Chapter 32

The Peach Tree Motel was in chaos, the parking lot crowded with firetrucks, ambulances, first responders, and onlookers. The flames billowing off the building were so bright, they lit the night sky like it was day.

Remy knew without a doubt that this was where Ephie was being held. He had a pretty good hunch that she'd started the fire, too.

He'd arrived just ahead of the Nocturne Falls Fire Department, having heard the call come in over the radio. He'd sped here straight from the station, where he and the sheriff had been trying to determine which motel Remy had seen in Alice's spell.

Then the call had come through, and they'd both known.

The sheriff arrived after him. The flames were coming from a block of rooms near the end of the motel. At least three were engulfed with a fourth about to be.

He was headed for the second room when one of the plate-glass windows shattered from the heat.

Air rushed in, pushing the fire out of the way for a split second. That was all the time he needed to see two bodies on the floor.

Ephie.

Personal safety was no longer an issue. He leaped through the broken window, ignoring the shard that sliced his right biceps, ignoring the searing heat that had already begun to blister his skin. Ephie and another woman who looked vaguely familiar lay motionless on the melting carpet.

"Ephie." He scooped them both up, kicked down the burning door and carried them out.

Paramedics met him, taking the women from him as he sagged under the pain of the injuries he'd sustained.

Merrow grabbed him up with an arm under his shoulders. "Stupid thing to do. Damn brave, though."

"I'll heal," Remy groaned. His skin felt like it was still on fire. He would heal with some time. He just needed blood. And rest. And to know that the woman he loved was going to be all right. "Is Ephie … alive?"

"Don't know, son. Let's get you seen."

Remy struggled to turn, trying to see her. "I need to know."

"I'll check soon as you're getting looked at."

"Now." Remy softened his tone. "Please."

Merrow tightened his grip on Remy, moving him toward one of the waiting ambulances. "There's nothing more you can do for her except look after yourself. I promise I'll see to her once I get you help."

Remy hurt too much to argue anymore. Behind them, firefighters battled the blaze. Merrow handed Remy off to a pair of medics. "Vampire," he said softly.

With matched nods, they got Remy onto a stretcher. The woman put an oxygen mask over Remy's face. "It's just for looks, but if you want to breathe it in, it won't hurt you."

Remy didn't fight it. He was straining to see through the crowd, to find Ephie. The other paramedic was cutting Remy's charred clothing off his body.

The woman got an IV into Remy's arm and started a solution dripping into him. "Plasma. It'll help." Then she prepped a syringe and slid it into the port, depressing the plunger.

"What was that?" Remy asked through the mask.

She smiled. "You need to rest. I promise we'll take care of you." Her eyes glowed blue momentarily. "Your boss is my pack leader, and I have no intention of upsetting him."

Remy opened his mouth to ask about Ephie again, but the words wouldn't form. His eyes went back in his head, and his pain was forgotten as everything went black.

He woke up in his own bed.

He had no idea how that had happened. Had he dreamed the fire? No. The acrid stink of smoke clung to his skin and hair.

The sun was down. Still down? Or newly down? Time didn't exist. He could have been in that bed for a day or a week or a month.

Carefully, he tossed the covers back and eased out of bed. He felt … better than he'd expected. Not a hundred percent but not awful, either. Someone had undressed him. He wore a pair of boxers and nothing else.

He stood in front of the mirror, studying what he saw. Patches of new pink skin covered most of his arms, chest, and neck. There was a wide swath of pink across his forehead as well as the right side of his face. He was missing a lot of hair on that side of his head, as well.

He touched the stubble that had already started to regrow. Maybe he'd only been in that bed a day or two. It didn't matter. None of it mattered.

What mattered was Ephie. He had no idea what had happened to her. If she was even still alive. He trusted she was. He wanted to believe that he'd know if she'd left this plane. That he'd feel it somehow.

His bedroom door was closed. He grabbed the knob, opened it, and walked out into the hall, realizing a moment later that he wasn't alone.

"No fussing now. I've already brushed you twice. Do you want to play with your catnip mouse again? Here, go fetch."

A furry purple mouse came flying out of the kitchen, a solid Jean-Luc hot on its trail.

Birdie followed the scampering feline, a cup of tea in her hand.

"Hey," Remy said.

Birdie jumped, spilling the tea and yelping as her hand went to her chest. "Stars in heaven, I didn't know you were awake." She looked at him, then quickly turned away. "And naked."

Boxers weren't exactly naked. He shrugged. "Sorry. I didn't know anyone was here."

"Sergeant Cruz will be by shortly. It's nearly the end of my shift." Birdie went back into the kitchen, reappearing without the cup of tea. She'd swapped it out for a towel, which she used to clean up the spill. "I think Jean-Luc likes him better anyway. They have more in common, you know, what with him being a big cat shifter."

"I don't need anyone. I'm fine. How's Ephie? Tell me the truth. Did she make it?"

Birdie straightened, twisting the towel in her hands. "She's in the hospital. They have her in a coma." Her chin quavered. "She's badly burned. She's in critical condition."

He felt sick. "I need to see her."

Birdie nodded. "I know you do. But you should feed first. There's plenty in your fridge. You mind if I go with you to the hospital?"

"Okay. How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long. A day."

"I'll feed and shower, then we'll go." He went into the kitchen, grabbed two bottles from the fridge and took them back to his room. He paused at the door. The bruise on her cheek was nearly gone. "How are you? Are you okay?"

She smiled. "I'm just fine. You get ready."

He drank one bottle waiting for the water to warm up. He drank the second when he got out. He pulled on jeans and a soft, long-sleeved shirt that covered most of his burns. He put on his Nocturne Falls Sheriff's Department hat to hide the missing hair and pink scalp.

The shower and the feed helped. He felt better physically than when he'd first woken up. Emotionally and mentally, he was hanging by a thread. The news about Ephie wasn't good.

He grabbed his wallet, his keys, and his badge, then took the empty bottles back to the kitchen.

Birdie was sitting at the kitchen table with her tea. She had Jean-Luc in her arms like a baby and was singing softly to him. She looked up at Remy. "That was fast."

"I want to go."

"Right." She stood. "Sorry, little cat. Aunt Birdie has to leave you."

"Bring him."

"What?"

Remy patted his shoulder. "Put him here." He nodded at the cat. "Come on. We're going to see your mama."

Jean-Luc returned to his ghost form and leaped from Birdie's arms to Remy's shoulder.

"I can't see him anymore. Does that mean he did what you wanted?" Birdie asked.

"He did. Let's go."

The drive took too long, even though Remy drove faster than he should have. Birdie was on her phone most of the time. Texting, from the look of it, although Remy was trying to keep his eyes on the road. She also told him that Ephie's mother had been called and was on her way, and that the other woman Remy had pulled from the fire was also in critical condition. She had been identified as Desiree Turner.

Abraham Turner's daughter.

"If you dig into her," Remy said, "you'll probably find Dee Mills is an alias. She's the woman who was in the SUV down from my house. The second plate I had you run."

When they arrived, they parked and went straight in. He flashed his badge at the visitors desk. "Ephelia Moreau's room, please."

The older man behind the desk checked the badge, then pecked at the keyboard in front of him. "412."

The ride up in the elevator took too long. Jean-Luc rubbed his head on Remy's hat. The three of them stepped off the elevator to dim lighting, the quiet hum of machines, and the smell of antiseptic.

Birdie pointed left. "That way."

They walked down the hall until they came to Ephie's room. Remy paused outside, his heart hurting, knowing that what he was about to see was only going to break it into pieces. He flattened his hand against the door and pushed.

Ephie lay lifeless in the bed, most of her body bandaged, tubes running out of her, machines softly beeping, another one breathing for her. What he could see of her skin looked like one continuous scab.

The muscles in his jaw constricted. Tears filled his eyes. He rubbed his hand across his mouth. For Ephie's sake, he would not break down. He would be positive and give off good energy. Healing energy.

Jean-Luc jumped down to the floor and then back up again, onto Ephie's bed. He curled up next to her, looking at her expectantly. Like any moment she would acknowledge his presence with a little scratch on his head.

Remy's vision blurred.

Birdie pressed a tissue into his hand and patted his arm. "I'll give you some time."

She left, and Remy tipped his head back until the tears stopped. He pulled a chair alongside the bed and sat, slipping his hand under Ephie's. "Hello, sweetheart. I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I'm right here, at your side. Jean-Luc is here, too."

There was no response but the machines.

He lost track of time. At some point, Birdie came back in. She took the other chair, saying nothing. Just being there.

Finally, after how long he didn't know, Birdie got to her feet. "Sun will be up soon."

"I know," Remy said. "I can feel it. But I don't want to leave her."

"I know you don't. But you can come back tomorrow. Soon as possible."

Remy stood and leaned in to kiss her cheek. The faint smell of smoke still lingered. He straightened. "I could fix all this, you know. I could turn her."

"Do you think she's strong enough to survive that?"

He frowned and, after a moment, shook his head. "No. Probably not." He hesitated. "Maybe … maybe there's something Alice could do? A healing spell. Something."

Birdie touched his arm, her voice almost breaking. "Already been done."

Remy nodded reluctantly. The pain in his chest was nothing compared with the pain of the fire. "Come on, Jean-Luc. Time to go home."