“Craig, I’m coming in with Evie’s father. I don’t have time for questions, but his blood has enough antibodies to whatever venom is causing her body to shut down. We can force passive immunity through a transfusion until you can distill an antiserum.” Pax held his cellphone to his ear, waiting as Craig replied.

“What? No, I can’t guarantee that. Dude, Grisham’s blood is a pathologist’s dream and a Pandora’s box all rolled into one. You figure this out and you’ll make the cover of the next New England Journal of Medicine. We’ll need the antiserum ASAP, but you’ll need to anticipate anything we might inadvertently transfer to Evie in the process.”

He hung up the phone. “We’ll be at the hospital in fewer than five minutes. Craig Adams is the head shifter pathologist working with me on Evelyn’s case. He’s setting up for the procedure as we speak.”

Grisham dragged a ragged breath through his lips. “Good. And you’re right to have him check for anything else. It’s taken a decade for whatever I mutated into to take root. Better they work on that from the get go so Evie doesn’t suffer my fate.”

“Does shifting help? I mean, shifting into your original dual-nature? That should’ve forced the other abilities into secondary attributes,” Pax suggested.

Coughing again, the old man shrugged. “I was too proud to admit the experiments didn’t really work. If I had shifted regularly when they were injecting me, perhaps my tiger nature would have reigned dominant. I wanted to be all things. Possess all powers. So, I reveled in shifting into whatever the newest form they tested, in essence losing my original nature.” He looked at Pax as he drove. “Make sure Evie shifts. Like you said. It’ll help.”

They pulled into the hospital parking lot and Paxton helped Grisham out of the car and through the front entrance. He grabbed a wheelchair and rushed past reception, completely ignoring the security guard’s stare.

“Evie’s supposed to be in ICU, but Craig moved her on my orders. She’s in a private wing of the hospital where no one will disturb us,” he said, keeping a strong hold on the rolling chair. “Just a few more minutes.” The elevator doors dinged and then slid open. Pax pressed the floor for the intensive care unit.

They rode in silence, but Pax looked at the senator. He had to know. “Do you know who attacked Evie? Like I said, the one who’s responsible was able to shift into different species.”

Grisham blinked those strange eyes, but the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Craig was waiting for them in the hall.

“Everything set up?” Pax asked, wheeling the senator toward the double doors of the unit.

Craig nodded. “Yes. I’ll draw blood and get the lab working on it immediately and then do the transfusion.” His eyes found Paxton. “This has never been done before, bro. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Pax clapped his friend on the shoulder. “That makes two of us.”

The unit had been cleared of all staff, and other patients moved. Pax slipped his arm under Grisham’s shoulder and helped him onto a second bed in Evie’s room where Craig waited to draw the blood.

He looked at the man’s strange eyes and then looked at Pax. “Dude, he looks like we should call a veterinarian.”

Pax snorted. “Tell me about it. Just take his blood. We’ll worry about specialties later.”

Craig tied the tourniquet around the senator’s arm and then tapped his inner elbow, looking for a vein. “You know, when vets draw blood from a reptile, it’s usually from their ass. Care to bend over, Senator?”

Chuckling, Pax shook his head. “Just take the samples, smart ass.”

“You’re the boss.” He held the needle high. “Deep breath, Grisham, this might hurt a bit.”

The senator hissed and the sound was definitely snake-like.

“Dude, if you promise not to bite me, I’ll throw in a live mouse dinner for you later.”

Grisham grunted and his eyes shifted back to a milky brown as he looked at Pax. “I thought you said your friend was the Head of Pathology. He sounds more like a fucking comedian.”

Craig taped the needle in place and then capped the end of the port. “Gotta keep your sense of humor, man.” He put the filled vials in his lab coat and then gestured for Pax to help him hook up collection and transfer units. “Showtime, boys.”

Craig and Pax hung the IV tubing and primed them with blood to make sure they were free of air. They then hung each unit for collection and transfer. He moved to Evie and looked at her before hooking up the recipient line.

“Dude, I can’t believe we’re doing this. It feels almost medieval. No one does person to person transfusions anymore,” Craig said, checking the lines. “I feel like I belong in a B-rated movie saying, ‘I want to suck your blood—blah, blah, blah.’” Craig mimicked a cartoon Bella Lugosi.

“I know, but we don’t have a choice. By the time you process his blood, his antibodies can help Evie. They’re father and daughter and you typed them quickly enough. They’re a match. Pax ran a hand over Evie’s forehead. “She’s sunk deeper into the coma. I can’t reach her. The dreams have stopped and so has her voice in my head.”

Grisham grunted from the corner. “If Evelyn is worse, then can you two vampires get a move on? We’re wasting time with all your chatter.”

“Keep your pants on, princess, and stay still or the tubes will kink.” He looked at Pax and then tapped his pocket. “I’m going to run his samples to the lab as soon as the blood transfer starts. At this point, there’s no margin for error. Just keep an eye out for the lines.”

Craig left and Grisham grunted again, shifting his position in the bed.

“Don’t move. This kind of transfer isn’t something we normally do. To be honest, I’m surprised Craig even had a kit handy. He’s a good friend and he’s funny, but he’s a damn good doctor. No one can decode shifter blood better and Craig loves a challenge,” Pax said, moving to Evie’s bed. He smoothed back her hair. “She’s ashen again.”

“I’m sorry, Pax. Truly. I should have told you about me sooner,” Grisham said.

“You shouldn’t have gone dirty in the first place, Senator. Evie would have grown up the way she should have and she and I would have made a life together after we both finished school.”

“Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we hope.”