Bloodstone Heart (47 page)

Dominic answered from the front of the car, "Nothing would make me happier, Josh...Miss Harper...you're always welcome here."

"Thank you, Dominic," Josh said.

“Thank you, Mr. Larsen," Melanie said.

“Now Miss Harper, please call me Dominic - we're practically family."

"Only if you all will call me Lanie. It's what my parents called me when I was young and I'd like it very much if you would be so kind."

"It would be an honor, Miss...Lanie," Dominic corrected himself.

Anton squeezed her hand and said, "An honor, indeed, Lanie." He smiled at her and met Josh's gaze with the same smile.

"Oh good...we're here. Lanie, welcome to your new home away from home."

"Oh my God, Dominic. It's the most beautiful house I've ever seen."

"Well thank you, Sweetheart. We like it.
 
I believe that Bernard has arranged for some food in the dining room to be served as soon as we can get you into something drier.
 
I've also called Dr. Rowe to come take a look at your injuries. The vampires’ injuries will have already started to heal, but I want him to get a look at your back, Josh. It looks like one of Dimitri's men got you pretty good.”

Josh had already forgotten about the injury; he’d been so concerned about Lanie, he'd almost completely blocked any pain he'd felt.

Lanie jumped to attention, "You're hurt?"

“It's nothing, just a couple of scratches. I can't even feel them."

She pushed him forward so that she could get a look at his back. "Oh my God, Josh. These are deep and there's blood everywhere." Then she panicked and looked at Anton and Dominic.

It dawned on Anton what she was thinking and he said, "Oh, Lanie, don't worry. We're born vampires, not made vampires. Although we drink blood, the smell of it doesn't make us crazy with thirst like our brethren. We can control ourselves. Some of us, like Dr. Rowe, can even be around it all the time without it making us turn."

"Please forgive me - I didn't know.
 
I guess I've got some reading to do."

"Well, my dear, then you have come to the right place because I have a library full of books you can sink your teeth into, pardon the pun," Dominic said with a chuckle.

"I would like that very much, Mr...Dominic. Very much indeed."

"Then go see Darby; she probably has some dry clothes you can borrow until we can get you some of your own, then come down and join us for something to eat."

"That would be wonderful - I'm starving and incredibly thirsty," Lanie said.

"No doubt," Anton added.

Chapter 35

      
When they got into the house, Dr. Rowe was sitting in the foyer waiting for them, medical bag in hand. He jumped up when Dominic burst in with thirteen people behind him.

"Michael. Thank you for coming on such short notice. We have a few injuries that need to be looked at."

"I'm going to have to get a house closer to Westport with all your guests’ injuries, Dominic," Dr. Rowe said with a smirk.

"I know. Seems we Larsens get into a lot of trouble, don't we."

"Indeed."

"You remember Josh, from the engagement party?"

"Yes. Good to see you again, Josh."

"And this is his...friend, Melanie Harper."

"Good grief, my dear, what happened to you?"

"It's kind of a long story," Melanie started.

Josh interrupted, "She's been tied up - wrists and ankles, to a sinking boat. She stopped breathing, but Mark and I performed CPR on her and brought her back. She's also been hung from her wrists from a beam, hit in the mouth, tossed across a room hitting her head and knocking her out for quite some time and I don't think she's had any water or food for a couple of days."

Lanie looked up at him in astonishment. "How could you know all that?" she asked.
 

"I'll explain later, right now you should be checked out."

"Uh, but, well, WAIT. You should be checked out first. You're the one bleeding."

"Bleeding?" Dr. Rowe said.

Dean was walking by when he overheard the conversation and in perfect timing to Dr. Rowe's question, he spun Josh around, almost knocking him over, so that his back was to the doctor, waved his hand at the rips in his blood drenched shirt and said, "Bleeding!" Then he walked away.

"Oh! Yes, well we should stop the bleeding before we look at Miss Harper. How did this happen?"

Lanie interrupted, "I'm going to see if I can't get some dry clothes from Darby. I'll be right back."

Josh scowled at her for leaving him, especially when he felt she should be the one to be looked at. She smiled and mouthed,
I'm OK
. He didn't approve but he smiled at her as she hobbled up the stairs to catch up with Darby.

In the meantime Dr. Rowe had gotten Josh's shirt off and sat him down sideways on a chair so he could get a good look at his back. Finally Josh answered the doctor's question, "A vampire."

"Must have been some fight."

“I didn't do any fighting. They were trying to get something from me and one of them slashed through my leather jacket."

"And through your shirt and your skin, as well. There was more than just one?"

"Yes. Dimitri, this vampire that brought me there to trade something for Lanie who he kidnapped and tortured, and six of his vampire friends."

"Did this Dimitri get what he wanted?"

"For a moment, I suppose, but the girls destroyed it with some spell."

"So why didn't you just give him what he wanted in the first place?"

"Because he wouldn't give me Lanie - he never intended to. That's why you should be looking at her and not me. She may still have water in her lungs, and I'm surprised she can use her hands at..." He stopped when Lanie walked up looking much warmer in a UC Santa Cruz sweatshirt and some jeans and slippers. At her side was Sammy with his ever-wagging tail leaning up against her leg.

"Well, I think that will do you. No stitches, but try to keep the bandages dry for at least a day or two if you shower. After that, change them daily and make sure no infection appears," Dr. Rowe said mostly looking at Melanie since he figured she'd be the one to take care of him.

"Okay, Miss Harper, your turn. Josh, why don't you get into something dry and warm before you catch a cold too?"

"Right. Lanie, I'll only be a minute."

"It's okay, I'm sure I'm in good hands," she smiled at the doctor as he looked at her wrists first with his gloved hands.

By the time he had cleaned up her wrists, wiggled her fingers and toes, and asked her what hurt, Josh was bounding down the stairs in another flannel shirt, dry jeans and socks. Dr. Rowe was listening to her chest and back with his stethoscope telling her to breathe in deeply and let it out. She did this several times before he took the earpieces out of his ears and grabbed the light pen from his pocket, shining it in her eyes.

"Well, Miss Harper, I think you'll live, but I suggest lots of liquids, a nice big meal, maybe a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.
 
If you have any coughing past tomorrow, call me and we'll check your lungs again, but everything looks good."

"Thank you, doctor."

"My pleasure."

"Thank you," Josh said shaking his hand.

"Not a problem. Take care of yourself."

Josh and Lanie turned and walked to the dining room for something to eat while Dr. Rowe packed up his bag and headed for the study where he found Dominic sitting at his desk.

"Dominic?” he said.

"Ah. Michael, are they both okay?"

"Miss Harper is dehydrated and may have some nerve damage in her hands, but no concussion. If she keeps coughing, I'd like to check her lungs again, but other than that she's good to go.
 
Josh has some good scratches on his back. Nothing I felt needed stitches, but there's always a chance of infection so, he needs to keep the wounds dry and have the bandages changed daily. Cleaning only if necessary.
 
He's going to have some nasty scars, but he'll survive. So tell me, what was this all about?”

Dominic proceeded to relay to Michael the events that had transpired with Josh, Melanie, Dimitri and leading up to the destruction of the Bloodstone Heart.
 

"I hated the thought of destroying such a magnificent artifact from our heritage, but we had all decided that it would always be seen as the power behind the Black Orchids and you and I both know what evil tends to reside there, so the girls wrote a spell and shattered it to oblivion. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.”

"So the girls are witches?"

"Oh, didn't I mention that? Yes, Darby and Sally are both witches, Rowan is a witch too, but she feels she is more powerful as a werewolf at Dean's side, and Alyssa, well believe it or not, is family to the Sensational Sarduccis - Gypsy blood runs through her and her ancestors."

"That's quite a story, Dominic. There never seems to be a dull moment around here lately."

"No kidding. Say, are you going to stay and eat with us? I think the dining room is all set up."

"No, I have to get back home." He reached inside his case and pulled out a sealed manila envelope.
 
"Here are the results of that test you wanted me to run for your friend."

"Oh. Great," Dominic said as he tucked it away in the top drawer of his desk.
 
“Let me walk you out."

"Thanks, old friend."

Dinner was a joyful event. The dark cloud of worry and dread had been lifted and the freedom of it felt like worshiping the sun after a long stint of rain. Dominic wished his sister and his wife could have been there to enjoy this happy scene. They had lived for these moments. Dominic never much appreciated it when they were alive, but now he saw why they loved it so.
 
It filled his heart with such joy it ached and he could barely breathe, like he’d felt at the sight of his son being born before his lovely Sophia had died.

From across the room he could see Anton and Josh laughing and Lanie beside them smiling. Blake, Dean, and Mark were teasing each other while Rowan, Alyssa, and Sally talked animatedly about something joyful, by the looks on their faces. Devon and Darby were cuddled in the corner enjoying the conversations around them. Joy was all around them and it was good to be enjoying it with them.
 

When the meal was over, they all headed off in different directions, as did Dominic, who headed for his study.

As everyone dispersed, Darby pulled Rowan to her and asked if they could talk. When they settled into an unoccupied room of the house, Darby began.

"I didn't want you to think I had forgotten my promise to talk to you about this Ireland thing."

"No, I didn't think you forgot. Things have been kind of busy around here."

"They certainly have," Darby chuckled. "I just hadn't gotten any time alone with you to tell you before Dominic's announcement. I mean, I didn't even know you were here until that night."

"I know. I overreacted. I shouldn't have made a scene at your party; I just wasn't ready for it. It caught me off guard."