was a good sign. Grace knew that the patient’s heart was beginning to repair. Now the beats made her think of the ocean lapping against the shore or the side of a ship. She continued her work, tuning in to the nuances of the patient’s heartbeats. The drumming grew progressively louder and louder until its beats became horses’ hooves, thundering across the sand.
Her full attention given over to the patient, Grace had a powerful vision of night on a beach and a horse cantering across the shoreline. She realized, with a start, that she was still thinking of Johnny and of their midnight horseback rides. She had allowed herself to become distracted—something that must never happen during a healing. She pulled herself back from the vision, tempting as it was to linger there, and focused once more on the strengthening heartbeat.
But, as she returned her focus to the patient, the image of night and the beach came into even sharper focus. Bewildered, she found she had no choice but to stay with it. Now her own heart began to race. It was the exact same beach she had ridden across with Johnny on that midnight ride. But now she was seeing it from his point of view. And not just seeing it, but hearing it, too—the crashing waves and the taste of the salt-spray. She was feeling it all from his point of view and was aware of the intensity of his happiness. Her own heart felt as if it might burst. It could mean only one thing.
The patient was Johnny. There could be no doubt. There must have been the most almighty mix-up, but the cocksure ambulance crew had brought in “the immortal enemy” for treatment. Before, she had wanted to punch the ambulance man’s lights out. Now she would have hugged him in gratitude.
She pushed aside these thoughts and allowed herself to return to the beach of the vision. The drumming was louder now—of Nieve’s hooves and Johnny’s heartbeat.
“He’s back.” She heard Noijon’s soft voice in her ear. “You’ve brought him back, Grace.”
Opening her eyes, she saw that the patient’s face had returned from the abyss. His eyes were closed, but there was now no doubt about it. She’d know that handsome cowboy’s face anywhere. A soft smile played on his blistered lips. It was a good thing Noijon was here or she might do something foolish.
“Great job!” Noijon whispered.
Grace nodded. She was smiling, too. She passed the ends of the ribbons to Noijon. “I need you to continue my work,” she said. “I must attend to Jacoby now.”
Nodding, Noijon stepped into position and took hold of the ribbons.
Grace drew back and stared down at Johnny. She was so grateful that she had been able to heal him. But Sanctuary was not a safe place for him. As soon as she had healed Jacoby and made both her patients comfortable, she needed to find a way to get Johnny out of here—undetected and fast.
“No one is to come into this healing chamber besides you or me,” she told Noijon. “Absolutely no one, understand?”
He nodded, eyes closed, as he began his own healing practice. Grace watched the rise and fall of Johnny’s abdomen. Knowing he was in safe hands, she slipped back to the other side of the curtain, where she knew Jacoby was waiting for her.
20
A GREAT LOSS
“Care for a top-up?” Lola asked her guest, moving toward him, decanter in hand.
He smiled at his hostess genially. “Why not?” Turning to Sidorio, he said, “You certainly have a nice setup here.”
Sidorio nodded, leaning forward, eager to conclude their business. “Yes, we do. Of course, this isn’t our primary ship…”
Lola chuckled as she refilled Sidorio’s glass. “What my husband means to say is that
Their guest nodded and lifted his glass aloft. “A toast, then! To friends and allies!”
Sidorio raised his glass and drank it down in one. Lola bit her lip, disappointed to see old habits resurface. She filled her own glass and took a discreet sip. As she did so, she noticed that their guest was watching her closely. She was not overly perturbed by this. She had never been surprised by this kind of attention.
“Is something amiss, Lord DeWinter?”
He met her stare and held his glass between two hands. “No, not really. It’s just that you’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
Lola giggled, proudly displaying her bump. “Indeed I am, sir. I can assure you that’s the only reason for my enormous belly.”
“Indeed,” said Lord DeWinter. “My point is, should you be drinking blood while pregnant?” He shrugged, seeming embarrassed to have raised the matter.
Lola smiled, confident that she had him exactly where she wanted him. “Actually, I have it upon good authority that blood is vital for my babes at this point.”
As she spoke, Lola turned toward Olivier, who was sitting unnoticed in the corner of the cabin.
As if on cue, he rose to his feet and walked over to join them. “Blood is full of all the nutrients Lady Sidorio’s babies need to come out kicking and fighting,” he said, sitting down beside them.
“And you are?” Lord DeWinter inquired.
Before Olivier could answer, Sidorio spoke on his behalf. “Olivier here is in charge of our healing center—for treating war-wounded Vampirates.”
Lola chimed in. “We discovered that the Nocturnals had two healing centers, and so we sent in Olivier to research their facilities and then establish our own, infinitely superior, version.”
“It seems you really have thought of everything,” Lord DeWinter said, clearly impressed, and he lifted his glass once more. “I wish you and your kin the best of health,” he said.
“Talking of kin,” said Lola, exchanging a glance with Sidorio before turning the full beam of her stare back upon their guest, “do you feel ready to make an alliance with us? Are you ready to join our family, so to speak?”
Lord DeWinter set down his glass and rose to his feet. “My Lord and Lady Sidorio,” he said, “you have made an impressive case. It seems as if your power over the ocean rivals mine across the land. A lot of what you say makes sense to me. I can see the virtue in an alliance between our two empires.”
“That’s marvelous!” Lola exclaimed, rising to her own feet and gesturing to Sidorio to join her. “Isn’t it simply marvelous, darling?” she said.
“Yes,” Sidorio agreed, extending his hand to Lord DeWinter. “You won’t regret this.”
Lola reached for a small gold bell resting on a matching salver. She lifted up the bell and rang it. “In the hope of this happy outcome, I took the liberty of having some papers drawn up to formalize the arrangement.”
Lord DeWinter beamed. “You’re not one to let the grass grow under your feet, are you, Lady Sidorio?”
She laughed coquettishly and shook her head. There was a knock at the door.
“Enter!” Lola cried, and Holly came into the room, carrying a golden salver bearing the contract, a fountain pen, and a glass inkwell.
Lord DeWinter dipped the pen in the ink and then placed the nib on the parchment. As he signed his name in crimson, he chuckled. “Nice touch.”
Lola nodded appreciatively. “You have made the right decision,” she said. “Our power over the oceans is unquestionable. With allies like you, we will be able to forge on, relentlessly, until the oceans are red with the blood of our victims.”
