he thought he wasn’t needed?

She shook her head, trying to sort out the impressions running through her mind. Before there’d have been no need to sort, but now her head was stuffed and she couldn’t think. It was getting worse every minute.

“Stop,” she snapped. “Clear out. I want my thoughts and mine alone.”

There was a slight snicker in her mind.

She lit up.

Cody!

Hey sweetheart, are you done rambling through that mess in there? Have you sorted yourself out?

His warm caring tone slipped down the path of her thoughts, brightening her world.

She laughed in delight.
I wasn’t to begin with, but I think I’m slowly understanding how it works.
She quickly explained the little bit she had figured out. From the odd silence, she knew he didn’t quite get it.

It’s okay. I know it all sounds crazy, but it’s improving,
she said comfortably.

If you say so.
He hesitated then asked in a low voice,
Are you ready to come back?

Come back?

She didn’t understand the question.
What do you mean? I haven’t gone anywhere.

No, but you’re unconscious and there are some very worried people out here.

Unconscious.
She digested that.
Then how come I can communicate with you?

I don’t know, but I’m glad you can.

Me too.
She paused, thinking about all she’d seen.
Did you see my eyes open up a while ago?

Yes,
he said in surprise.
I called you, but you closed your eyes and drifted off again. It was weird, like you were caught in some strange half-awake, half-asleep state.

When I first opened my eyes, there was just a crazy kaleidoscope of color. It was hard to look so I slammed them shut again.

Ah, and now?

The concern in his voice made her wonder how long she’d been out.

I’ll try again,
she said.

Yes, please. Your father is here and he’s very worried.

Oh no. She hadn’t considered that other people might be there waiting for her to surface. How horrible it must seem for those waiting.

Sorry
, she whispered.
I didn’t mean to stay away for so long.

No worries, but we’d love to have you come back.

Tessa let out a deep heavy sigh that seemed to come from a long ways inside – and released it.

As she let the last of the air out, she opened her eyes.

The color was still there. The vibrancy was still there but it was softer, less obnoxious – prettier.

Still different than what she was used to, but better in a way.

Then she caught sight of faces mixed into the colors. One in particular – her father.

Then she understood – the colors came from the individual people around her.

She could see them clearer than ever and the colors were more distinct than before, but they were still just the energy of the people around her.

Her father.

And Cody.

She tilted her head upward, smiled at his worried face, and said, “Hey.”

*

Oh thank heavens.
She was awake.

Not caring that Serus hovered at their side, Cody murmured, “Hey back.”

Then he lowered his head and kissed her. A warm, caring, a-little-too-hard kiss that was a mixture of
Hey, I missed you
and
damn good thing you finally decided to wake up.

Dimly through the emotions running through him, he could hear cheers and shouts resounding throughout the room. He lifted his head and realized they’d all seen that Tessa had woken up. The cheers were for her.

He dropped his gaze to stare down at the bemused woman in his arms.

“That greeting, Tessa, is for you.”

She smiled gently. “Glad to know I was missed.”

Serus leaned over and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Cody was loath to let her go, but he could hardly tug her back out from her father’s arms. Serus straightened with Tessa held firm against his chest and turned so the others could see her.

Immediately the cheers resounded louder.

She moaned.

“I’m so very grateful you survived that,” Serus said. Cody was close enough to hear the tears clogging the ancient’s voice. Damn if his own eyes didn’t start burning.

How many damn times was this special woman going to hit the wall that would have killed anyone else – and climb over it?

She’d survived so much, and yet fear still snaked through him that she was skirting death all the time. One day Death was going to get pissed off at always being cheated out of his prize and he’d snatch her up and take her away.

And Cody would go after them and steal her back.

He was caught up in the moment, relief and fear mixing together when he heard her in his head,
I’m not going anywhere. At least not for a while.

Good thing.

Cody watched as Serus and Tessa cuddled together. Serus had come a long way since not wanting to acknowledge Tessa’s inability to attend the Council meetings because of her mixed heritage. As she carried the memories of one of the most powerful vampire ancients the world had ever known, they could hardly deny her entrance now.

Hell, they probably should give her a damn seat on the Council!

Right. Like that would ever happen.

“Cody?”

Startled, Cody turned to face Serus and reached out automatically to accept Tessa back into his arms. He shifted her weight and smiled down at her. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, just a little off balance.”

“In what way?” he asked curiously, knowing Serus was listening in.

“As if I’m too full and have to move carefully so I don’t topple.” Her smile was wry when she added, “I know that sounds silly, but it’s as if I’m juggling two people in here.”

“Two people?” Serus said in alarm. “She’s not in there with you, is she?”

What a horrible thought. Cody couldn’t imagine.

Tessa shook her head. “No, but all her memories are stored in here and Hortran’s are maybe here, too.”

“What?” Cody and Serus’s voices blended into a low roar.

She shuddered. “Shh. Everything is super sensitive. Please keep your voices down.”

“What did you say about Hortran?” asked Serus in a muted growl that fooled no one.

Cody watched her closely. “He’s not in there, is he? He was dead.”

“But he’s a Ghost, remember?” she answered, a smile on her face. “And no, I don’t know what that means.”

“But he’s there? As in you are in contact with him?”

“I think so. But not sure if he’s all here or I’m speaking to residual energy.”

Cody glanced over at Serus, relieved to see confusion on his face that matched Cody’s. Like
what the hell
? It used to be that dead was dead. He was no longer so sure.

It was as if Tessa had connected one side to the other.

Unfreakin’ believable.

Just then David burst into the room. His gaze beelined to Tessa, and such love and relief washed over his face at seeing his sister alive and well that Cody could feel himself choking up again. Damn, he was turning into a bloody waterworks factory. Still, there was such caring in Tessa’s family, and Cody had just lost his own brother. They’d never been as close, maybe never would have either, but now that he was gone there was no chance of that happening, Cody had to wonder at the missed opportunities. He was blessed to be as close as he was with his father. And speaking of which… where was he?

*

Goran walked into
the next room. He was on the second floor. With Tessa collapsed upstairs, the morale of the group he led had alternated from brutal anger to defeat and back again. They needed a good battle to get their blood up and some fight back into them. Now that she was awake and appeared to be recovering, they wanted to go see her. He did too, but they had a job to do. And he couldn’t let them forget she was in the shape she was because these assholes had taken out Deanna. That old witch could have lived another century. Long enough for her to find someone else to dump her shit on.

And leave Tessa out of this. For once.

He stood in the doorway and stared around at the mirror room to every other room he’d been in here. He groaned. More people hooked up to tubes. He was sick of this. He couldn’t tell the good from the bad – the victims from the volunteers. For all he knew, they’d been releasing vipers into their midst who’d turn on them in a second.

But he’d set on a course and he had to finish it.

He bent down to pull the tube out of the man on the bed in front of him. And stopped.

The tube was only taped in place. It wasn’t actually inserted into the man’s arm.

“Shit,” he whispered under his breath.

He went to back up a step and realized he’d made a monumental mistake. He hadn’t started at the front to work his way around the room, he’d walked into the middle.

He was surrounded.

Pretending he didn’t notice anything different, he ripped off the tape and moved to go to the second man.

Inside his head, he screamed at Serus.
Second floor. Trap.

And he backed up one step. Two steps. As he went to take a third, he was grabbed from behind and the room exploded with men jumping out of the beds and attacking.

Ah hell.

*

Wendy lifted her
head and rubbed her temple. The headache that had started a good half hour ago was getting worse instead of better. She’d been running these numbers and names for several hours, trying to sort through the database. She had the laptop they’d recovered from the blood farm comparing data against the information on Gloria’s laptop that Councilman Adamson had handed over. She was looking to identify the victims the army had recovered after the mountain blew up and the victims that would remain buried forever. They needed to try and identify who these poor people were and how many had been kidnapped to hang up in the supply line.

“Tired, Wendy? Why don’t you take a break?” Sian suggested from beside her.

“Why don’t you?” Wendy retorted in frustration. This was the fifth or sixth time Sian had asked, but the woman herself wouldn’t stop. And she was pregnant. “You’re the one that needs rest.”

Sian gave a light, trilling laugh that made Wendy smile. Sian was a hoot. “How about we both take one?”

She hated to admit that the older woman in her condition could outwork Wendy, but worrying about Ian had taken the stuffing out of her and she was…tired. Ian was sleeping and damn, she wanted to be sleeping beside him. It was the only way she could make sure he didn’t get into trouble again.

“Let’s check on Rhia. If she’s doing well, we can go close our eyes for an hour or two.”

At that moment, Rhia walked into the room. “Sian, I just spoke to Serus. Tessa is awake and talking. She appears to be tired and confused but healing.”

“Oh wow, that’s awesome,” Wendy said. “She’s so strong.”