"Fucking idiot. " I kick one of the legs of the coffee table but not hard enough to break it; not that I would have cared otherwise.
What a damned mess.
I feel like I'm waiting for something. On edge. Alyssa's gone home but isn't answering her phone; I assume she's fallen asleep, the alcohol consumed being too much for her. She seemed sober enough. I should have followed her, I should have followed her. But the look on Adam's face... yes, he was angry at my suspicions, but there was hurt too. As if he was thinking, "I can't believe you think I would seriously hurt someone you care about." He kept trying to convince me he'd changed, but then he'd slip back into his own self, and I still can't work out which Adam is the real one.
Adam himself? He'll be holed up in a hotel somewhere, waiting for daylight to pass. He'll come back here, or go back home. My guess is he'll go home, at least for a short time. Then when he's cooled down, he'll be back, and I'll have to deal with him all over again.
I hope you're happy, Will; you're the one who kicked all this off.
At least those two will be in a safe house, well looked after. The odd text message from Will assures me Kieran's well, so at least someone's happy. Whether he's overjoyed at having Loverboy with him for all eternity and this is what's stopping him asking how things are going at my end, I don't know, but I'm almost glad he doesn't make such enquiries. Too awkward a subject. Too touchy.
While I'm channel-surfing and trying to pretend I'm reading yet another novel for the umpteenth time, my mobile rings. I snatch it up from the coffee table immediately and frown at the unrecognised number. The code says it's from the same city, so maybe Adam's calling to let me know where he is. I shrug. That's something at least.
"Nathan Stephenson?"
Instantly, I sit up straight. "Yes. Who is this?"
"My name's Laura; I'm a staff nurse at Saint Luke's---"
"The hospital?"
"Yes. I have a friend of yours here, a Miss Alyssa Palmer. She asked me to call you---"
Sitting up straight isn't enough; I stand, as if that'll make me better able to cope with whatever comes next. The paperback I was hardly reading falls to the floor.
"What's happened?"
"Please, Mister Stephenson, try to stay calm; it's---"
"Tell me what happened. And it's Sergeant Stephenson." I don't often pull rank, especially as said rank is no longer current or active, but if ever an occasion calls for it, this one does.
"All right. Sergeant Stephenson. Your friend Alyssa was brought in early this morning with a wound to her neck and---" I'll fucking kill him.
I'll rip his throat out with my bare hands "---and someone phoned for an ambulance. Miss Palmer's in and out of consciousness; she's very tired, but in between times, she wrote down your name, said your number was in her mobile phone and could someone contact you to let you know."
"What? Someone phoned in? Who?"
"I'm not sure who. All I've managed to find out is that someone called for an ambulance, saying that a young female was lying in the street, having been attacked. Your friend was brought in to the casualty department, we treated her, and as I've said, she managed to write down your name and a contact request. She'll want to see you once she's had a bit more rest. Can I tell her you'll be coming in to see her?"
"Yes; yes of course, but I'm afraid I won't be able to make it for a few hours; what time is evening visiting?"
"Between six and eight; is there any way you could come in this afternoon? She seems quite keen to---"
"No, I'm afraid that's just not possible." I don't have to spell it out, do I? A young woman brought in with a wound to her neck, and the one person she asks for isn't able to come out during daylight hours...
I can only hope they don't think I'm the one responsible. Not that my guilt or innocence in the matter is my primary concern right now; I want to make sure Alyssa's back to full fitness before long.
"Is she all right?" I ask. "I mean, well..."
"Oh, she'll be fine eventually. Lost a bit of blood, but there shouldn't be any lasting damage. It looks like whatever happened was interrupted---"
"Thank God. Thank God."
"Yes. Indeed. I can inform Miss Palmer you'll be in to see her this evening, then?"
"Yes, of course. Please do. I'll be there as soon as visiting time starts."
"Good; she'll be on ward thirty-six. Will you remember that? Her mother's with her at the moment, so she'll be well looked after."
Wonderful. As well as having to help Alyssa through such an ordeal, track Adam down and make him very sorry indeed, I'm going to have that bloody dragon to deal with.
Life doesn't get much worse than this.
I notice from the corner of my eye that I draw glances as I stride along the hospital corridor. My skin's pale, so maybe that gives it away. Or maybe no one here is an expert in vampires, and it's simply the fact that I'm over six feet tall, dressed in dark clothing, with my full-length overcoat flying behind me like a set of wings.
I hated that I had to wait until sunset to leave the house, but it couldn't be helped. Then again, I was heading to the hospital, so maybe I could have risked it. They have a burns unit, after all.
Wouldn't have been able to visit Alyssa if I'd ended up there myself, though. I waited on a bench in the hospital car park for fifteen minutes before visiting hours began. The longest fifteen minutes of my life. I suppose I could have waltzed in, demanding to be admitted, but that would have just salved my own worries.
