Finally, Alek’s eyes opened and thankfully his eyes were a dull red. He said weakly, “Charles, I supposed they just let any old vampire walk the streets these days.”
Charles moved to his bedside and replied, with a worried look on his face, “Just rest and replenish yourself. The doctors think you may be ready to get out of here in a few days if you keep up the plasma therapy.” Alek smiled slightly and asked, “So, detective, did you detect where I was being held or did you hire the hunter to do your detecting?”
Charles said, “Look, old friend, we detected nothing so the hunter and her son hunted you. Both of your daughters spent endless hours supporting their hunt. Arianna actually engaged the hunter. Trust me when I say you were better off having her hunt you than relying on my overworked officers.”
Alek glanced over and saw his daughters sleeping. His eyes got big and he pleaded, “Get them out of here. I don’t want them to see me like this.”
Dakota stated, “Too late, my friend. They came as soon as I brought you in and they’ve not left your side. Refusing to let anyone touch you, they insisted upon cleaning you up and washing your hair themselves. I’ve never seen such love and devotion. We wouldn’t have been able to force them from your side if we tried.”
Both of his daughters rushed to his side. After whispering and hugging him tenderly, they reluctantly left to get some rest. It had been a long night for the two of them. Dakota spoke with her, “You’ll see them home?”
Nodding, he glanced over at them gathering their coats. “I’ll take your SUV if you don’t mind.”
“Please do. I’ll call for my driver when I’m ready to go.”
Charles asked worriedly. “How are you feeling. You weren’t doing so hot when they first brought you in.”
Alek sighed and complained, “Whatever they’re putting into my body burns like fire.”
Charles said, “Don’t worry, I will get them to dial it down a bit. Give me a minute. ”Charles went out to speak with the nursing staff. Dakota could hear them paging a doctor.
She walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. He was thinking more clearly and had recognized her when he woke. “If it isn’t the famous Dakota Davenport. I’m honored to have such a famous person hunting me,” he murmured weakly.
Dakota’s expression darkened. “I wouldn’t have wished what happened to you on my worst enemy. I’m sorry it took us so long to find you. How strange that you even remember me.”
He tried to sit up more, but was clearly still weak. “We met a couple of years ago when I took Arianna to a party at the academy.”
Dakota reached out and helped him get comfortable. “You have a good memory for faces.”
He replied weakly “You have sweet tasting blood. You must be a good person.”
She could tell the amount of effort expended to talk to her was exhausting him. She smiled and gently touched his face before replying, “I don’t know about that but I would be happy to feed you if you would prefer fresh blood rather than the plasma.”
He looked torn, so she made the decision for him. She reached out and flipped the IV plasma bag off, made a small cut on her neck with her fingernail and leaned over to him. He seemed reluctant to drink from her.
“Please don’t feel strange. I’ve fed many, with much less need than you, my friend. You have nothing to feel uncomfortable about. At this very moment, there are probably a dozen or more vampires in need, all drinking from human hosts in this very hospital. Feeding the sick is a privilege, so don’t deny me.”
He sighed and slowly brought his lips to her neck and drank awkwardly. There was movement at the door. It was Charles and his physician. They both noticed he was feeding and politely waited outside.
She wrapped her arms around him as he fed and stroked his hair. He seemed so very frail and sickly to her. “I am genuinely sorry we didn’t get to you sooner. No one should live like that.”
He brought her neck from his lips and wiped his lips on the back of his hand. “That was not living, it was surviving to suffer. And it was not your fault. I am grateful that you didn’t give up or I could be there still.”
She pressed her neck back to his lips. “Don’t worry, your daughters would not have permitted me to give up on you. They were tenacious.”
He licked at the bite on her neck. “That’s my girls.”
“You would have been so very proud of them.” She continued to press fresh blood on him. After drinking for a while longer, he licked the blood from her skin and held his thumb over the area to stem the bleeding.
Alek was a considerate feeder. She had looked at his pictures and hunted for him so long that actually being with him was surreal. His eyes were a brighter shade of red, which she found a little reassuring. He noticed that she seemed somewhat relieved that he had fed. She must be a worrier, many human women were.
She observed, “You are looking much better, I can see your eyes finally look red.”
He seemed embarrassed and looked away as he replied, “I am well aware just how horrible I must look right now.”
Dakota ran her fingers through one side of his hair and responded, “I am certainly not catching you at you best but don’t sell yourself short. Even sick, you are more attractive than most males.” He rolled his eyes and wondered why the beautiful hunter was flirting with him. She waved Charles to bring the doctor back in.
As they entered the room, they woke the girls and Jared. The doctor began looking through long pieces of monitoring tape. His brows quirked in surprise and then he spoke. “I am sorry to say that your body is not absorbing the plasma as efficiently as we would like, probably because you are used to drinking only synthetic blood. Your body is probably not used to metabolizing the concentration of nutrients in the plasma.”
He walked over and looked at the tape from another of the monitors. “However, your response to fresh blood is amazing.” I recommend that you feed on small amounts of fresh blood every couple of hours for a few days and then return for a checkup. I will want to monitor your condition but I’m not sure what the point of you being in the hospital would be if you are not responding to plasma therapy. You just need rest and fresh blood.”
Charles interjected, “Don’t worry, we will make arrangements.” He took Dakota aside. “Look, he has fed from you twice, he usually only drinks synthetic blood. Can he stay with you for a few of days and feed until he is out of danger?”
Dakota immediately agreed. However, his oldest daughter, Arianna, objected from the doorway. “No, we are taking him home.”
Dakota looked over at the young woman. “I thought you left with Selene and Jared.”
“No, I stayed. Jared took Selene home. I’m not leaving this hospital without my father.”
Charles tried to reason with her. “Arianna, please be reasonable. Your father needs peace and quiet and regular feeding. Let the hunter finish what she started.”
Arianna insisted stubbornly. “He needs to come home. He has been away long enough. We can make arrangements for fresh blood to be delivered.”
Dakota held up a hand. “I agree with Arianna, if he will feel more comfortable, I will go there to feed him. I can stay for a few days. Hell, I have been there for two months, what difference will a few more days make? He will no doubt feel better recovering in his own home with his own family.”
~ Alek ~
Once Dakota went to call for her limo and the youngsters went out to the waiting room. Charles began to help Alek into a pair of clean hospital scrubs. Alek sat on the side of the bed, feeling more robust that one might imagine considering what he’d been through. “Tell me about Dakota. I want to know more about her.”
Charles thought it over for a minute. “Dakota’s a tough lady. Don’t get me wrong, she’s mild mannered, kind, affectionate, and has a wonderful sense of humor but she is also tough as nails.”
He responded, “She wasn’t looking very kind when she shot that human in the face. I’ve not seen anything like that since the war.”
“Dakota doesn’t move in our world. The same rules don’t apply to hunters,” Charles pointed out. “Don’t judge her too harshly. She was all alone, trying to protect you and she did what she felt she had to do. She was well within her rights as a hunter to drop him. You should be happy that you can live the rest of your life without looking over your shoulder for that crazy human.”
Alek thought about it and said, “I am grateful for that. He was totally unhinged in a way that I am not sure even medications could solve.”
“Don’t fall in love with her just because she rescued you,” Charles advised. “She’s a little vulnerable that way. Also, every vampire knows how awful it is to fall in love with a beautiful human woman and then watch her age away from you.”
Arianna came back into the room with a nurse and they got into Dakota’s limousine. Her limo wasn’t stretched and her driver wore casual clothing. It was clear she didn’t like drawing attention to herself. The driver opened the door and Charles helped him in. Arianna and Dakota climbed in before bidding Charles a farewell. The craft lifted off and headed directly for his home. Alek was frustrated that everyone was still making a fuss.