The Complete Crimson Forest series

Bryxx: Chapter 10

I hear my heart beating in my ears. I'm alive. It's dark. I don't have enough strength to open my eyes. I hear the familiar sound of my bedside clock ticking. Kade moved me to the bed. For this, I am grateful. I don't hear a motion beside me, but I feel his presence before he touches me.

"May, if you can hear me, stay calm. I'm going to give you a couple drops of my blood. It should help," he whispers into my ear.

Part of me wants to gag and protest but I have no strength. My thoughts are scattered, and my body feels as though it's floating.

I don't know how much time passes before I become conscious again, this time I come alert to the sound of Darrel and Kade arguing. Darrel scolds Kade for not taking me to a hospital. Kade claims he doesn't know much about human illness and he thought this might be normal but wasn't sure so that's why he called Darrel.

"I'm going to look at her," Darrel warns Kade and then I hear footsteps near me.

I feel Darrel brush away a strand of hair that's stuck to my sweaty forehead.

"This isn't good. This isn't normal. I'm not an expert on human health either, but my gut is telling me this is bad. How long has she been like this?" Darrel asks, sounding worried.

"Almost seven hours. Should I call an ambulance? Should I drive her?" Kade asks, looking for Darrel's sincere opinion.

Darrel sighs. "Give me twenty. Watch my body and make sure no demon tries to snatch it up. I need to talk to Jane about this. She will know what to do."

Silence fills the air and I feel someone sit on the end of the bed by my feet. A hand falls to my ankle and rubs it gently. "It's going to be okay." I can't tell if Kade has said this to me or to himself, but I don't have time to debate this because I phase out again.

When I awaken, this time the darkness seems to gnaw at me. I crave opening my eyes, but the strength isn't there.

This time I hear a woman's voice. "We've been instructed to find stronger bodies. May is in some sort of transition and that's all they'll tell us besides that vampires will be coming at her from all angles. She's going to be some sort of crack to vampires or something."

"What do you mean?" Kade asks, sounding frustrated.

"Can't you smell it? I'm in a human body and I can. She's sick. She should smell like sweat but she smells sweet like sugar," the woman answers.

"I can smell it alright and it's strong, getting stronger. A vampire could probably smell her from halfway across the city," Kade replies.

"Seattle has an irregularly low vampire population but for some reason there's been a spike in vampire attacks in the city the last couple weeks. It's like they can sense something. Her. My superiors are calling in backup. They're sending in my five-hundred-year-old sister tomorrow." Darrel sounds annoyed. "They said this should only last a couple days. She should be almost out of it."

I'm still conscious what must be an hour later. Jane has gone out to get a new, stronger body, leaving Darrel and Kade to babysit me.

"I need to get some fresh air," Kade mutters, sounding almost angry. "I can't watch this anymore."

"Don't go too far in case I need you," Darrel says flippantly. I can hear the TV in the background. A game show. No wonder Kade needs fresh air. If I've learnt something about Kade since he's moved in, it's that he hates game shows.

I continue to fade in and out until I finally open my eyes. This is a good sign. It means my strength is coming back. My mind struggles to make sense of the conversations I heard while half conscious. I breathe in deeply trying to smell the sweet scent that they were referring to but all I smell is the candle lit across the room.