B. Donna - Blood Pool

Raven walked down the hall and through the double doors into the quarantine critical care unit. Her throat tightened as she caught sight of her beloved lying in the bed, hooked up to monitors. His once bronzed skin appeared chalky white. Mat, Bo’s grandfather, sat next to him on one side, and Frank stood on the other side.

“Raven.” Frank approached and embraced her. “I’m so sorry.”

Raven swore to herself she would not start to cry again. “He’s going to be fine, Frank. I’m not going to let anything happen to him. We’ve come too far. How are you, Mat?” Raven asked as she approached Bo’s grandfather. She gave him a tender hug.

She sensed the magick in the room. The smell of sage and the power of the stones and feathers that Mat had placed around Bo’s bed for healing filled the air.

Dr. Odin entered. “There you are. I’m afraid the transfusion’s not working as we’d hoped. Tracy ’s been working with Nat trying to come up with the antidote to what this is. Something that can reverse the effects of this…virus. The other carrier is dead. They found him in an alley a little while ago. But he’s already infected more than a few in our community. A siren washed up on the shore, dead. Davis did the autopsies. I assisted. The cause was an unknown virus, different from your original sample. I assume it’s mutated.”

He updated Bo’s chart as he spoke. “Mordred is responding to the treatments. He’s had three transfusions, his temperature’s normal and the original symptoms are gradually disappearing. Perhaps Bo will show some improvement after another transfusion.”

Raven decided it was time to tell Ian Odin what she feared the virus was, and who created it. She began by explaining the spaghetti-like strand found in Derrick Bly’s cells.

“That’s why the fae are less affected by this virus-plus Mordred is half-human. The virus is thought to be zoonotic and therefore deadly to shifters, sirens, or other animals. Ian, have you tried giving Bo type O negative blood from a human? Perhaps if we flood his system with human blood…”

Ian reassuringly placed his hand on Raven’s shoulder. “That’s our next step. After that, I don’t know what else we can do. Nat is working on a few things. We’ll come up with an alternative.”

Tracy rushed over to the window of Bo’s room, holding up a piece of paper. On it was written: You were right. It’s a recombinant virus, altered Ebola.

Raven’s world came crashing down.

Raven stood by the foot of Bo’s bed, thinking back to the first time she’d laid eyes on him. It was over ten years ago . Gosh, time flies, she thought as threads of hope unraveled.

Raven was eighteen and had finished her first year of college. It was time for the celebration of spring’s arrival on Mirabelle Cove.

It was May Day Eve: April thirtieth.

She’d completed all her tests early, and she had the entire summer off.

Tobias had purchased for Raven a small cottage for her summers on the island as a birthday gift. That tiny cottage was now her two-storey Victorian-style home, complete with wrap-around porch and four bedrooms-a home she insisted on paying to renovate herself.

And she did.

She settled into her cozy new home and even started a part-time job at Nigella’s parents’ farm. Raven was ready to celebrate May eve with the rest of the town.

As twilight fell on that balmy spring night, the bonfires blazed and the minstrels played. That year it was exceptionally warm. The stars were brighter than usual. At least that was how Raven remembered it.

She was such a young, innocent Lamai back then. She stood in the moonlight wearing a sheer cotton camisole dress and sandals with laces that snaked up her calves. Eyeing those who danced around the fire, she spied Bo, but not before he caught sight of her. The excitement caused her skin to prickle. It was instantaneous. The magick that sparked between them swirled, causing the flames to leap higher into the night sky.

He was tall and brawny. His bronze skin glistened in the firelight. As he moved closer to her she barely noticed that she’d already begun to move toward him. His eyes glowed golden for a moment, then flashed back to black.

All she heard was his voice as he spoke. “My name’s Bo.”

His seductive, full lips mesmerized her.

A mild breeze blew a lock of hair across her cheek, and his hand grazed her soft skin as he pushed it out of her eyes. His touch sent waves of heat through her body. Raven felt a hunger building that wasn’t for blood.

“Raven…Raven Strigoi,” she said, finding her voice, lost in his eyes.

“I haven’t seen you around, Raven Strigoi. Where have you been hiding?” He smiled and his face lit up, putting the fire to shame.

Raven became uncharacteristically shy. “College. I’m attending Harvard and just finished up for the year.”

“Harvard. Not too shabby. I went to the University of Colorado.”

They walked under the stars and into a copse secluded from the rest of the celebrants. Pines, hemlocks and junipers scented the air with heady fragrances. Daffodils of many varieties dotted the landscape with punches of vivid yellows, ochre and bright whites. A row of forsythia hid the couple from those still dancing and singing around the bonfire.

A crunchy, brown pile of the previous autumn’s leaves lay scattered underneath the pines, creating an inviting palette for the two to rest upon.

Raven hadn’t noticed until then that Bo was carrying a blanket in his muscular arms. He spread it on the ground and sat upon it, patting a spot next to him. She joined him, not knowing what to say next.

Should I just blurt out that I’m a virgin? she wondered. No, that would send him running for the hills.

“I’ve heard the name Strigoi. Your father is a powerful Lamai,” he finally said. “One of the oldest, too.”

“Yes, he is. I don’t get to see him often, though. He travels a lot. And what’s your last name?” she asked, noticing the easy way he acted with her. She liked that he seemed quite comfortable in his own skin.

“Wasake,” he answered.

“Ah, yes, the shape shifter clan. Have you lived on the island long? I-I never noticed you before, either.”

When he smiled, two delightful dimples appeared on either side of his tempting mouth as if poised for a kiss. “No. I’m fairly new to the island. I received an offer to join the police force. Technically I was transferred here.”

“Oh. Where did you live before moving here?” She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen .

Bo picked at a blade of grass. “ Colorado.”

“That makes sense since you attended the University of Colorado. Was it a mutual switch in locations?” Feeling her skin radiating heat at the nearness of him, she was a bundle of nerves. It being the holiday for making love, she had preplanned to lose her status as a virgin that night.

At eighteen, she had waited long enough, and her body agreed. It hungered constantly for either blood or lust. If she didn’t find the right mate she would wait, but that seemed to be a moot point now. He was supremely delectable. She licked her lips in anticipation of his kiss. The feeling seemed to be mutual as Bo obviously struggled to focus on the subject of their conversation. He was a vision, an Aztec god come to life. Her marble-like skin contrasted with his deep copper color and shimmered with an opalescent glow. The sight of him caused her body to react on a most basic level. Desire. She wanted desperately for him to press his lips to hers.

The line of his neck was strong, and his rapid pulse beat erratically. Her dress slid over her shoulder, revealing more skin. His gaze traveled down to her ample bosom. He gently touched the locket nestled between her breasts. She could feel his hunger- to possess her-and her desire grew by the minute. Raven wanted to be possessed by him.