Page 91 of Obsessed in Blood
I circled around the tableau and stood near the fireplace. Lyra’s eyes were closed, and a light sheen covered her brow. The healer’s hand rested on hers, and, with her lids closed as well, appeared to be in some type of trance.
Colantha had done something similar the day before. She claimed to be strengthening Lyra’s abilities within a dreamwalk. I wasn’t sure what the healer was doing, but before I could ruminate on it further, the healer’s eyes popped open. I leaned back, caught off guard. Her eyes were white. Not a milky white, but a solid shiny white. She blinked, and they shifted into their normal pale green.
A moment later, Lyra’s eyes fluttered open at the same time as Colantha’s. Lyra smiled when she saw me and sat up, shifting her legs off the couch.
“Cressa, come sit by me. Madame Saldano is ready for you.”
I stayed where I was. “What were you doing? You all seemed to be in some sort of trance.”
“We were in a construct.” Colantha moved to a chair and rubbed her temples. I only saw her do that when she’d spent too much time in one.
Madame Saldano picked up her bag and pulled out an array of bottles in various colors. I recognized the bottle of clear liquid with rainbow sprinkles, which was what she’d given Devon when he was healing from his time with the Beast. She poured some into a vial, topping it with a stopper, and set it aside.
“I was performing a psychic test on Lyra both before and after a dreamwalk.” The healer glanced at me. “And now I understand what happened to you when you fell into your psychic coma.”
She mixed a blue, green, and pink liquid together that somehow created a turquoise-colored potion. That shouldn’t have happened, but no one else thought the results of the color combination was odd, so I didn’t say anything. The liquid went into another vial. Then she picked up pink and purple vials I was familiar with.
She looked to Lyra. “You know what to do with these two.” She laid the pink and lavender vials on the table in front of her, then picked up the one with rainbow sprinkles. “This one heals the psyche and should be taken after each dreamwalk. This last one—” she laid the turquoise vial next to the other three, “—will strengthen your psychic abilities and should be taken no less than thirty minutes before a dreamwalk. An hour if possible.”
Colantha watched with interest, and I stepped toward her, lowering my voice. “Who told her about dreamwalking?”
Her gaze never twitched. “I did. With the permission of your vampire.”
I dropped into a nearby chair. “Really? He never mentioned it.”
“He didn’t make his decision until right after dinner. The juice doesn’t have the same impact on vampires. With as little as Devon has dreamwalked, it doesn’t take a toll, or at least nothing that blood won’t cure.” She played with the medallion at her neck. Her thumb rubbed back and forth over its surface. “For this mission, it’s possible Lyra might need to traverse multiple constructs. I can increase her psychic tolerance over time, but time isn’t something we have. I had hoped Devon might have a solution, and he did. I met with Madame Saldano before I made the final decision to share our secret.”
I let that sit for a while. If anyone had the right to make the call it would be Colantha. “Alright.” I moved to the sofa and sat next to Lyra, taking her hand. She drank a small portion of the vial with rainbow sprinkles. “How do you feel?”
“A bit tired. But I’ll feel better in the next half hour or so. I’d like to say goodbye to Remus and his family.”
I turned to the healer. “I guess I’m ready.”
“You’re sure you want to do this?” she asked.
“Sure. It’s just blood.”
She cringed. “I wouldn’t let too many vampires hear that. Blood is extremely important to them, as you can imagine.”
“As it is to dreamwalkers,” Colantha added. “However, this blood sample is important. After speaking with The Wolf, I find him to be trustworthy. He’s the leader of a species facing the same problem dreamwalkers faced centuries ago. Please proceed.”
Madame Saldano nodded and took out long plastic tubing. “Please roll your sleeve above your elbow. Or if that’s not possible—” She glanced up and blinked at my bare arms and the sleeveless dress. “Never mind. I wasn’t paying attention.”
I held out my right arm. “No problem.”
She wrapped the tubing around my arm, and the needle stick was quick and painless. A single vial filled in seconds. It was red. I shook my head. Of course, it was red. I’d seen my blood numerous times from cuts and scrapes, but suddenly, it seemed to be its own entity. What if there was nothing special about it? But a quick glance at Colantha told me this simple act would have long-lasting ramifications.
Lyra and I went down to meet Devon and Remus in the foyer as he and his shifters were preparing to depart. Decker hung back with Bella and Jacques. Apparently, he was staying with us, most likely eager to reengage with the mission reviews now that he was back in town.
Devon stopped in the middle of the foyer when he saw me and Lyra on the stairs. I strolled to his side, welcoming his arm around my waist as I smiled at Remus.
“Before you go, I wanted to give you something.” I held out my hand, then turned it over, palm side up, revealing the vial of blood.
Remus stared at the vial, then at me. When I nodded, he picked it up. “You have my word no one will know where it came from.”
“I trust you.”
Three simple words and with it, I felt the energy in the room change. The shifters seemed to stand a little taller, their expressions full of purpose. I probably imagined it, but Devon squeezed my waist.
