Page 53 of Blood Taken (Blood Mafia 2)
I really wish Mateo had asked me before inviting her. Nicole's sitting patiently on the edge of the cushions. I appreciate that she's here and not forcing me to talk. The vampires are talking quietly amongst each other. Grinding my teeth together when Grayson looks over for the tenth time, I remind myself to relax.
"Has there ever been a Hunter born without powers?"
Nicole turns to me. There are no lines of concern on her face.
Everything is probably fine.
"No, all those born of the Hunter bloodline have received their powers. The timing is not exact. Perhaps you were born a few minutes after nine-thirty or maybe the slight shifting of time over the years has caused the hours to be out of sync."
I cross my arms over my chest. Through the sheer curtain and the pergola slats, I can see the night sky. San Francisco is so bright I normally can't see any stars. Up here though, I see a few. I focus on them and breathe in and out a few times, trying to calm the rising flare of annoyance.
I hate wait—oh.
Something tingles deep in my belly. Then the sensation builds, inching and vibrating across my entire body.
Oh crap. I gasp when it turns from a tingling to a million needles pricking my skin all at once.
I think it's go time.
Why the hell do people do acupuncture? This is horrible.
The slight stabbing turns into a torrent of hurt. The little pin pricks of pain turn into giant daggers piercing through my skin.
Nicole crawls toward me when I whimper and Maria bursts into the cocoon of safety.
I can't see them because my eyes are pressed closed, but I feel the vampires move in.
"It's starting," Nicole tells them.
Starting? Judas Priest this is already awful.
"How long?" I ask through clenched teeth.
Maria's palm caresses my cheek. "It will take longer if you fight it. You need to relax."
I cringe away from her touch. If she expects me to relax she needs to remove herself from my presence. Or at least stop touching me. I can ignore her if she doesn't touch me.
When she doesn't reach for me again, I force my muscles to unclench and melt into the soft bed I'm lying on. It's hard to do because I feel like I'm about to be shredded. The more I relax, the less it hurts, so I continue to imagine melting into a puddle, imagining I did an hour of intense yoga and I'm in the final savasana.
"Good, very good," Nicole says.
Maria is still sitting near me. She doesn't talk, thank God. Her presence isn't entirely unwelcome. It's nice to have someone who's experienced this before near.
A spike feels like it’s being hammered into my chest. I arch my back and claw at the fabric. My mouth is open, but it hurts too much to yell.
"What's wrong?" Colt growls the question to the Hunters.
"Everything is fine," Maria reassures him.
I scream when the pain echoes throughout the rest of my body.
"This is not fine," he hisses the words at them.
"Stand down," Mateo says, his commanding voice wraps around me. I don't feel the normal pull to do as he says.
There's too much agony. So much.
My eyes burn with tears.
