Blood Pool

Chapter Eleven

Solaris tried in vain to convince her friend that contacting Hekate was not one of her better ideas, but she had no luck in changing Raven’s mind. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’ em was Sol ’s motto. Dressed in lightweight hiking boots and khaki pants with a matching jacket, she packed her duffle bag.

The smaller barrier island was located a few miles south of Mirabelle Cove, hidden in the Mists of Magyck, the home of Hekate. A few islanders made the journey through the Mists at the spring and fall equinoxes and left Hekate gifts ranging from gold and jewels to exotic fruits and incense. Solaris and Raven had made the journey together many times.

However, this time Solaris hesitated before she agreed to go. It was one thing to leave gifts for the Goddess, and another to try to awaken her. Time was the one thing they had in their favor. With All Hallows Eve approaching, Hekate’s attention was on the outer world.

“Hekate’s my only hope to save Bo. I have to convince her to spare him,” Raven said after hanging up the phone with Uncle Caleb, who agreed to let her use his boat, again without question.

Sol smirked. “Wait a minute, you don’t convince Hekate to do anything. No one does. Either she does it for her own reasons or she doesn’t. You’d better pray we’re getting her on a good day.”

“All I’ve been doing is praying since Bo was infected,” Raven admitted.

“You know she’ll want something in return, and this time fruit or gold won’t suffice,” Solaris said, adding a handful of protein bars and bottled water to her bag.

The tension in the room was thick. Both women knew what was at stake. “I know. Whatever it is…I’ll give it to her.”

Solaris took Raven’s hands in her own. “Does your father know what you’re up to?”

Raven gripped Sol’s hands tighter. “No, and you can’t tell him. Promise me. He would try to stop me. Besides, he’ll be with Emerald at the hospital.”

Solaris turned, her eyes wide. “Emerald? What happened? Is she all right?”

“Yes, she’ll be all right. I checked on her before I left. It was just exhaustion that caused her to pass out-that and stress, but she and the baby are fine. Dr. Odin is certain she’ll carry to term, and Jules assured Emerald that she’ll have a healthy baby boy.”

“Emerald wanted to know the sex of the baby?”

Raven smiled. “Yeah, they both wanted to know. My father is over the moon.” She paused a moment. “Mordred is cured.”

Sol’s brows pinched together. “I’m worried about what would happen should the humans fall prey to this disease.”

“Me too,” Raven admitted.

Solaris glanced at Raven. “And how’s Bo?”

Raven’s throat tightened and her eyes threatened to spill oceans of tears. “He’s running out of time, Sol. The only thing that’s keeping him here is his sheer will and the constant blood transfusions, but if his organs start to bleed-” She couldn’t finish the thought. Wiping the tears away, she reached for her jacket. Sol hugged her.

“Then we won’t let that happen.” Solaris grabbed her shawl and headed toward the door, tossing Raven another duffle bag. “I heard Bo’s family arrived.”

The two women walked out into the afternoon sun. Blue skies betrayed the darkness that was about to descend upon the island.

“Yes, they’re supplying the blood-his human sisters. Luckily, two out of his three sisters share his type.” They approached Solaris’s car.

“Frank has been MIA lately. I wonder why.”

Solaris hit the automatic lock opener, opened the doors and threw the bags in the back. “He probably feels guilty.” Solaris got into the driver’s side.

Raven sat next to her friend. “Why would he feel guilty?”

Solaris shook her head. “That’s something he has to tell you. It’s not my place.” She started the engine and drove toward the marina.

“Oh, come on.” Raven huffed. “I understand your sense of honor, but this is serious shit!”

“Are you saying you want a reading? Because if you are saying you want a reading, I can do that. But if you’re asking me to betray a confidence-well, that’s a bit different. Do you want a reading?” Sol asked coaxingly.

Raven remained quiet until they reached the marina. Caleb had left the keys in the ignition of the boat.

As Solaris and Raven tossed their gear into the boat, Raven finally answered. “Yes, I want a reading.”

Solaris untied the ropes from the cleats and climbed into the thirty-foot Grady White. Raven guided the boat out of the inlet and into the open waters.

Solaris entered a deep meditative state as Raven quietly navigated her way toward the Mists of Magyck.

The force of Solaris’s words hit Raven directly in her heart. “Your mother wasn’t raped. She gave herself willingly to Philippe Laroque. Your father doesn’t even know this.” Solaris gave Raven a little time to absorb the news. “But she was under the spell of a fae’s magick.”

Information that Frank had tried to keep from everyone-especially Raven. “Your mother was angry at Tobias for leaving so often. She was content with the money they had, but Tobias had business concerning both the Lamai and his financial dealings all over the world. He also had to make his yearly pilgrimage to Queen Rhia.”

Raven was indignant. “So my mother had an affair?”

“An affair, no. Technically a one night-afternoon-stand. But her willingness to give in to Laroque was ignited by magick. The fae’s magick. And that’s how your sister was conceived. Not by rape.” Solaris softened her tone. She psychically knew this could not be easy news for her friend to accept.

Solaris continued. “She was human, with faults and all, and she had intense difficulty with the fact that she had betrayed your father. Neither your mother nor your father knew about the fae’s involvement. Nicolette tried to forgive herself, and your father was…for lack of a better phrase…an angel about the whole situation. For the sake of the baby-for Jade-and your mother, he didn’t kill Laroque. He loved Nicolette more than he loved any other woman. This I know. She was his destined mate. Fated to be together lifetime after lifetime.”

The air around the boat felt thicker as each minute passed. They were nearing the Mists, and Raven was unusually quiet.

“Are you all right?” Solaris asked.

“Just shocked-this is a bit much to absorb in one day. Learning about my mother’s indiscretion, a sister…my fiancé is on death’s doorstep and my father is going to get married and have a baby…”

“Hold on, girlfriend-your fiancé? When were you going to tell me?”

Raven conjured a weak smile. “It all happened so fast. Bo proposed… just before.” Raven was quiet for a moment. “So all along this was an act about my mother’s rape, to preserve her honor?” Raven blinked away tears.

“Yes. To a certain degree, Frank thought this was the best way to handle the situation. Your mom couldn’t bear for Tobias to know she’d given herself willingly to another man. Frank concocted this story, and that was that.”

Solaris hugged her forlorn friend and momentarily changed the subject. “You’ll make a beautiful bride, and Bo will be a gorgeous groom. It’ll be all right.” Solaris gave Raven a squeeze.

Solaris continued with Raven’s family tale/reading. “Frank wanted to protect your mother at any cost. That’s why he did what he did.”

Raven corrected her. “You mean ‘lied’. He lied.”

She nodded in agreement. “Yes, he lied. Frank was very much in love with Nicolette. He’s a powerful wizard, too. Did you know that? He used his power to conceal his feelings from your father. From us all, really.” She took in a deep breath. “I don’t know if it was out of fear, or for another reason. Anyway, no one believed Laroque when he went around boasting he’d had an affair with Tobias’s wife and that she loved him-certainly not Tobias. They dealt with the situation as best they could up until the point when your mother’s pregnancy couldn’t be hidden anymore, and then people began to spread rumors. It left questions in everyone’s minds.”

“What about her death?” Raven asked, staring into the darkening sky.

“That part is very cloudy. The details are still hidden, and I’m not sure why. Laroque blamed Tobias, and he blamed Laroque. Philippe claimed that Tobias had killed her, but he didn’t. I have an uneasy feeling that Frank told Laroque that Tobias had killed her. She couldn’t bear the fact she was unfaithful to Tobias and gave birth to Laroque’s child… I guess she just couldn’t live with herself. For a long period, she struggled with her emotions. It seemed as though things were settling down…and then…she was dead.”

“Why? Why would Frank do that, lie like that? Why did she do that to herself? Why did she go along with it? That was selfish of her. To rob both of her daughters of knowing their mother. That was cruel, not to mention how it devastated my father.”

Sol tried again to comfort her friend. “I have my suspicions about what may have happened, but that’s all they are for now-suppositions and theories. She loved you so much, Raven. I remember how she was with you years ago, when you were little.”

“I remember the stories, and I’ve seen the pictures of all of us together, but we’ll have to travel down memory lane another time. We’re getting closer. I have to focus,” Raven said.

The thoughts of the past that plagued her would have to remain at bay. More immediate issues were facing her now. Her future was at stake. Bo’s life was hanging in the balance.

And her life was dangling right there with his.

The mists were so thick that they dimmed the setting sun’s rays. The moisture in the air around them licked at their skin like a slithering snake.

“Did you remember to bring the silver coins? It’s approaching Samhain. As goddess of the underworld, she’ll want her pound of silver,” Solaris whispered.

Raven felt the fire of purpose burn within her heart. “Yes, I have the silver.” She cut the engine and allowed the current to guide them through the mists to the island.

Solaris turned toward Raven, fear etching her face. “Are you ready for this? To sacrifice whatever it is she asks of you?”

Raven’s expression said it all. She would do whatever it took to save Bo. Without him, she wouldn’t want to live another day-and with that thought, the lessons of her mother’s life slid together to fit more cohesively in her mind. A shadow of understanding took root within her.

Solaris hurriedly warned Raven, “Let Hekate tell you what she wants. Don’t offer anything.”

Suddenly, the boat bumped against the sandy shore. They grabbed their bags and climbed over the side of the boat. There was a discernible wrinkle in the air.

Hekate knew she had visitors.

“This way.” Raven pointed, and they silently headed to the forested womb of the Island of Magyck.

The night-blooming jasmine and moonflowers gently opened, scenting the air with their sultry fragrances. Ahead, they noticed a large formation made of stone representing the goddess, and just a few feet beyond lay the opening to Hekate’s crystal cave.

Solaris took out her ritual herbs of sage, sweet grass and lavender. At the foot of the stone goddess was a small fire pit in which Solaris placed the aromatic herbs. Raven lit the bundle, and the two sat facing each other, ready to enter the netherworld.

“Here goes. Deep breaths,” Solaris instructed.

From the north, the winds picked up in intensity and swirled around them, lifting Raven’s hair and whipping it around her face. The diameter of the whirlwind extended six feet across, leaving Solaris and Raven in the stillness of its center.

Words formed out of the mist. “What is it, my daughters? Why do you seek my counsel?” The voice was breathy, like a thousand butterfly wings fanning the air.

“I need your assistance, Great Mother, and I am willing to pay any price,” Raven responded.

Solaris’s eyes flew open at her friend’s bold statement. She did not make a sound, though Raven knew instinctively that Sol was screaming at her for such stupidity. “Let Hekate tell you what she wants. Don’t offer anything,” Sol had warned.

It would be a steep price.

The wind moaned and carried the ancient voice. “What is it, my child? What could a Lamai need from me?”

“Bo, my love, is near death, and I need you to help him recover.” Raven picked up the bag of silver coins and placed them at the foot of the statue. Her eyes remained cast downward as she revealed more jewels in a sheer bag.

“You want me to give up a soul that is ready for its transition?” Hekate asked.

Raven’s gaze locked on the statue. “He’s not ready. He was infected. We have a life to live together. He can’t leave me now.”

The silent moment that fell upon them moved at a snail’s pace. In her mind, Raven begged the goddess for her assistance. This was her final hope-her only hope.

She played over and over what else she possibly could have done: additional medical procedures, magickal ritual, anything that could snatch Bo from the jaws of death and return him safely to her.

Finally, she received her answer.

“You must give up your status as a Lamai. If you do this, I will grant your request. But, from that point on, you will be fully human. You will live as a mortal, and you will eventually die. Do not answer in haste, my child.”

“I accept. Do it,” Raven responded immediately.

Solaris leaned forward when Raven shot her an emotional stare. “Don’t,” she silently pleaded.

Hekate spoke. “Daughter Solaris, please leave this circle.”

Solaris bowed her head, leaving behind her offerings of citrine, sapphire and pearls. A worried smile crossed her face as she receded from Raven into the swirling winds. Raven gave her friend a long look before bowing down with her knees bent in a position of compliance to the goddess.

Solaris watched as the winds shifted, leaving Raven amidst the whirling dervish and her in stillness. The air surrounding Raven crackled, and from out from the vapor, the image of an older woman covered in layers of black silk appeared at Raven’s side. She had hair the color of a storm cloud, deep grey with flecks of silver. A thunderous boom sounded from the core of the swirling winds, and flashes of lightning sparked.

Raven’s body contorted. Her arms stretched outward while the tempest raged within. Pain sailed through her blood and bones as she arched forward like a puppet flailing in a turbulent squall. Veins appeared from beneath her skin, taking on a tissue-like appearance. They deepened in color from red to purplish-black.

The bones in her hands stiffened as they suddenly reached for her throat. Her nails tore at her skin. Her head thrashed back and forth. Raven’s eyes opened wide. Solaris could see that the whites had turned red. Raven’s irises flashed from silver to black, then all red. Blood red tears streamed out of her eyes, now a purple color.

The rest of her body was stiffening, and her arms seemed unable to move from their position, dangling at her sides.

Solaris saw Raven’s mouth open, but no sound came forth. Raven heaved, her arms steadying her as dark crimson blood spewed out. Blood soaked her white lips, blood that seemed to flow like a fountain. Hekate stood silent as she watched the transformation take place at her feet.

She will die if she loses any more blood, Solaris thought, and in that moment, she heard the Crone speak. “It is the Lamai blood she is purging.”

“Raven!” Tobias appeared from the haze as mysteriously as Hekate had. “Stop now, Kate,” he demanded.

The goddess turned and looked at Raven’s frantic father before casting her gaze back to the young woman writhing on the grass.

Solaris whispered, “Tobias, don’t. It’s her choice. She’s not a little girl anymore.”

Solaris didn’t have to ask how Tobias had found them. The connection between this father and daughter was exceptionally strong, and when Lamai were involved, the bond tripled.

Blood red sweat poured out of every pore as Raven bucked and heaved more and more blood, leaving her energy level vastly depleted. Raven collapsed on her side while Solaris watched helplessly. Raven’s spasms wracked her fragile form. The veins in her face and neck began to fade from dark crimson to pale pink.

Eventually, her skin took on a slightly healthier tone as the blood settled into the normal channels. Periodically, she would cough up bits of blood.

For an hour Raven lay in the blood-soaked grass, as still as the statue of the goddess. The winds had calmed, both inside the circle and out. Solaris studied Raven’s skin. It was of a deeper tone-not at all like the ivory complexion she had only a few hours earlier.

Raven’s eyelids fluttered open, and Solaris saw that they, too, had changed from icy grey to blue-green. Solaris stared as Hekate placed her hand on Raven’s bloodstained shoulder.

Tobias dropped his head and clenched his hands into tight fists. Pure anger filled him, wrath flooding his very being. Why had his daughter acted so irrationally?

“Your love will be recovering. Go to him. You’ve paid a great price,” Hekate whispered to Raven. The old woman looked over to where Tobias stood, hunched over as if in physical pain. “Tobias, do not try to change her back, or you’ll surely kill her. She must love this man more than life itself. She’s just like her father in matters of the heart.”

Raven, finally relieved, sighed deeply and lost consciousness.

“His pressure is normal?” Ian asked for the second time. Maureen, the night nurse, watched the blips on the monitors surrounding Bo.

“We just triple-checked, and his blood count is normal, too. Look at him. His pallor is healthy, and his temperature is one-hundred. It’s…”

“Magick. Do another blood panel,” Ian ordered, scratching his head in wonder. He had attempted to conjure a spell to relieve Bo of his symptoms, and Nat, his brother, brewed an infusion. Neither was successful. They only temporarily relieved his symptoms.

So what form of magick was this?

Bo’s grandfather smiled as he stood to inform the rest of the family, but there was also deep concern hidden behind his eyes.

At what price did Bo’s health return, and would his grandson be able to live with the sacrifices made on his behalf?

“Kagi Taka…” Bo whispered.

“He’s awake. Check his vitals again,” Ian said. “Maureen, find Dr. Strigoi.”

Courtier de Sang made certain that his daughter was resting comfortably back in New Orleans before he returned to Hannah’s Vineyard. Indignation invaded his every thought. His heart beat only for revenge.

How could that heathen bitch hurt his precious baby that way? They were sisters. His hatred for Tobias was intensified by the horrendous act perpetrated by the ancient vampire’s offspring. Laroque wanted retribution more than ever, and he would extract his pound of flesh, but not the way he originally had intended.

The hour-long ferry ride from the mainland to Hannah’s Vineyard gave Laroque plenty of time to think about what had transpired. It also allowed him to psychically summon his latest victim, the shape shifter Raul. The tall, newly infected shifter had been waiting in the shadows for Laroque to arrive home.

Both men gave each other a nod as they headed inside.

“How many have you infected?” Laroque asked, placing his luggage on the tile floor in the foyer.

“I managed to get a half-dozen. The festivities are postponed until the thirty-first. No more Nights of the Parades. Also, a curfew has been imposed.”

“Excellent.” Laroque smiled as he poured himself a brandy. He sensed there was more that the shape shifter had to report. It annoyed him to have to quiz this fledgling. “What is it? Speak up!”

“The word out there is that some other magickal beings are getting sick-Sirens, plus the fae and Empusas.”

Laroque spun around, studying Raul’s aura. He would be showing signs of the virus soon. It took only a few days at most before the symptoms were evident. He wondered why the disease was affecting other beings. He’d been very specific when encoding the DNA of the virus. It was to attack only shifters and Lamai.

Laroque snapped, “And Tobias?”

Raul caught the fury in Laroque’s eyes. “He dropped off the radar. No one knows where he is.”

The bokur’s eyes continued to burn with a hateful fire. “Find him and his bitch daughter.”

“Yes, sir.”

Solaris started her car as Tobias carefully took his daughter out of the boat and placed her in the backseat of the car. A cool breeze blew off the water, and the sun had begun its descent into the early evening sky. Solaris turned on the heat in an attempt to get some of the chill out of the air.

Tobias had cleaned as much of the blood from his daughter’s body as he could. All he could do was pray to his gods that the change did not kill her. He knew of only one other person in his hundreds of years of existence who withstood the transformation-only to die a few hours later.

“Let’s get her to the hospital,” Solaris said, watching Tobias cradle his daughter’s head on his lap in the back of the car.

“Where is she?” Bo demanded, struggling to get out of bed. “She’s in trouble, I know it. I can feel it. Tell me…is she…dead?” His voice choked up at the thought of his beloved, gone forever. Throwing off the covers, he tried to stand.

“Bo, don’t make me sedate you. You’ve already been through a lot. We’re trying to locate her. Relax,” Ian said, nudging his patient back onto the pillows.

“I feel fine. Really,” Bo said as he grabbed his faded jeans draped over the back of chair in the corner of his room. “I have to see her.”

“And you will. Soon enough.”

His eyes flashed to gold. Words pounded in his mind, reaching out to Raven’s. Mine. I must get to what’s mine. My mate. “I’m good, believe me.”

The old man smiled. “I’m sure you are, but you’re still staying right there.” Ian’s beeper began to sound as he had the technician draw more blood from Bo’s arm.

“You were near death, young man. Just hold still and I’ll be back,” the doctor called over his shoulder as he headed toward the ER. Bumping into Bo’s grandfather on the way, he warned, “Keep that stubborn grandson of yours in bed.”

The ER was especially busy this morning. Dr. Odin’s pale blue eyes scanned the area. He spotted his co-worker limp in the arms of her distraught father.

“Take her to exam room one, Jennifer.” He barked out the orders as he headed for the room, his white hair like a cloud atop his head.

Tobias was in the room before Ian, using his preternatural abilities to move faster than human eyes-or wizards-could see. After Tobias placed her on the bed, Jennifer stood beside them with gloves and mask on. She held cotton cloths, ready to wipe Raven down.

Ian’s thin fingers grasped his stethoscope. “What happened?” he asked, listening to her heart and respiration. “No, let me guess. She saw Kate, the goddess of the island.”

Tobias confirmed Ian’s suspicion. His voice was tinged with ire. “She certainly did.”

“You’d have done the same,” Ian snapped back. “Or worse.”

Jennifer looked wide-eyed at Ian. She read the chart again.

“She’s got a totally human heart rate,” Ian exclaimed in astonishment. “Do these tests over. It can’t be. I want a CAT scan of her chest area.”

Jennifer added, “And her temperature is ninety-eight point six. That’s not her normal temperature, and I took it twice.”

“Take it again,” Ian said.

“Yes, sir.”

He continued to check Raven’s vitals. “This would explain Bo’s miraculous recovery,” Ian stated. “It’s the only logical explanation, the only thing left for her to do. We did everything within our power medicinally.”

Through a haze of disbelief, Tobias tried to explain. “You’re correct. She made a deal with Hekate. She traded her Lamai immortality for Bo’s life.”

“That would mean she lost a lot of blood,” Jennifer surmised. She undressed Raven and cleaned her quickly. Ian inserted an IV with glucose.

“Her blood pressure is a little low,” Jennifer said as she removed the cuff of the sphygmomanometer, “by human standards.”

Maureen hurried into the room. “I heard Raven was admitted. Why is she unconscious and where’d the blood come from?”

“If you had seen what she went through… She’s exhausted,” Tobias said with a sigh.

“What did happen? She’s full of dried blood. I don’t understand.”

“Hekate,” Jennifer whispered to Maureen.

“Oh, you mean she…”

Jennifer nodded. “Yeah, she made a deal with Hekate to save Bo.”

The curtain separating the area where Raven was located from the rest of the ER flew open. Bo rushed to Raven’s side and gently gathered her into his strong embrace.

“My love, what happened?” he whispered in her ear. A tear escaped his soft brown eyes. “What did you do, Kagi Taka?”

“She saved your life,” Tobias answered, watching a slow smile pull at his daughter’s lips.

Bo nestled his face in the crook of Raven’s neck. “I know, my grandfather told me, but how? How did she do it?”

Tobias rested a strong hand on Bo’s back. “She went to see Hekate and made a deal with her to save you.”

“Bo… You’re alive… B-bo…you’re here.” Raven tried to raise her arm to rub his back, as if wanting to make certain he was really there and not a dream, but she was too weak.

He kissed her cheeks and lips. “I’ll always be here.”