One Lucky Vampire(47)

Her worried gaze slid over Jake again. He’d lain moaning and writhing after his last bout with the bowl. It had looked like he was in agony. She’d thought that was scary . . . until he’d stopped moving and gone silent about five minutes ago. This was scarier. If his chest weren’t moving up and down—

Nicole stopped pacing and peered at Jake worriedly. His chest didn’t seem to be moving anymore. He’d been breathless when he’d first gone still, as if his thrashing and writhing had worn him out. While he’d lain still, his chest had been heaving with his effort to catch his breath. Now it didn’t seem to be moving at all. She took an instinctive step toward him and then paused, Marguerite’s words running through her mind.

No matter what happens, keep your distance. He will not die. He will be fine, but you need to stay away from him. You are the one who could be in danger, Nicole. Don’t get too close, and if he becomes active again and gets up and comes at you, you have to lock yourself in the bathroom or even leave the house. He could be a danger to you right now.

“Jake?” she said, shifting where she stood. “Jake, wake up.”

He didn’t react at all.

Biting her lip, Nicole took a step toward him and said a little more loudly, “Jake! Wake up!

There was still no reaction and she took another step closer, and then stepped back again, Marguerite’s words making her afraid. But she couldn’t just stand there. Marguerite had assured her he would be all right, but what if she was wrong? What if he needed CPR? She couldn’t stand it, she had to see if he was breathing, but she tried to be careful about it. The couch was three feet from the wall, leaving a walkway to the sliding glass doors. Nicole walked around into that space and leaned over the back of the couch so that it was a bit of a barrier as she gave his shoulder a shake.

“Jake, are you—”

He grabbed her so swiftly Nicole nearly bit her tongue with surprise. One moment Jake was as still as the dead and the next he’d snatched her arm and was trying to draw her wrist toward his mouth. She didn’t understand what was happening at first. She had no idea why he’d grabbed her, and then she saw his mouth opening and realized he was going to bite her.

Nicole immediately began to jerk her arm back. Weak as Jake was, she nearly broke free, and would have had she not glanced back to his mouth and spotted the fangs sliding down into view.

Fangs. Literally. Like a dog . . . or a vampire. Nicole didn’t just freeze like a deer in headlights, she went momentarily weak. Jake gave a sharp tug at the same moment and she went over the side of the couch. The action snapped her out of her shock and she was struggling again even before she landed on top of his blanket-covered form.

Screaming now, Nicole thrashed and kicked with her legs, pushed with her free arm and pulled on the one he was trying to get to his mouth, trying to break loose. She threw herself back and to the side, rolling off of him and onto the floor, hoping to break his hold on her, but he just followed, crashing down on top of her on the floor, her arm still gripped firmly in his hold. Now she was in a really bad situation. His weight was pinning her and preventing her from offering any real resistance. Nicole couldn’t retreat, all she could do was try to hold him off, pushing at his chest with her free hand and tugging at the arm he held, all the while screaming at the top of her lungs.

Nicole was so caught up in the struggle that she didn’t at first realize that Jake was being pulled away from her and that other voices had joined hers in shouting. But while she was just screaming in terror, these were calmer voices, barking Jake’s name as if they thought they could get through the madness presently clouding his mind and snap him back to his senses. Jake was fully off of her now, but he was still holding her and she was being pulled upward, but then someone reached around and pulled his fingers and thumb apart, freeing her, and Nicole fell back. She immediately scrambled backward several feet on her butt on the carpet, stopping when she bumped into something. Tipping her head back, she peered up at the woman behind her.

“Who—?”

“It’s all right, Nicole. My name is Nina and we’re here to help.” The words poured over her as warm and soothing as heated honey down a sore throat and Nicole felt herself immediately relax.

“Oh,” she murmured and then was suddenly caught under the arms by the woman and lifted to her feet.

“Why don’t we go make some tea?” Nina suggested, slipping an arm around her waist to steer her across the room.

“Oh, but Jake . . .” Nicole’s voice trailed off as she glanced around to see two men now kneeling on either side of Jake, holding him down on the cream carpet while a third man set up an IV of blood beside him.