Tiny was immediately hopping off the bed as if it were hot coals. Without a word, he tugged the blankets and sheets up at one corner to reveal a bed protector underneath with one side plastic, the other cloth. He didn’t return the bedding then, but pulled the sheets off completely and tossed them in the corner of the room, leaving only the protector, muttering, “No sense ruining Elvi’s sheets.”
Edward immediately moved forward with the chains and quickly half tossed and half slid the first under the metal frame. Alessandro pulled it out the other side, and then moved to the foot of the bed as Edward repeated the process there. Once done threading chain under the bed at both the top and bottom, Alessandro straightened and nodded with approval. “Bella. Is good.”
Tiny grunted something of a response and climbed back onto the mattress protector.
Drina moved toward the two coolers Anders had moved to the room earlier. “Did Lucian send any—”
“The green cooler,” Anders interrupted before she could finish, and Drina closed the red cooler she’d just opened, which held only blood, and moved to the second, green cooler. Opening it, she nodded as she spotted the little medical case inside. She knew it would contain needles and ampoules of various drugs. They wouldn’t prevent Tiny’s experiencing the pain, but would dull it somewhat and keep him from getting too active during the worst of it. Unfortunately, they couldn’t be administered until after the turn had started. The dosage would kill a mortal without the benefit of the nanos in their system. She straightened and opened the case to reveal the items lined up inside.
“Are those the nanos?” Tiny asked warily.
“No,” Drina answered. “These are drugs to help you through the turn.”
Tiny frowned, and Stephanie—obviously reading his thoughts—piped up, and said, “Oh believe me, you do want the drugs. They don’t do much, but they’re better than nothing at all.”
Leonora and Dawn nodded in solemn agreement. They were the only immortals there besides the teenager who had been turned. The rest of them had been born immortal and avoided this necessity. Tiny knew that as well and peered from one solemn face to the other, before clearing his throat, and asking, “So what can I expect here?”
When the older women hesitated, Stephanie grimaced, and said honestly, “It’s gonna hurt like the dickens, Tiny. It feels like you’re being torn apart from the inside out and I guess that’s kind of what the nanos are doing.” She breathed out a little sigh, and then added, “But the nightmares are the worst part.”
Tiny raised his eyebrows. “Nightmares?”
“Or hallucinations or whatever,” Stephanie said unhappily. “I was in a river of blood. It was burning, the flames leaping all around me, and I was caught in a current and being dragged downstream. I couldn’t get out, and these mutilated and bloated corpses kept floating by while I just screamed and screamed. And then the current pulled me under, and I was choking on the burning blood.” She shuddered at the memory. “And then I woke up, and it was over.”
“I had the same nightmares,” Leonora said with surprise.
“Me too,” Dawn announced. She then murmured, “I wonder if it’s your brain trying to understand what’s happening inside your body.”
Drina didn’t comment but thought it a possibility. Every turn she’d ever talked to had had the same, or similar, nightmares. Rivers of blood, fire, corpses floating past, and then being pulled under either by the corpses in the water with them or by the current itself, followed by the sensation of drowning on the blood they inadvertently swallowed as they screamed. It was always the same with little in the way of variation.
“Why don’t we just leave it for now and do this another time,” Mirabeau said with a frown.
Tiny glanced at her with surprise, noted her shaky expression, and reached out to take her hand. “It’s okay, Beau,” he murmured. “Better to get it done. If it’s the price of being with you . . . better just to get it done.”
He pulled her hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it, then glanced from Anders to Drina in question. “So where is the shot with the nanos? Give it to me and let’s get it over with.”
Drina felt her eyebrows rise and glanced to Mirabeau in question.
“We haven’t discussed the turn and what takes place,” the woman admitted on a sigh, though Drina supposed she needn’t have bothered. Tiny’s question had given that away.
“Well?” Teddy barked. “Where’s the shot? Give it to the boy. Don’t make him sit here worrying over what’s coming. Just get it over with.”