Page 31 of From the Shadows
Die? Diego couldn’t die. He was immortal. Wasn’t he?
Dr. Oliver glanced up and must have seen something in Shay’s expression. “Vampires can die through many means, not all of them physical. If a vampire runs themselves dry, they will die. That’s what Diego’s done. He’s a car whose tank has been hovering just above empty for far too long. Now his engine is without gas, and he’s stopped running.”
Shay peered at Diego’s face. Itwaspaler than normal, and that was saying something. “What can we do?”
“Empatia—Ms. Connelly—told me she’s sending more blood, but I’ll be honest. I don’t know if an entire truckload will be enough.”
“What? Why?”
Another sigh. Deeper than the one before, but more resigned than anything else. “A healthy vampire can easily subsist off the bagged stuff if they feed regularly. The problem is the nutrients in human blood degrade quickly. A vampire who’s sick will receive even less nutrition from the substandard stuff. Diego could have consumed a thousand bags, and I doubt it would put a dent in getting him back to healthy. Oh, he’s going tofeellike he’s better, but he isn’t. His body has starved for too long. His only option would be fresh blood, and for that, we have to line up donors who are willing to let him drink from them until he’s recovered. And I don’t know if we have enough people on the list to allow for that.”
Rage at Diego’s stupidity, at what he’d gone through, and that he had no idea how to help bubbled up inside Shay. “And how do we do that? Huh? Tell me, how do we get him to take blood when he’s unconscious?” he snapped.
Oliver peered up at Shay. “He needs someone to give him blood now. Our blood,” he said, pointing to himself, Borne and Ranna, “is toxic to him and would do far more harm than good. Your blood?”
Shay startled. They were asking him to let Diego drink from him. Of course, he’d thought about it, but now that it was actually happening? Did it matter? He was under Shay’s care, and if he required something, Shay would do whatever was necessary in order to give it to him.
“How much will you need?” he asked, his decision the only one he could make.
“We can only take a pint safely. You won’t even notice any effects.”
“Then what do we do?”
“Under normal circumstances, we’d hook the two of you up and transfer it from you to him, but he’s horribly weakened now andneeds it immediately. I would like to open a vein and have you drip the blood into his mouth until he awakens. Then we can see about getting others to donate as well.” Dr. Oliver blew out a breath. “I’m going to be honest. I don’t know if even this will help him. Diego might be too far gone to save.”
No. Jeremy would be crushed, and Shay would do whatever he had to in order to protect him, plus he actuallylikedDiego. Even when he was being a butthead, he was fun to needle. But after his sessions with Ms. Connelly, Diego smiled more. He warmed up to Shay, and would take the time to sit and talk. He’d even walked in on Shay quilting one night and stood there for the longest time, his head cocked, before finally asking his question.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a snake quilt for Jeremy. I figure I’ll put it on his bed under the heat lamp. That way he can roll up in it.”
“Why?”
Shay looked up at him, amused at the way his forehead wrinkled like he was deep in thought. Or maybe just confused.
“To be nice? He’s been working so hard on practicing his shifts that I thought it would be a reward for his exceptional work.” He folded the deep, rich purple cloth in his lap. “Or do you think it’s stupid?”
Diego’s eyes widened. “What? No, not stupid at all. It’s incredibly thoughtful and better than the rest of us have done.” He hummed as his gaze flicked over the scraps that Shay was using. All manner of snakes, each different. “Plus, what you have? It’s… beautiful.”
And a weird warmth thrummed through Shay at Diego’s words. He unfolded the quilt and started working again. “Thanks.”
If he thought the conversation was over, he was wrong. Diego grabbed a chair and slid it over to where Shay was working, then sat down, leaned forward, watching intently. “How’d you learn to do that?”
“My mom used to quilt. She made one for me of some of my favorite Pokémon that was on my bed until Gran said it wasn’t right for a boy to like the things and got rid of it. Lemme tell you, aftermy parents died, it was one of the few good memories I had of them, and I hated that old woman. Anyway, when I saw my mom doing it, I was instantly enthralled watching her take these scrap pieces of cloth and turning them into something beautiful. She found me watching and asked if I wanted to learn. I said yes, so she started teaching me. I was like eight, and it was something the two of us did together for a few years. It’s how I wind down at the end of the night. Take a bath with some nice bubbles. After I get out, I pour myself a cup of chamomile-mint tea, then sit here for an hour or so and let the tensions seep out of me.”
“That’s amazing. I never would have figured something like that would be so….”
“What?”
“Gorgeous. You are doing an amazing job, and I know that Jerm is going to be nuts over it.” He peered up. “I’d best get going. I have a report to file.” He stood and reached out, sliding a hand around Shay’s neck. “Thank you for being here, Shay. I’m glad you came.”
Shay could feel the coolness of Diego’s skin as he massaged the muscles. He relished it. Heat slid through him once more, wrapping around the heart he thought Mick had crushed when he left him for dead. Funny how it’d made a resounding comeback. Of course he’d noticed Diego. How could he not? The man was sinfully sexy with his wavy dark hair and those fucking bedroom eyes of his. Diego was the epitome of Shay’s teen fantasies, and he couldn’t tear his gaze from Diego when he was around.
But Shay loved this job and he wouldn’t lose it, even for what probably would amount to a night of unbridled passion with the sexy-as-fuck vampire.
“Shay? Can we do that?” Dr. Oliver asked, sounding desperate.
The question jerked Shay out of his reverie. “Yeah, of course. Whatever we need to do.”
