Page 89 of Bite of Passage
“You know goddamned well we’re not friends.”VanFliet’s grip on his knife slackened as the wrinkles between his brows deepened.“At least, not right now.”
She continued, “Here I am trying to help another one of you numb nut vampires, but you can’t say a nice thank you.Why is your kind’s response always to threaten me.Cade did the same thing before I punched him in the nuts.I guess I’m your kind too.”
“What?”He grinned.“You didn’t.To Cade?You cocked him in the balls?And he let you live?”
“He was being an asshole.I won’t nut punch you unless you turn into an asshole.You weigh at least twice, maybe three times, as much as me.You have a solid foot or more over me.I don’t know jack about your world or how to do this medieval battle stuff.You could sit on me and win.”She smiled to try to calm him.“There must be some seriously badass women in this world to make you boys so jumpy around me.Kudos to those ladies for training you guys well.”
“I don’t understand you at all.”
She sobered.“I want to see if I can help you.It’s my thing.Helping people medically, that is.”
He waved the knife.“Fine, look.But make it fast.”
“The bugs… Youmustget rid of them.”She shivered.
The insects jumped off him.VanFliet waved the knife again.
“Can you come down to my level so I can see?”
He bent to her level.
She angled his head to get better light, which was impossible in the rain.A stare into his eyes and her mind lit up with information.“Remarkable.”
Backing away, she processed the information.Parasites.With the vampire’s regenerative ability, the organisms must have been able to persist inside the eyeball because they were isolated from the immune system.Whatever healing VanFliet’s body did during sleep was undone each day, his eyes damaged over and over.She knew what was wrong, but she couldn’t imagine the horror of it.There was probably no way to get him treatment— in this world.A witch like Serina might be able to pop Gemma back to her world so she could get a drug that could help.“Do you have some level of vision when you first wake up and then it worsens through the day?”
“You’re a medicinal,” he whispered.“Skarde turned a medicinal.Holy fuck.There’s never been one of you made into one of us.It’s genius.We need this as a species.Is that why he chose you?”He cleared his throat and, in a less awed and far more pissy tone, said, “Yes, it worsens as the night goes on.What is it?”
“Smart of you to use the bugs to help you see.”
A cocky smile teased his lips.“I thought so too.”
She nibbled on her lip.“I’m pretty sure I know what’s wrong.”
“What the hell is it?”He took a step toward her.His insects were back to crawling around him.Gross.
She backed up.“The good news is, it’s potentially treatable.”
“Potentially?What magic do I need to ingest or do to get rid of it?”
“There’s no magic involved.You need medicine.”
He grabbed her by the hair and put his knife to her throat.
Her heart thrashed against her ribs so hard it hurt.“Are you going to kill the only person who might know what’s going on and how to make it better?”
“Maybe I’m going to bite you.You smell good and based on my experience, there’s nothing better than vampire blood.Tell me what plagues me and how to treat it.”
“I’ll make you a deal.No biting.You don’t take me to Petra and you don’t help her get all those crystals together.Nothing she can do will help you.Besides, even if she knew how to help, she’s selfish.I’ve never seen…er, heard of her doing something for anyone else.If she says she can help you, ask her what she thinks is wrong before she tries something that might make it worse.In exchange for all that, I’ll try to help you.”
“I can’t do all that for a promise to try.You might be bullshitting me.”
“That’s possible.But I’m not bullshitting you.I feel confident I understand what’s wrong with you.I might not be able to miraculously fix your sight, although I may be able to get rid of the underlying issue.Then we can see what your regenerative abilities can do.Maybe, with some powerful blood, you’ll heal.”
His focus shifted to her neck.
She said, “Maybe…and it’s a huge maybe, I might be persuaded to share some of my blood.But I need more from you before I tell you what I think is going on.”
He yanked her hair tighter, but didn’t use the knife he held so close to her neck.“I’ll do what I can with regard to Petra, but it’s complicated.”
