The Accidental Vampire(89)

wrong. She's…" He let the words drop away and caught at one of Mabel's hands as she

slammed it into the bed headboard.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, DJ!" Victor stomped to the side of the bed with the other men

following. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were going to turn her? I could have

helped. There's no need for her to go through this. There are drugs and things we

could have done to ease her through it."

"I didn't know!" DJ explained. "It wasn't planned. We were talking and she said she

wanted to, and to do it now before she changed her mind. So I… did," he said

helplessly. "I've never seen a turning before. I didn't know it would be so… Help her!"

he cried as Mabel's shrieks increased in volume again.

Victor shook his head with exasperation, and then took charge, sending Alessandro to

find some rope to tie her down, Harper to the nearest twenty‐four‐hour drug store to

make the pharmacist give him the drugs that would help her through it, and sending

Edward to fetch more blood.

"How long ago did you give her your blood?" Victor asked as soon as the three men

had left to search out what he'd sent them for.

"I…" DJ looked uncertain. "It seems like days. I thought you'd never get back."

"What time?" Victor insisted.

"Maybe an hour after you guys left," DJ said finally.

"How much blood have you given her?" Victor asked.

"I—" He shook his head. "None. She hasn't got fangs yet."

DJ had barely said the words when Mabel proved him wrong. Elvi was kneeling on the

top corner of the bed, leaning over Mabel trying to hold her shoulders down. She also

had her head turned away, glancing toward the men as Victor asked his questions. She

never saw it coming when Mabel suddenly reared up and ripped into her throat with a

frenzied snarl. She sure felt it though… and there were definitely fangs there. Elvi

managed a strangled scream that got the men's attention. They both immediately

moved to help her.



Chapter Seventeen





Victor let the towel drop back down over Elvi's throat with a soft curse. "She damned

near ripped your head off."

"She didn't mean to," Elvi reminded him for the third time since he'd bundled her into

her room and settled her in his lap on the bed to pop bag after bag of blood to her

fangs. Her voice, she noticed, was getting better, less a broken hiss and more her old

voice. It must be nearly healed.

"Don't talk," Victor said, also for the third time, and slapped another bag of blood to

her teeth. He was scowling, but the expression actually soothed her. The man had

been cold and distant all night, but there was nothing cold or distant about him now.

He definitely cared about her. He was furious and worried and all the things a man

who loved her should be when she was so badly injured.

It was just a darned shame she had to get her throat ripped open to see his caring

again, Elvi thought, and scowled at him over the bag in her mouth. Really, the man

blew hot and cold like an air conditioner with a broken thermostat.

"How is she?" Harper asked, drawing their attention to the door.

"Fine," Elvi assured him, pulling the empty bag from her teeth. "How is Mabel?"

"She's doing better," he said cautiously. "It's going to be a long one, though. She's

older and there's a lot to repair. We're going to need more blood."

"I'll call Teddy. He'll pick up some from the blood bank and bring it by," Elvi assured

him. "Do we have enough to last a couple more hours? I'd rather not wake him up

at"—she paused to glance at the clock, then finished—"four‐thirty in the morning."

Harper considered the matter before saying, "Barring her ripping out someone else's

throat, I think the blood will last until midmorning."

Elvi nodded. "I'll call him first thing in the morning, then. He'll be upset when he hears

what's happened and it would be better if she was further along in the turning."

Nodding, Harper backed out of the room, assuring them he'd keep them posted as he

pulled the door closed.

"I don't know how you can be so calm about all this," Victor muttered, taking the

empty blood bag from her and tossing it in the garbage can he'd moved beside the

bed.

"She didn't do it on purpose," Elvi repeated as he reached for a fresh bag.

"Yes, but—Hell, you seem almost cheerful about it," Victor said with bewilderment.

"Well," Elvi said, a smile curving her lips, "I sort of am."

"Why, for Christ's sake?" he asked with exasperation.

"Because now I don't have to feel guilty about my biting her when I was turning in