B. Donna - Blood Pool

“I understand your depth of feelings that you hide beneath the surface of big, tough ancient Lamai.” She got up and approached him. “You’re not betraying her, and you know she’d want you to grab every bit of happiness you can…until you meet again. And you will meet again. You do know that? You’ll always find her.”

A smile played upon his lips. “Yes, I know. You always put things into perspective for me, friend. Thank you.” He turned and looked at the fire, his head bowed. “I just miss her so much.”

“I know you do. I can see the pain in your eyes. It seems that the time you’re with her flies by, and the time in between drags on. I understand that-really I do.”

His eyes met hers. “Exactly-and if it weren’t for Raven and my other children, I’d sleep until the time came for us to meet again.” A tear escaped his eye, and he swiftly wiped away any trace of it.

“Can I ask you something, Tobias?”

He turned to face her. “Of course.”

“Why haven’t you ever turned Nicolette? I would think that would solve many of your problems. Then you two could be together…always.”

Tobias was quiet for a while before answering.

“Have you ever been in love, Sol?”

“I have loved, yes. It’s how I understand what you go through. My love is an immortal, but hasn’t found me yet.”

“Then you know what I mean by being madly in love with someone, to the point that you consider their feelings above your own. Only their happiness matters.”

“Yes. I can say I have loved that intensely,” she admitted.

“I love Nicolette in that manner. That’s why I could never change her-and believe me, she’s asked me to do it many times. It wouldn’t be fair to her, though. It’s not her journey. If I were to change her, it would be for selfish reasons, not for her own good.” He softly chuckled. “I envy my daughter and Bo. At least I did. Now I feel terrible for her.”

Solaris stood near Tobias, warming her chilled hands by the fire. “Why?”

“Because they would have had many years together, many more than mere mortals. But Raven sacrificed that, and I understand why she did it. I’m just worried for her. This will change so many aspects of her life.”

“Speaking of your daughter, Bo headed down south with Jade. They’re trying to get a fix on Raven. I think the storm has created an obstacle, though.”

Tobias glanced at Solaris. “What storm?”

“You haven’t heard? There’s reports concerning Florida, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Keys. A hurricane…it’s a category-two storm now. The last I heard from Bo, he was stranded on the mainland because the bridges are closed.”

Tobias finished the last of the wine. “I have to go see Emmie.”

And that quickly, he was gone.

Light filtered through the windows in blotches as Raven tried to open her eyes. She was beyond exhausted from the tedious work she’d recently accomplished, and her neck still ached.

The house was quiet. Laroque was gone and she was in the bed he had been lying in.

“What the hell?” she mumbled, trying to focus on the room around her. It seemed as if she was in an entirely different wing of the house-but no, there was the fireplace.

“I have to thank you, and apologize.”

It was Laroque.

“This can’t be good,” she said with a sigh.

His face was still a bit pale and it remained emotionless. “No, I don’t think you’ll be too happy, but it cannot be helped.”

Raven took in the room, which was now clear of all equipment. With the exception of the bed, it looked like a normal living room. At least she wasn’t bound and tied to the bed.

“I see you’re feeling better,” she said, sitting up.

“A little weak, but yes, much improved. And I owe you a debt of gratitude for that. You’re in the wrong profession. You should be saving lives, not dealing with corpses.”

Raven swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Yeah, well maybe it’s time for a change. Ah, what’s the not-so-good news?”

“We’re leaving. The storm has passed, and we must be on our way. You must come with me.” Laroque was packing a duffle bag with more T-shirts and packages of women’s underwear.

Raven didn’t see any of the others. She wondered why Mick wasn’t there with them.

“I-I don’t understand…”

“The shifters I have in my employ have sensed that your friend, Bo, is getting very close. Luke told me about some ridiculous fantasy that Bo is traveling with another Lamai.” He began to laugh. “He tried to tell me that it’s my daughter Jade.” He continued laughing, except for his eyes. They were not laughing.

They were deadly orbs.

Raven swallowed hard.

“I, of course, had to kill Luke, which is a shame because besides being a loyal employee he was a fantastic chef. Regardless, I cannot tolerate such talk.”

“Of c-course n-not,” Raven stuttered.

Laroque tossed the bag at Raven’s feet. “So, you see, we must get going. I have a boat that just docked at the Marina, and we’ll be heading off to New Orleans. You haven’t been back to your old neighborhood in a long time, juste ?”

Raven grabbed the bag. “N-no, I haven’t. Not since I was a little girl. How are feeling, by the way?”

Raven sensed Laroque watching her. “Such a dedicated physician. I feel fine. I read your work and I’m amazed I never thought of that idea-a naked DNA vaccine. I mean it, Raven, you should be doing medical research.”

The innocent volley of compliments coming from Laroque did not fool Raven. His eyes betrayed him and behind them lay volumes of anger, rage that was directed at her, and she could see he was doing his level best to hide that fact.

Somehow he believed Luke, but why he’d still killed him, she didn’t know. Perhaps he’d seen signs of a change in Jade when he rescued her and brought her back to New Orleans. He was a smart man, and a simple blood test was all he needed to verify the transformation.

She walked toward the bathroom. “Can I get changed first? Have some coffee, take a shower?”

He motioned with his hand for her to follow him. “No, I’m sorry. We don’t have time. Once we’re on the boat, you can shower.”

Her gaze darted around the room. It was inconceivable that it was just the two of them there. The rest of them must be waiting outside. If by some miracle it was only the two of them, maybe she could make a run for it. He was still too weak to chase her very far. Hey, a girl could hope.

“What about the storm? Won’t we be heading into it?”

His eyes flashed a deadly warning.

“Some thank you,” she muttered under her breath. He dragged her out the back door and into the sunshine. Once there, he pointed to the black Mercedes in the driveway.

All her big plans at escape were dashed as she noticed Mick solemnly standing by the driver’s side. So much for a getaway . Raven knew Mick liked Luke. He told her they’d been friends for almost five years. She figured he’d exact revenge for his friend’s death somehow, but for the meantime he would wisely follow orders.

Raven stared blankly when she made eye contact with Mick. He subtly cast his eyes downward, his skin flashing a hint of the blush of embarrassment. His movements were swift as he walked around the car and opened the door for her, never forgetting his manners. She felt his anger toward Laroque, which was not of her imagination. Raven surprisingly discovered that along with her new human frailties came her new human gifts. Without the dominant Lamai DNA, she believed her mother’s psychic talents could shine through. She hoped it was true. She needed some type of advantage.

“He’s such the Southern gentleman-gentle-beast, I should say,” Laroque kidded, but Raven found no humor in anything he said. “Get in.”