A Wind of Change (A Shade of Vampire #17)(43)

If River followed the plan, she’d stay upstairs for another twenty minutes or so, and then come back down again. I had no choice but to wait in silence.

I caught sight of her across the veranda almost forty minutes later. Her face was tight with worry as she made her way toward me.

“Did you find them?”

I looked around, unwilling to speak a word out here. I just nodded and led her inside the apartment.

“They’re in the sauna,” I whispered.

Her face lit up and she motioned to rush there at once, but I gripped her hand and held her back. “I need some more of your blood.”

I took her into the kitchen and placed the container in the center of the table. She winced as I cut her skin again with my claw and filled the container with more blood. Then I set the container aside and raised her wrist to my mouth. I closed my lips over her skin and sucked. I was careful not to swallow too much, so that some blood remained in my mouth, soaking my tongue. Then I healed her wound by feeding her more of my own blood. Even with her blood in my mouth, I still wanted to stay as far as possible from the humans. I didn’t want to tempt fate.

“This is so weird,” she said, eyeing the container of her blood with disgust.

“Better than watching me slaughter your sister,” I muttered.

Chapter 20: River

I hurried to the blood-smeared door of the sauna and pushed it open. On seeing my sister safe there with Hassan and the other girl she’d shared a cell with, I burst into tears. Lalia jumped into my arms, clutching me tight as I showered her face with kisses.

“Oh, my God, River!” Lalia gasped. “Why are you so cold?”

I didn’t want to start explaining to her. She’d been through enough trauma as it was. There would be time for that later.

“I’ve just been worried sick about you,” I said, running my hands through her hair. “How are you? How’s your asthma?”

“She had an attack,” the older girl next to her said. “Some woman came in and helped her.”

“What’s your name?” I asked her.

“Morgan,” she replied.

“Someone came in to help Lalia?” I asked. “Who?”

“She was a big fat woman,” Lalia mumbled against my shoulder.

“And she helped your asthma? How?”

“She gave me some horrible juice.”

“Juice?”

“Tasted real sour,” she replied.

“And how is it that you two ended up sharing a cell together?” I asked.

“I guess because Lalia is only six,” Morgan replied, “they didn’t think it was wise to put her by herself.”

Lalia was still holding onto me so tight she was practically choking my neck.

“So you’re okay?” I said. “What have you been doing all this time?”

“Just sittin’ on our butts,” Lalia muttered.

I looked toward Hassan. “And how are you?”

He looked shaken. “As well as I can be, I guess—certainly much better than a few hours ago now that I’ve escaped that place.”

“Where are we?” Lalia asked. “And who was that tall man who saved us?”

Again, I wasn’t sure how to explain without freaking her out more than she already was. Once we were out of this place, I would explain everything to her.

I also realized that we’d been making too much noise. I raised a finger to my lips. “That tall man’s name is Joseph,” I whispered. “He’s going to try to help us all out of here. But now, we just need to be quiet, okay?”

* * *

I spent the next two hours holding my sister in the sauna. I told her to stop asking questions, which she did. She seemed content to just be in my arms.

Then it was time for me to leave.

“I’ll be back soon,” I whispered.

“Huh? Where are you going?” Lalia looked panicked and clung tighter to me.

“I need to go speak to Joseph. I promise I won’t leave you long. Just stay here and keep quiet.”

Lalia looked like the last thing she wanted to do was let go of me, but I detached myself from her, and placed her in the furthest corner of the room on the bench.

I found Joseph pacing up and down in his bedroom, the container of my blood clutched in his hands.

He looked toward me as I entered.

“So… are you ready for what’s next?” he asked, his voice deep.

I didn’t know that I would ever feel ready for what we had planned next. But it was now or never.

“Yes,” I said, with as much confidence as I could muster.

“It sounds like the party is dying down up there now,” he said, looking up at the ceiling.

I followed him out of the bedroom toward the front door. He opened it and we both stepped out, looking around. Vampires and half-bloods were descending through The Oasis’ entrance and heading back to their apartments. We remained standing by the doorway for the next fifteen minutes, until the last trickle of revelers seemed to have returned. But strangely, neither of us had spotted Jeramiah, Lucretia or Michael yet.

I looked back at the clock hanging from the hallway. It was already 2:30am.

We were running out of time.

I exchanged glances with Joseph.

“Where do you think they are?” I whispered.