Wednesday, February 24th to make the required sacrifice, or—
Or what?
Marquis seemed to read Kagen’s thoughts. “And if he and Deanna have not…come together…by then, we are to wheel him in on a stretcher to the chamber of sacrifice so the Blood can exact its pound of flesh?”
Nathaniel whistled low beneath his breath but didn’t respond.
“That’s insane,” Marquis added.
“Agreed,” Kagen said. “But I don’t think—”
“Perhaps it is time for a war between heaven and hell,” Marquis grunted, cutting Kagen off in mid-sentence. “Because all hell will break loose before I turn Nachari over for failing to appease the Blood…when he isn’t even conscious!”
The earth began to shake beneath them, causing the furniture to slide gently to the left before settling back in place on the wooden floors.
“Brother,” Nathaniel cautioned, staring into Marquis’s phantom-blue eyes. “Please…check your emotions. It will not help Nachari to have the clinic fall down around him.”
Marquis’s large chest rose and fell with the weight of his breath—and his burden—but he managed to calm down.
Kagen spoke up then. “I spoke to Napolean briefly. Our king will visit the clinic first thing in the morning to discuss the situation with us, perhaps to add some deeper insight.” He paused. “In the meantime, there are vital matters we must discuss.”
“Indeed,” Marquis grumbled.
“What are you thinking?” Nathaniel asked, resting further back in his chair and raising his eyebrows curiously.
Kagen sought to rein in his own emotion before continuing. “I think we need to approach this…challenge…in stages. Take it one issue at a time.” He nodded appreciatively at Nathaniel. “Thank you for being mindful enough to make note of the time; with all that was going on, it never occurred to me to begin making a record of events.” The internal calculations made by a male vampire the moment he encountered his Blood Moon were as instinctive as sleeping and breathing. The instant the Omen began, the male automatically recorded the date, the time, and the…deadline: When, exactly, would the thirty days be up? Exactly how much time did he have left to fulfill the edicts of the Curse? It wasn’t something one thought about. It was simply imprinted on a cellular level; but Nachari hadn’t been there to internalize the information. Nathaniel’s reaction had been wise and proactive.
“Of course.” Nathaniel nodded. “Perhaps it is because I have gone through it myself.”
“What now?” Marquis demanded, quickly changing the subject.
Kagen angled his body toward Marquis. “Well, first I talk to Napolean…and the other wizards. Find out if they can divine any information: Why Lord Perseus chose to bind Nachari to the human female at this time, knowing he is helpless to act upon the revelation. Perhaps it was an act of intercession.”
“How so?” Nathaniel asked.
Kagen shrugged. “I don’t know, but maybe she holds the key to getting through to our little brother—wherever he may be—perhaps having his destiny here will act as a magnet of sorts, drawing him back into his body. Certainly, there could be no greater motivation. Perhaps her presence was needed right here, right now, for reasons we don’t yet understand.”
“Perhaps,” Marquis agreed. “But in the meantime—assuming the worst-case scenario—what can we do for Nachari?”
Kagen nodded and clasped his hands together, rubbing his thumbs against each other in agitation. “We can do what we can to foster the relationship with the belief that Nachari will wake up in time, and we can even act on his behalf with regard to the Curse if necessary.”
“Explain,” Marquis said.
Kagen leaned forward. “The woman—Deanna—was drawn here on her own accord. There is already a very powerful connection between Nachari and his mate, if only by the grace of the gods; so I think we nurture that. We feed it.” He stood up and
Or what?
Marquis seemed to read Kagen’s thoughts. “And if he and Deanna have not…come together…by then, we are to wheel him in on a stretcher to the chamber of sacrifice so the Blood can exact its pound of flesh?”
Nathaniel whistled low beneath his breath but didn’t respond.
“That’s insane,” Marquis added.
“Agreed,” Kagen said. “But I don’t think—”
“Perhaps it is time for a war between heaven and hell,” Marquis grunted, cutting Kagen off in mid-sentence. “Because all hell will break loose before I turn Nachari over for failing to appease the Blood…when he isn’t even conscious!”
The earth began to shake beneath them, causing the furniture to slide gently to the left before settling back in place on the wooden floors.
“Brother,” Nathaniel cautioned, staring into Marquis’s phantom-blue eyes. “Please…check your emotions. It will not help Nachari to have the clinic fall down around him.”
Marquis’s large chest rose and fell with the weight of his breath—and his burden—but he managed to calm down.
Kagen spoke up then. “I spoke to Napolean briefly. Our king will visit the clinic first thing in the morning to discuss the situation with us, perhaps to add some deeper insight.” He paused. “In the meantime, there are vital matters we must discuss.”
“Indeed,” Marquis grumbled.
“What are you thinking?” Nathaniel asked, resting further back in his chair and raising his eyebrows curiously.
Kagen sought to rein in his own emotion before continuing. “I think we need to approach this…challenge…in stages. Take it one issue at a time.” He nodded appreciatively at Nathaniel. “Thank you for being mindful enough to make note of the time; with all that was going on, it never occurred to me to begin making a record of events.” The internal calculations made by a male vampire the moment he encountered his Blood Moon were as instinctive as sleeping and breathing. The instant the Omen began, the male automatically recorded the date, the time, and the…deadline: When, exactly, would the thirty days be up? Exactly how much time did he have left to fulfill the edicts of the Curse? It wasn’t something one thought about. It was simply imprinted on a cellular level; but Nachari hadn’t been there to internalize the information. Nathaniel’s reaction had been wise and proactive.
“Of course.” Nathaniel nodded. “Perhaps it is because I have gone through it myself.”
“What now?” Marquis demanded, quickly changing the subject.
Kagen angled his body toward Marquis. “Well, first I talk to Napolean…and the other wizards. Find out if they can divine any information: Why Lord Perseus chose to bind Nachari to the human female at this time, knowing he is helpless to act upon the revelation. Perhaps it was an act of intercession.”
“How so?” Nathaniel asked.
Kagen shrugged. “I don’t know, but maybe she holds the key to getting through to our little brother—wherever he may be—perhaps having his destiny here will act as a magnet of sorts, drawing him back into his body. Certainly, there could be no greater motivation. Perhaps her presence was needed right here, right now, for reasons we don’t yet understand.”
“Perhaps,” Marquis agreed. “But in the meantime—assuming the worst-case scenario—what can we do for Nachari?”
Kagen nodded and clasped his hands together, rubbing his thumbs against each other in agitation. “We can do what we can to foster the relationship with the belief that Nachari will wake up in time, and we can even act on his behalf with regard to the Curse if necessary.”
“Explain,” Marquis said.
Kagen leaned forward. “The woman—Deanna—was drawn here on her own accord. There is already a very powerful connection between Nachari and his mate, if only by the grace of the gods; so I think we nurture that. We feed it.” He stood up and
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