Blood for Blood (Book 2 in The Lucid Triangle series)

Chapter 1

I paced back and forth on the Persian rug, but my legs felt detached from my body. Focusing on the kaleidoscope pattern helped divert my focus slightly from the ominous situation at hand, if only for a few moments. I gnawed at my nails until my nail beds were tender and there was nothing left to chew on.

Lily was sitting on the couch being examined by Dr. Woods. The jagged edges of the large gash on her temple had been drawn together by centipede-looking sutures, and the blood had been washed away. Using his hand, Dr. Woods covered Lily's left eye and pulled out a penlight, checking to see if her pupils were equal and reactive to light. He checked the strength in her arms and legs, and then using the bell of his stethoscope, checked the reflexes in her arms and legs to make sure they jerked in a normal response.

Dr. Woods rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up and he removed his tie. The last time I'd seen him was after I'd taken the Red Nectar right here in this very place.

The Red Nectar is a hallucinogenic elixir that every Gatekeeper must take to prove himself or herself worthy of the calling of being a Gatekeeper. The only problem is that the Red Nectar forces you to face your innermost demons and either defeat them or succumb to them. I was unconscious for five days after I took the seductive venom – three days, of which, I was trapped within the confines of my own mind. When I awoke, Dr. Woods was there, exhaustion evidenced by the heavy bags under his eyes and his dirty disheveled hair. Seeing him now, he didn't even look like the same person. He cleans up nicely, I thought.

Lu had called Thomas, his go-to guy, a few minutes before, and asked that he come over. Since Thomas lives across the hall in an adjacent apartment, he was there almost immediately. Thomas was in his racquetball gear consisting of a pale yellow polo and high-waisted black shorts that showed off his pasty, hairy legs. His hair was loose and feathery, instead of the perfectly gelled style I'd always seen on him. His brow furrowed, forming deep lines between his eyebrows that aged him ten years, as Lu explained the situation.

"Ezra's got to be the one responsible," Thomas said. "Don't you think?"

"Could be," Lu said. "You know how he got really upset when Maxwell crossed him."

Lu waddled to the refrigerator and pulled out a take-out container that I recognized from one of the clubs he owned, Club Chaos. He didn't even bother warming the food in the microwave, he just started eating it cold. Thomas raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Lu paused feeling Thomas' gaze on him. "What?" he said through a mouthful of food. His massive neck jiggled as he spoke. "You know I eat when I need to think. I've got leftover pizza in the fridge, too, if you're hungry." Thomas shook his head. "Victor? Lily? You two have to be hungry."

Lily looked green at the mention of food, and I didn't blame her. Who could eat at a time like this? Our friend had been kidnapped today, and we had no idea how he was doing or where he was. Or if we'd ever see him again... My insides clenched and I felt as though a scream was building from within, like a water balloon that is squeezed at one end. The air brushed beneath my feet and crumbled like sand castles. I was devastated for letting people that I love get into harm's way.

"No, thanks, Lu. We're not very hungry," I said.

"I think Lily's going to be fine," Dr. Woods said, rising to his feet, "but I wish you'd let me take her to the hospital for a CT scan." He approached Lu.

"Unfortunately, you know we can't do that, Doctor," Lu said. "One of them has already been taken, and we just can't risk another." Then in a hushed whisper that was not as quiet as he intended, he said, "These – vermin – they're dangerous, I tell you! Would you have me risk the lives of these kids?"

Dr. Woods' shoulders slumped, as if the air from his lungs had deflated, and his expression was weary, like he'd been dealing with things of this nature, shady things, for far too long. He sighed. "Of course not," he said quietly. "Please keep an eye on her." He pointed at Lily. "Don't let her go to sleep, and if there's any vomiting or change in her level of consciousness, you must take her straight to the Emergency Room." He pointed a finger in the center of Lu's chest. "This is not negotiable."

"Of course, of course," Lu said, using his arms to shoo Dr. Woods out the door.

When he closed the door, his posture changed. You could see the anger radiating off his body in a steady stream of consciousness. "How could this happen?" he growled at Thomas.

Thomas grimaced. "We had no idea that the boy had his friends here visiting him." He pointed a finger toward.

Lu looked up at me in a caring manner. "Victor, you could have told us about your friends being in town. I would not have minded them staying with us so we could have prevented something like this from happening," he said.

"I'm sorry." What else could I say? He was right. I shouldn't have kept this from him, especially considering that there was bound to be members of the Sixth Sanctum in such a busy city.

What had I done?

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