Chapter 33

On the second night of visiting Ephie, Remy entered her room to find Leonie there. A man roughly her age sat next to her. She stood as Remy came in.

He braced himself for the attack that had to be coming. Hopefully, Jean-Luc, who was perched in his usual place on Remy's shoulder, would stay invisible.

But there was no attack. Instead, Leonie sniffed and whispered, "Thank you." She cleared her throat. "I've been told what happened. That if it wasn't for you, she would have died. So thank you for saving my daughter's life."

"I just did what had to be done."

The man with Leonie stood as well. He stuck his hand out. "Darryl Tyson, New Orleans Police Commissioner. Thank you for what you did for Ephie."

"You don't need to thank me." Remy shook the man's hand.

"If Turner's daughter pulls through, she'll face the consequences of her actions. My men have already arrested the men working with her." Darryl stuck his hands in his pockets. "That other woman you pulled out of the fire was Abraham Turner's daughter. She was the one behind the letters. We linked one of the janitors to her, and he's since been arrested."

"That's good news." Remy looked at the woman he loved. There didn't seem to be any change in her status. Several large vases of flowers sat on the windowsill, perfuming the air. A better smell than smoke and soot.

He moved closer to Ephie's bedside.

Leonie picked up her purse. "We should go. Give you some time with her. We've been here all day."

"I'm glad she wasn't alone." Remy gave Leonie and Darryl a nod, then pulled a chair close to the bed and sat, slipping his hand underneath Ephie's bandaged one. "Hey, sweetheart. It's me. And I have Jean-Luc with me."

The cat jumped down and settled into the same spot as the night before, curled against Ephie's side.

And just like the night before, there was no sign that she knew either of them were there.

It broke his heart. He felt helpless sitting there, and the frustration of not being able to do anything only made things worse.

"I thought I'd find you here."

He turned to see Alice walking in. He stood. "Hello."

"Sit." She came to stand beside him.

He stayed on his feet, too many years of etiquette embedded in him to do otherwise. "No change that I can see since last night."

Alice reached out and rested her hand on Ephie's leg. Even through the blanket, it was easy to see the bandages that wrapped her. "There won't be a change for a long time unless you do something."

He looked at her. "There isn't anything I can do."

"Yes, there is. You can turn her."

"I wish I could. I don't know if you understand that process, but it's not exactly gentle on the human body. She's in no shape to go through that."

Alice took her hand off of Ephie's leg and turned toward him. "She doesn't need to be turned in the ordinary way. She's dhampir. All she needs is an adequate infusion of strong vampire blood. Yours should do nicely."

He shook his head, wondering how a witch this powerful couldn't recognize one of her own. "She's not dhampir. She's not any part vampire, let alone half. She's a witch with some basic fire magic. Always has been. She'd tell you that herself if she could."

"Her mother's a witch?"

"Yes, but from what Ephie's told me, it generally skips a generation. Her grandmother's magic is a lot stronger."

"Then her father was the vampire."

Remy sighed. "She doesn't know her father. Never has. He died before she was born, from what I remember. And her mother hates vampires, so I don't think she'd have had a kid with one."

"Perhaps that's why she hates vampires."

Remy fell silent, thinking about that. "I don't know. What makes you think Ephie's a dhampir?"

"I sensed something darker in her the night of the coven meeting. I touched her, and that confirmed my suspicions. You must give me credit for knowing when there's a vampire about. I've been rather closely associated with them for some time now. But the hair you gave me was the final bit of proof I needed. I tested it. She is, indeed, dhampir."

Half vampire. He stared at Ephie, trying to see that side of her, but all he could see were bandages and tubes and a few bits of skin that had somehow, miraculously, escaped being singed. "If that's true, why isn't she healing better? Why have I never seen any signs of that in her? She has no problem being in the sun. And she doesn't like the sight of blood, I can tell you that much."

"She doesn't like it? Or she finds her interest in it unsettling?"

He thought back to her reaction when he'd taken a bottle from the fridge. "I don't know the answer to that."

"As for why she's not healing as quickly as you might expect, it's simple. Her two halves have been at war with each other so long that they now damper each other, nearly canceling each other out. She's getting very little benefit from either side. In truth, her magic could be much stronger. And I suspect it will be once she's become fully vampire."

"So turning her won't take away her abilities?"

Alice shook her head. "On the contrary, it will finally enable that side of her to bloom into its own fullness. And because of her dual nature, she will never have a problem being in the sun. Dhampirs are born, not made, and as a result, they can usually daywalk. I'm sure Ephelia is no exception."

His mouth came open in surprise. Hope trickled through him. "She could live a normal life. Without worrying about sunrise."

Alice nodded. "Indeed."

"And she'd heal? With the same speed and precision that any other vampire does? She'd be whole in a matter of days, not weeks or months."

"She would."

He touched Ephie's hand. "Her mother won't like it."

"I imagine her mother would prefer her daughter whole and healthy more than she would care about a change in her daughter's supernatural status."

"You don't know Leonie."

"True. I don't. But if she has a problem with any of this, I will gladly speak to her."

Remy would pay good money to see that. "What do I need to do? You said it would require an infusion of vampire blood."

"That's correct. Normally, I'd say one large syringe, but given her condition, two might be more beneficial." Alice looked around. "Syringes shouldn't be too hard to find. We are in a hospital, after all."

Jean-Luc let out a little chirp as he rolled closer to Ephie, his head slightly upside down, his paws extended and kneading the air.

Alice nodded her head at the little animal. "You and Ephie can both see the cat when others can't, correct? Unless, of course, he chooses to be invisible."

"That's right. But you can see him." Jean-Luc was translucent and tended to stay that way when they were in the hospital. It was like he understood he wouldn't be allowed if he were seen.

"No, I can't see him, but I can sense his presence. Just like when he was in my practice. But you and Ephie can see him because your status as vampires allows you to access the realm of death in a way other supernaturals can't."

"Being half-blooded is enough to do that for her?"

"Yes."

He didn't need to weigh the decision. If turning Ephie could save her and bring her back to full health, there was no question that it should be done. Leonie would hate it. She'd hate him. He just had to pray she wouldn't also hate Ephie.

If that happened, Remy feared he'd lose Ephie. But he was facing that now. She was badly burned. People with fewer burns had succumbed.

He nodded. "I'll see if I can find some syringes."