Drake had arrived. He heard fragments of the explanations Samson gave him as they rushed up the stairs. A moment later, they burst into the bedroom.
“About time,” Gabriel growled.
Carl released Maya’s hands instantly and stepped back from the bed, clearly relieved to be released from his duty. “I trust you don’t need me anymore now that the doctor is here.”
Without waiting for a reply, he bolted from the room.
“I’m not sure how much help I can be. I’m a psychiatrist, not a physician,” Drake stated, not that the explanation was needed. Both Samson and Gabriel were fully aware of the man’s credentials or lack thereof when it came to the practice of actual medicine.
“That’s the best we can do,” Samson insisted. “The nearest vampire physician is in Los Angeles. We don’t have time to get him up here.”
“Fine, but I want you to sign a waiver that I won’t be sued if she doesn’t make it. I can’t be held responsible if -“
Gabriel seized Drake by the throat and cut him off in mid sentence.
“If you don’t stop babbling, you won’t have to worry about a lawsuit, because you won’t be around to appear in court. Are we clear on that?”
“Gabriel!” Samson’s reprimand cut through the tension in the room.
Gabriel released the doctor, who cut him a sour glance.
“Fine.” With a jerky movement, Drake approached the bed and looked at the woman. Gabriel watched his every movement, for some inexplicable reason feeling protective toward her. And why shouldn’t he, since Samson had assigned him this case? It was just like in the old days when he’d started working for Samson’s company as a bodyguard, long before he’d worked his way up to his current powerful position as Scanguards’ number two. He was merely acting as her bodyguard.
Only, he’d never guarded a body as perfect as hers.
Drake lifted one eyelid then the other to look at Maya’s pupils before he pried her lips apart and examined her teeth. He slid his finger along her upper teeth and probed.
“Hmm.”
“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked, impatient to hear the doctor’s assessment.
Drake turned to him and Samson. “Her fangs aren’t growing, and the white in her eyes is not returning. Samson, you said your men found her and think they interrupted the vampire who did this?”
Samson nodded. “Yes, they saw somebody run away, but weren’t fast enough to catch him. They were more concerned with getting her to safety first.”
“Makes sense. I think he wasn’t finished. The turning is only halfway done. She probably barely received any vampire blood. Her human body is fighting it. And her vampire side isn’t strong enough. It’s not sufficient to turn her, but it’s sufficient to make her remaining human impossible. You have to make a choice.”
“A choice?” Gabriel heard himself ask, then felt both the doctor’s and Samson’s stares on him. Did they realize that he had more than a passing interest in her?
“Either turn her fully or let her die.”
Gabriel gasped. He took a step toward the doctor, ready to throttle him. “Let her die?” Before he could lay hands on Drake, Samson put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder.
“Gabriel. Stop.”
He spun around facing Samson. “You can’t let her die.” Even as he said it, he knew what he was planning to do was against his own beliefs: to give a human a choice. But he wasn’t planning on giving her that choice. Hell, she wasn’t conscious to make this choice for herself.
Samson gave him a sad smile. “Then we have to turn her fully. Do you want that responsibility?”
Gabriel swallowed. “You would prefer dealing with the guilt of letting her die?” He’d rather deal with the guilt of knowing he kept her alive as a vampire.
“Turning her means imposing your will on her. She wasn’t given a choice in this.” As if Gabriel didn’t know that himself.
Samson continued, “Are you prepared to make that choice for her?
What if she’d rather die?”
“What if she’d rather live?” Gabriel countered.
What if I want her to live?
“Do you really want to play God?”
While he knew Samson to be a man who believed in God, Gabriel had lost his faith a long time ago. But he’d never lost his sense of right and wrong, good and bad. Letting her die now was wrong. “I’m prepared to play Devil if it means she’ll live.” Gabriel’s decision was clear. Under no circumstances would he let her die. Consequences be damned. If she hated him for it later, so be it. But while she couldn’t make a decision, he would make it for her. And he hoped she would agree with him in the end.
A resigned nod was Samson’s answer. “Drake, what do you suggest?”
Drake cleared his throat. “She’ll need to be fed more vampire blood.”
“How much?” Gabriel asked, even though it didn’t matter. He’d give her as much as she needed. However many pints of his blood she wanted, he would happily supply it.
“I don’t know yet. I’m afraid we’ll have to wing it.” The doctor gave a shrug.
Gabriel unbuttoned his left sleeve and shoved the fabric back to his elbow. “I’m ready.”
“When did you last feed?” the doctor asked, concern edging his face. Suddenly he was all focused, his flippant attitude gone.
“A few hours ago.”
“Good.” He waved Gabriel to the other side of the bed. “Get onto the bed and sit next to her. I need you to open your vein. I’ll hold her mouth open and you’ll have to start dripping the blood into her.”
Gabriel nodded and did as the doctor asked. He sat next to her on the bed. Willing his fangs to extend, he pierced his own wrist with them.
Droplets of blood instantly appeared.
In the background he heard the door open and close. Samson had obviously decided not to watch. Gabriel didn’t care – he didn’t need his boss’ approval. This was his decision to
