Longing for You, стр. 21
After an anxious few seconds, Amelia said, “Her spirt is goingback—it’s going back into her body.”
Alexis pleaded, “Breathe, Katie, breathe.”
Then Alexis heard the best sound she’d ever heard, Katie gaspingfor breath.
“She’s alive, she’s alive,” Amelia said.
Alexis had never felt such relief in her life. She took Katie’shand and kissed it.
Byron stood and said, “Right, let’s get her to bed, and I’ll callthe doctor.”
Alexis felt shattered inside but would allow no one else to lift Katie.She hesitated and said to Bhal, “Thank you, Bhal. I owe you everything.”
“You owe me nothing, Duca.” Bhal smiled.
Alexis had heard the rumours about Bhal’s so-called superpowersbut had never seen them in action apart from her incredible strength. Clearly,she could bring life back from the brink too.
Alexis carried Katie to her room, followed by Byron and Amelia,and laid her down on her bed. When she took a step back, the realization ofwhat had happened, and what she nearly did, hit her. Her hands started to shakeand she twisted and turned.
“Alexis? Are you all right?” Amelia said.
“I need some air.” Alexis sped off down to the kitchen and openedthe back door, just in time to vomit onto the ground.
Once she finished she wiped her mouth with her shaking hand. “Whatdid I nearly do?”
Guilt descended on her like a cloud. Consent was sacrosanct intheir clan, and she’d nearly violated it, violated everything she believed in.She was just like Victorija, and the scary thing was, she’d do it again if itmeant saving Katie.
Alexis had to face it—she was in love with Katie and would doanything to make her safe and keep her alive.
* * *
“How is she, Doctor?” Byron asked.
Dr. Tyler McKenzie took off her stethoscope and ruffled her shortblond hair. “It’s remarkable that she’s even alive.”
Amelia gripped Byron’s hand tighter. Tyler checked the lines onthe blood transfusion bag that she had set up by the side of the bed and lookedup at the housemaid standing by the door. “Could you get Katie as many hotwater bottles as you have?”
“Yes, Doctor.” The maid quickly left the room.
“Despite the fact that she should be dead,” Tyler said, “she’sdoing as well as can be expected. The blood transfusion should make herstronger, but she will need time to recover.”
Tyler’s family had been serving as the Debreks’ private doctorsfor two hundred years. They were another human family who had earned theDebreks’ trust. Not that vampires needed much medical care, but they did fromtime to time, and the humans in the household certainly did.
Byron was thankful for Tyler. Otherwise they’d have to find a wayto explain to the accident and emergency department at the hospital why Katiewas drained of blood and had bite marks on her neck.
“What do we need to do for her?” Amelia asked Tyler.
“Mostly give her time and complete bed rest. Whatever Bhal did, Idon’t know, but Katie was dead and had her soul literately ripped from death,then put back into her body. That shock will take its toll on the body andmind. Katie will be weak and will need to regain her strength slowly.”
“We’ll take care of her, Dr. Tyler,” Amelia said.
Byron nodded. “Like the finest of china. You have my word.”
Amelia said to Byron, “I’d better go and tell Alexis. She’swaiting at the door.”
“Of course.”
Amelia walked to the door and slipped out quietly. She foundAlexis pacing up and down.
“How is she, Principessa?”
Amelia had never seen such panic, such strength of emotion, fromAlexis since she had met her. In fact until now, Amelia thought Alexis wouldnever let anyone see the strength of the feelings she had for Katie. She was inlove and had announced it to everyone as Katie lay dying. “She’s doing okay.Dr. McKenzie says she will recover, but it will take some time and a lot ofcare. What happened to Josie?”
“By the time our guards were alerted, she had fled,” Alexis saidwith anger.
“But you snapped her neck and threw her off the stairs. She musthave broken every bone in her body.”
“She’s a vampire.”
Even though Amelia knew that logically, this was all still newenough that the vampires’ healing ability still caught her by surprise.
“She will be fully recovered?” Alexis said anxiously.
“What?” Amelia had been lost in her thoughts.
“Katie, will she be fully recovered?”
“Yes, Katie’s getting a blood transfusion now to help her recover.Come in and see her.”
Alexis had a look of fear on her face. “No, I’ll leave her torest. Thank you, Principessa.”
She gave Amelia a bow of the head and walked away quickly. Ameliasighed. Alexis was one loved-up vampire, but she was terrified of it.
* * *
Alexis awoke with a start, her heart pounding incredibly fast. Shewas sitting at her desk and must have fallen asleep. Alexis rubbed her face andthen looked at the time.
“Five in the morning.”
She couldn’t remember what her nightmare was about exactly, butshe woke up screaming Katie’s name. Katie. Now, what happened last nightand what she had nearly lost and done hit her like a ton of bricks.
Guilt enveloped her, and she hurried over to the whisky decanterand poured out a large glass, to take the edge off her emotions and hunger tofeed. As she lifted the glass, her hand shook.
“Shit.” Alexis put her hand to her forehead in frustration. “I’mjust like Victorija.”
She could have changed Katie’s life forever. She fully expected Byronto take her position as Duca from her and banish her from the clan. Alexis hadbroken their most sacred rule and she deserved everything she got.
But her banishment from the clan would be nothing compared to notseeing Katie again, even if it was only from a distance. How could she livewith this love and not act upon it, bare her soul to Katie, and beg herforgiveness for nearly turning her into a vampire?
* * *
Katie slowly became aware of voices around her. She opened hereyes and saw Amelia beside her bed, talking to some woman she didn’t know. Thenshe felt the pain in her neck and deep cold right