Page 71 of Wicked Thirst
“The emergency?” He looked me up and down.
My patience held on by a thread as I pointed to where Theon lay on the ground at my feet. The vampire tripped over himself as he opened the bag and started pulling things out. Another vampire came through the mirror, and this one was a smaller woman with wide blue eyes and dark-blonde hair pulled back in a tight braid.
She shook her head when she looked at the other vampire working. “Oi, rookie, don’t fuck this one up. Relax and do what we trained you to do.”
She too had a large duffel bag with her that rattled with supplies. She reached in and pulled out a fold-up mirror and began to lay it out over the ground. It expanded into a six-by-six foot square that would make it easier for us to travel through with an injured Theo. My mirror was for emergencies only.
She glanced in my direction, and in a clipped, direct tone she asked, “Are you injured?”
“No.”
She said nothing else, just went about preparing Theon to be moved. I stood there gazing off in the direction Grayson had taken off. I could hunt him down, I could find him, I could kill him, but the prospect of doing that only made me feel weary down to my bones. I was a solitary sort of soul but that had always included Grayson. Even in his current state, I found solace in knowing my single, only friend still walked the Earth along with me. Slowly, I felt myself begin to mourn him. It was a deep sadness that I would carry with me for the rest of my days. It made me question if the rest of my days would be worth it without my only friend. He made the days seem tolerable, his humor always surprised me, and no other on this Earth understood me the way he did. We had an unspoken understanding between the two of us. His death would dim the world, and it would never be the same . . . I would never be the same. It was selfish, and yet with each passing day, I found myself praying that Piper was right and would find a way. It was an odd sensation to root for one’s only failure.
“We’re ready.” The smaller vampire caught my attention as the two of them lifted Theon on a big, flat yellow board they’d strapped him to and began to descend into the mirror, which rippled around them as though they were stepping into a lake.
Theon’s eyes widened and he kept blinking them at me. “As much as I love your efforts to communicate, I find the attempts tedious.”He rolled his eyes, and I tilted my head to the side, studying him. “Now that sentiment I understand.”
I followed them through the mirror, letting the cool liquid run over my skin and peel back just as quickly. Bright white light momentarily blinded me as it always did when we entered the lab. But this mirror opened right into the heart of it, which at this present moment I was grateful for. I turned toward the first lab assistant I saw and stepped in his path, stopping him from walking. His hands shook and he dropped a tray of test tubes onto the floor. They shattered at my feet and tiny shards of glass scattered over my boots. He tipped his head back, looking up at me. His mouth dropped open, and he snapped it shut only to let it drop open once more. I scrubbed a hand down my face.
I don’t have time for this.“If I wanted you dead, you would be.”
He nodded so emphatically that his teeth chattered. “Yes, of course.”
“Go tell the King I’m here and requesting his presence.” When he stood there frozen, just shaking and staring at me, my patience met its end. I wrapped my hand around his upper arm and walked him past the research tables, past the holding cells for the vampires overcome with sickness, and right to the doors. I planted my foot and kicked them open with the other foot.They both flew wide, slamming into the walls with a bang. I tossed the assistant out. “Go, now.”
He scrambled away, and when I turned around, all the other techs were staring at what I’d just done. I growled and they went back to their microscopes and lab work. They all pretended to bustle about as I passed, but I could still feel their eyes on me. I marched down the hallway toward the exam rooms until I came upon Theon’s. He lay there strapped to the board with that brace around his neck.
Doctor Stanbourn hovered over him and was flashing a light into his eyes.He held his finger up. “Follow my finger.”
Theon followed the doctor’s finger with his eyes. He gave another round of infernal blinking and tiny grunting noises. “For the last bloody time, no one understands you. Might as well shut it.”
The doctor pointed at Theon’s neck. “Your handiwork?”
“If I wanted him dead, I would’ve ripped his head clean off and left the body there to burn to ash.”
His eyes widened, and he moved to the other side of Theon. He pressed his fingers to his neck, feeling the bones. “It’s a clean break.”
“How long until he recovers so I can kill him properly?” I never wanted to kill my best friend, but I’d happily kill Theon.
“Why bring him here to get well if you’re only going to kill him in the end?” The doctor straightened his stance and ran his hand over his salt and pepper hair.
“I’m a big softy.”
A smile spread over the doctor’s face, and he licked his lips, trying to fight it. “Indeed, a word I would use to characterize you.”
If I hadn’t felt like I was drowning in melancholy, I might’ve given the doctor the smirk that remark deserved. As it was, I could hardly find joy in anything, perhaps I never would again. I pressed my lips into a line. “What’s the course of treatment?”
Titus marched into the room and everything halted. I turned and bowed out of respect and habit just as the doctor had as well. Titus gestured to Theon. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“It’s a gift, I believe.”
“I’m not sure what would make you think I wanted a broken vampire as a gift, but this is dark even for you, Atlas.” He moved closer to Theon and bent low over him, looking at the way his neck bent to the side.
“Not a gift for you, Your Majesty. I believe it was a gift for me. He was left like that at my feet when I was looking for the Prince.”
Titus’ eyes darted to me at the mention of Grayson, but he said nothing. Instead, he stood straight to face me. “Why would anyone break Theon’s neck and leave him for dead at your feet?”
“You assume being laid at my feet means death?”
