Broken Heart 01 I'm the Vampire, That's Why (34 page)

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"
Tá mo chroí istigh ionat
," he whispered, smiling. "My heart is within you."

How lovely it might've been if the evening had concluded with those words. That was the kind of lovelorn phrase a girl could turn over in her mind as she fell asleep and dreamed about happy endings.

But nope—I didn't get a romance book.

I got a horror novel.

The building shook. Then a whooshing roar busted off the metal doors and shattered all the windows.

And before I could scream, "Oh shit!" the roof gave way beneath our feet.

Patrick whisked us off the roof and away from the crumbling building.

"Oh my God." I couldn't get my bearings. "What is it? What's going on?"

"Wraiths," said Patrick. "They've bombed the gymnasium."

"Bombed?
Bombed
!" Comprehension rushed through me. Jesus, God. The children. My house. No.

No! "We've gotta get to the kids. Oh my God. My babies."

He settled us in a copse of trees several hundred yards away from the gym. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Jessica! Stop, love. Damian knows what to do. The children are fine. Okay?"

"You've got to let me check the house."

"Use your connection to the kids. You'll see."

I couldn't calm down long enough to do such a simple thing. Patrick rubbed my shoulders until the fear receded.

Finally, I connected with Bryan and Jenny. They were fine. Really excited about a road trip and wreaking serious havoc on Patrick's bus.

"They're all in your RV. Where the hell are they going?"

"A contingency location. We've been prepared for the possibility of a Wraith attack."

"Hel-
lo
. They just fucking blew up the high school gymnasium and everyone in it!" I tried to calm myself.

"So does this mean the Wraiths survived the cave-in? Or are these guys like… I don't know, back-up Wraiths?"

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"I don't know." His eyes went dark, lethal. Any Wraith who ventured into his path wouldn't live long.

I unsheathed my swords, then together we rose into the air and flew toward the smoking ruins ofBrokenHeartHigh School .

Chaos reigned in the parking lot. People ran to and fro, shouting, and after a minute of watching, I realized it was organized chaos. Apparently, any fighting that had occurred was over.

Good Lord. The gymnasium was a smoldering pile of rubble. The flames had been put out, but smoke still filled the air—a silent ghost wailing the loss of its body.

"Where are the Wraiths?" I asked Patrick.

"Gone," said Damian as he joined us. "A hit and run, mostly. Looks like you missed a few when you destroyed their hideout." Damian's eyes flashed and I damned near swallowed my tongue in fright. Thank goodness I wasn't a Wraith. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be on Damian's bad side.

Patrick grimaced. "They are cockroaches—it isn't surprising a few squirmed away."

"They're not as sneaky as they think. We had enough warning to get everyone out, but we couldn't find you two." He looked at the swords I still held, his gaze curious. Oh, right. I slipped them into my hip holster.

"Everyone's accounted for?" asked Patrick. We'd reached the only RV left in the parking lot. I assumed that all the rest had hauled ass, going who knew where.

"There's a human missing… Marybeth Beauchamp. Right before the blast, I found Drake and Darrius—unconscious and locked in a security RV. It looks like Charlene escaped."

My stomach dipped. "Shit. You're just full of good news, aren't you?" I chewed my lower lip. "Who's searching for Marybeth?"

"We have several security teams sweeping the area, but they've come up empty," said Damian. "It'll take a while to get through the debris, but everyone who mentally probed the building agrees there is no one trapped in it." He nodded to the RV. "Stan got hurt. He looks bad."

I looked at Patrick. His jaw clenched. Stan had called himself a drone, but I know Patrick thought of him as a friend. And you know what? So did I.

As we entered the RV, I realized it was a medical facility. A human female in a white uniform sat at a minidesk, tapping the keys of a laptop. "Go on," she said. "They're in there."

We entered the room. On the left side, hooked up to wires and tubes, lay Stan, the one human casualty.

Beside the bed stood Linda, looking like her whole world had been ripped in half.

"Did you find Marybeth?" she asked, anxious.

"No," I said gently. "But we will, hon."

She gazed bleakly at us. "She turned eighteen tonight. Helluva birthday party." She leaned down and
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stroked Stan's forehead. "Look at him. He's so pale. God. Poor Stan."

"How bad is he?" I asked.

"Real bad." Her voice broke, but she stuffed a fist to her mouth and tried get ahold of herself.

I exchanged a glance with Patrick. He nodded then put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't you feel tired, Linda?"

"Don't try to glamour me." She shrugged off his hands and stooped to drag the thin white blanket up to Stan's chin. "I'll stay here with him. You go find my Marybeth."

Feeling dismissed, we trooped off the bus and stood in the parking lot looking helplessly at each other.

The acrid smell of smoke clung to the air. People milled around the parking lot, some looking through the debris, others picking up pieces, and a few with big, black guns ringed the perimeter.

The cell phone on Damian's hip beeped. He picked it up and flipped it open. "Damian."

"We found Marybeth. She's been injured, sir," said the disembodied male voice.

"Damn it! Was it the blast?"

"No, sir. She's been clawed by some kind of animal. Her torso looks like spaghetti. She's alive, but I don't think she'll make it."

Oh my God! Clawed? That meant Georgie the insane lycan had escaped the cave-in. Was he attacking humans for the hell of it? Or because Ron had also escaped and told his pet to hurt Marybeth?

"Give me your location," said Damian.

"The edge of the soccer field," said the voice. "We've been through this area twice already. We found her on the third sweep."

"So, she was attacked then dumped. Stay there. We're on our way."

We hurried across the parking lot and the soccer field. A group of men who looked like the vampire SWAT ringed the still, pale body of Marybeth. I noted that the only one not in uniform had blond hair and silver eyes.

Lorcan.

The men parted, fanning out to give us room and protection. Glittering green orbs floated around her. I poked at one. My finger went right through it and tingled from its pulsating energy.

"Fairy lights," said Lor. "A specialty of mine."

We kneeled around Marybeth. She'd been covered with a blanket that looked like a big sheet of aluminum foil. I'd seen those before on a show about avalanches. Thermal blankets. As he lifted it away, the material crankled noisily. I had to swallow down my gorge, but at least the wounds didn't look as bad as those on Emily or Sharon. Marybeth might have a chance.

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"We need to get her back to the medical bus," I said.

"
Céadsearc
," said Patrick, and his hand clasped mine. "She's not going to make it."

"She's still breathing. The gashes aren't as bad as the others who were attacked. If we get her some help—"

He shook his head.

"Brigid. You said she was the greatest healer in the world."

"And she told you she had limitations. I'm afraid this is one of them." He took my hand and rubbed it between his palms. "The claws of the creature that did this are poisonous. Even now, the toxin is moving through her system, shutting down her organs."

"Toxin?" Realization dawned. "You tested Emily and Sharon."

"Full autopsies on both," he admitted. "If the victims don't bleed to death from the wounds, they'll die from the venom."

"But… what about me? I lived."

"You're a vampire with
sidhe
blood," said Lor. "The poison didn't react the same way. Even so, Patrick had to travel beyond the veil to retrieve you."

I felt jittery, like I'd consumed too many mocha lattes. Once again, I felt a shift in my emotional landscape. Patrick had risked his own life and soul for mine. It was a burdensome thing to know a person loved you more than his own self.

Sitting back on my heels, I looked at the ashen complexion of Marybeth Beauchamp. Sleeping Beauty.

She'd never wake. Never find her prince. I brushed away a loose red curl from her face and sighed.

"Poor, sweet baby."

"I'll get Linda," said Patrick. He kissed me… then misted away.

I cried because, well, it's all I could really do.

When Patrick led Linda to her dying daughter, she fell to her knees and keened. We moved back and allowed her to grieve. She prayed to God, she begged the devil, and she sent her sorrow into the Universe, asking for a miracle.

Marybeth's breath shallowed.

Her skin grayed.

Little by little, her soul seeped away.

Lor watched Linda and I could see that he longed to sit with her and offer solace. Anguish filled up the space, damned near suffocating all of us.

I thought about Brigid saving Ruadan. And Ruadan saving Patrick. Parents who loved their children so
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much they made difficult choices. What was worse? Letting your child die? Or damning him?

What would I do to save Bryan and Jenny?

Anything. Anything at all.

Patrick.

Yes, love?

Can Marybeth be Turned?

It's possible, but I told you, most humans don't make the transition. And watching it fail would be much worse than watching her pass now.

Lorcan can Turn her.

I'm sorry, love. But Lor won't do it. He's never Turned anyone.

Well, I'm gonna ask anyway.

I aimed my mental radar at Lor.
Will you Turn Marybeth? You can save her
.

Condemning her to the existence of a vampire isn't saving her.

Marybeth's life was stolen from her. And you can give it back. Linda's already buried her only sister because of this creature. Don't make her bury her only child, too.

She is not the first mother to lose a daughter. And she won't be the last. I'm sorry, Jessica.

You selfish, pigheaded coward!

Lorcan turned to look at me, his expression stunned.

That's right, I shot into his mind along with a big dose of fury,
you're a coward. You killed Linda.

Remember? Sucked her dry and left her for dead. You owe her. Give her this. Give her back
Marybeth
.

You don't know what you're asking of me. I vowed I wouldn't ever Turn a human.

I was breaking his heart, I knew it. Reminding him of his own sins and his own sorrow to get what I wanted. It was cruel of me. But I wasn't going to stand here and let Linda lose Marybeth. Not if there was a slim chance we could save that precious girl.

Patrick could try to Turn her, but you're the key, Lor. The key to why we all lived. I know that if you change her, she'll live. Please, Lor. Please! I'm begging you!

Damn you. All right. Only if Linda agrees. And only if you promise to never ask me to do such a thing again.

I promise. Thank you.