These lovely characters and world are the creation of the amazing Jeaniene Frost.

Malia, Candace, Van, Ash, Leanna, Jasper, Johanna, Sam, and the Pizza Guy are ours.

Thanks to our betas, the lovely Kristin Elizabeth and A Redhead Thing. You are awesomesauce!

Any remaining mistakes are all ours.

Chapter 21

Kira sat at the kitchen table, looking at the blood at the bottom of the mug. A small smile creased her face. Tina would be happy she had managed to drink at least half of it. Since the funeral, blood tasted bitter and unappetizing, whether it was from a bag or the vein. But knowing Mencheres had a lead on reversing the spell had energized her, at least enough to get her out of bed and feeding. She swallowed a little more from the mug; enduring the bitter taste it left in her mouth, and then chased it down with a swig from the water bottle.

Too bad the warehouse district wasn't the best place for a walk at night, or she might even try getting out of the house. Living like they were, made her feel like a prisoner in her own home, but the truth was, she didn't have the energy to go out during the day. It was safer then, and Tina could come along, but Kira fell into a deep sleep when the sun was up. Walking around at night was just too dangerous, even with Gorgon or Ian shadowing them. Mencheres had them watching the apartment, and Kira figured he must be worried about a possible traitor if he would only entrust their surveillance to two of his closest "fang family" as Cat called them.

Kira drank another mouthful of the blood. As if the loss of appetite and constant urge to sleep wasn't bad enough, the frustration of not being able to do anything herself to get rid of this spell was getting to her. Doing nothing was beginning to take its emotional toll, but what could she do? She didn't know a thing about spells or black magic, but she did know the wonderful and mystical bond she had shared with Mencheres, and how much she liked it. Now that it was gone, its loss was a tangible emptiness that could easily break her spirit, if she let it. She wasn't going to give into Candace's spell, or whatever it was, and she would be ready for whatever Mencheres needed her to do when he came back.

Mencheres. She let his name roll through her mind, and her throat tightened as she held back the tears. For what seemed like the hundredth time that hour, she thought about him. What was he doing, and who was he seeing? And before that panicky feeling overtook her, she reminded herself he could take care of himself. But all the hushed conversations and visits from Cat and Bones told her they thought there was a chance he might not make it back. She couldn't even begin to prepare herself for something that awful. No, he was coming back. She had to trust him.

She emptied the mug and quickly dabbed at her eyes with a tissue when she heard her sister enter the kitchen.

"Kira, honey, please don't cry." Tina said softly, wrapping her arm around Kira's shoulder. "Please, I can't stand to see you so sad."

"I'm okay, T. It just hits me sometimes." She forced a smile on her face and sat up in the chair. "Really, I'm okay. We're all safe, and that's what matters most to me."

Tina pulled out a chair and sat down next to her sister, taking her hand in hers.

"No, you're not okay. I'm worried about you." Her voice cracked as she squeezed Kira's hand. "If there is one thing I've learned from my illness, it's that you have to enjoy every single moment you have. I know you're not happy, Kira. I'm not happy either. This is no way for us to live—stuck in this apartment, waiting. I hate what Candace has done, and I know Mencheres is going to kick her ass someday soon, but until then, we need to keep going."

Kira put her free hand over Tina's and new tears formed in her eyes. It took a few tries, and her voice cracked when she replied. "You're right. I don't feel like myself. I don't know what's caused by the spell or what is real anymore. It's like I'm in this impossible situation, and there is nothing I can do to help myself. The one thing I do know is that I couldn't take it if anything happened to you...or him. I feel responsible for all of us being in this situation, and I can't risk anyone else getting hurt. I just can't, Tina. So if it means sitting here and waiting, that's what I'm going to do."

She looked away as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away with a quick brush of her hand so Tina didn't see it.

Tina rubbed her thumb over the top of her sister's hand. "What if I had a plan that would make us less vulnerable to Candace? Would you at least consider it?" She looked up at Kira with expectation.

Kira raised an eyebrow at her sister. "What kind of plan?"

Tina took a deep breath. "Now you have to promise to let me finish, and that you won't say no until I'm done, okay?"

"Okay, but it sounds like you already know my answer."

"Probably, but hear me out. We can't live like this. I don't want to live like this, Kira."

Kira squeezed Tina's hand again. "Okay. I'll listen."

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. I want Gorgon to change me into a vampire. Candace won't be able to control me then, and she won't have that to hold over your head." Tina paused and looked at her sister.

"And?"

"And what?"

"If that's your only reason, I don't think it's good enough."

Tina became very serious. "It's not my only reason."

Kira raised her eyebrows and gestured with her hand for Tina to elaborate. "And?"

"Well, I'd like to know what it's like not to be sick, and I want to stay with you, Kira."

"I can understand that, Tina, really, I can. But it's not something you want to do on a whim, either. I think you should wait, and do it only because you want to, and not for any other reason." Kira paused and looked at her sister. "I'm assuming Gorgon has something to do with this plan, too?"

"Yes, we've talked about it. I asked him about it, and he's never pressured me, Kira. I swear."

"Yeah..." Kira sighed.

"Will you at least think about it?"

"I don't see how it's my decision, T. But if you are asking my opinion, I think you should wait until all this Candace stuff is over, and then see how you feel about it. It's not something you can reverse, you know."

"I know that. And I need to know that you would be okay with it."

"Well, even though I didn't have a choice, I suppose I would be a hypocrite if I told you that you shouldn't, but I want you to be absolutely sure about this. Just how serious are you and Gorgon, anyway?"

Tina blushed and smiled. "Pretty serious."

"I see. You talk to him every night, don't you?"

"Yes, he calls every night to check on us."

"Why don't you ask him to come over tomorrow night? Candace didn't say anything about me not going near Gorgon, and Cat and Bones have been here, right? I thought I heard them checking in one of the nights I couldn't get out of bed."

"Really? I'll ask him. He won't do it if he doesn't think it's safe. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." She didn't mention she was planning on finding out from Gorgon where Mencheres went, and why.

"Great, I'll ask him when he calls later. So, do you want to watch some TV? Play some cards? It's not even midnight yet."

"I was just thinking I would go read in my room for a while." Kira picked up the empty mug from the table and smiled at Tina, waving the mug in the air. "You should be happy to know I drank all my blood tonight, Tina."

Tina laughed, and then became serious. "That's good. You need to clean your plate. I'm going to ask Gorgon to bring over some movies for us for tomorrow night. Any requests?"

"No, you pick. That sounds great." Just then a wave of anxiety crested over Kira, and she gripped the counter until it passed. In its wake, it left a profound sleepiness that was not going to be denied. Kira felt like she could fall asleep standing up. Oh no. Was she getting worse? The blood she had earlier didn't seem to do a thing this time. Don't panic. Maybe with a little rest, she could get back up. All she had to do was get to her bedroom. That wasn't far. She leaned against the counter and answered her sister. "I'll be in my room if you need me." Then she pushed off and made her way to her bedroom, her hand brushing the wall to steady her. Once she got in her room, she fell onto the bed, giving in to the sleep her body demanded.

V

The next night, Kira sat in the spare bedroom watching Tina primp as she prepared for Gorgon's visit. She lost track of how many times her sister went into the closet, and came out with an outfit, only to go back in and come out with another.

"You look fine, T. We're only watching a movie here, right?"

"I know, but it's been a while since, well, you know, and I've only been able to talk to him on the phone since this whole Candace thing started, so I wanted to look nice."

Kira looked at her sister and noticed her flushed cheeks and how her face just seemed to glow. Her hair was shiny clean and curled in a flattering style, her nails polished and her makeup perfect. In spite of the nervousness that she could clearly detect in her sister's scent, there was anticipation too. Tina was in love. With Gorgon. By the looks of it, she had been drinking his blood too, because she couldn't remember the last time she heard Tina cough or complain about her illness. Gorgon was taking care of her, and Kira wondered when they were getting together.

Kira followed Tina into the kitchen, filling a mug with blood and heating it in the microwave for a few seconds. Tina made a pitcher of iced tea and selected two of Kira's best glasses from the cupboard.

"You love him, don't you?" Kira asked.

Tina stopped rinsing out the glasses and nodded her head. "I think so. I've never been in love before. I know I feel happy when I'm with him and miss him when he's gone."

"How does he feel about you?"

"He hasn't said anything, so I'm not sure. We haven't had a lot of time together lately. I think that's why I'm so nervous tonight." Tina started the water and rinsed out the other glass. Kira grabbed a fresh towel and dried them.

Tina put the pitcher of tea in the refrigerator and handed Kira a bottle of water. "Don't worry; I'm not going to do anything crazy. That stuff we talked about yesterday, about changing into a vampire? I just —" Whatever Tina was going to say was interrupted by a knock at the door, at precisely seven o'clock. Gorgon had arrived.

"Can you get that, Kira? I'll be right there."

Kira watched her sister scurry away. She wasn't sure how she felt about all of this, but seeing her sister happy made her smile. She looked through the peephole and saw Gorgon and another human she recognized as one of Mencheres' property. Gorgon had brought dinner with him.

"Hi Gorgon, come on in."

He stepped inside and the human followed, closing the door behind him. Gorgon nodded, almost bowed to her. "Good evening, Kira." He looked at the human. "Since I was coming over anyway, I thought I might offer you something fresh."

"Thank you. Why don't you go get comfortable in the living room, and I'll just go into the kitchen for a moment with—what is your name?"

"Sam."

"I'll go in the kitchen with Sam, and be right back."

Sam followed Kira into the kitchen. She took him by the wrist, and suddenly she was thinking about Mencheres showing her how to feed. The memory was bittersweet and reminded her she had some questions for Gorgon. She inhaled near the pulsing vein before she pierced his skin. Fresh blood tasted so much better than bagged blood, but she lost interest after a few swallows.

She closed the holes. "Thank you, Sam."

Gorgon appeared in the kitchen doorway. "You can go now, Sam. Return to the house immediately. Check in with Ian when you get there."

Sam merely nodded and left the apartment. Gorgon checked the lock on the door after he left. "Where is Tina?"

"Come sit with me. I have no idea what's keeping her." Kira looked down the hallway to the bedrooms, and then turned around to face her visitor. "Have you heard from Mencheres?"

Gorgon shook his head. "No, I haven't, but that doesn't mean anything."

"Do you know where he went?"

"No, I don't," he said quietly.

Kira thought he had to tell someone, didn't he? "Does Bones know where he is?"

Gorgon shook his head again. "I don't think so."

"You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?"

"Kira, I wish I had something to tell you."

"Are you worried about him?"

"Yes, but I know he can take care of himself. He'll be back."

Then something caught Gorgon's attention, and he jerked his head up, looking down the hallway where Tina stood, smiling. "Excuse me, Kira." He stood up and walked over to Tina. "You look lovely."

Tina's smile broadened, if that was possible. Neither one of them seemed to realize that Kira was still in the room with them.

"Um, I'm going to go get some water. Be right back."

Gorgon was just leaning down to kiss Tina as Kira looked back at them. Thank goodness her kitchen was closed off and she could let them have some privacy. She grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, leaned up against the counter, and thought about how Gorgon answered her questions. He didn't know anything more than she did.

Kira took another swig of water then turned to go back out. As she turned however, her vision blurred. She put her hand to her head as if that would help. She managed to set the water bottle down and gripped the stove tightly hoping her vision would clear. Images of Mencheres danced in front of her eyes. He was surrounded by water, his clothes clinging to him. It looked like the water was going to pull him under. She reached out to grab him but couldn't reach him. He went under and everything turned black.

She didn't know how long it was before she heard voices. When she opened her eyes, everything twirled around, and she didn't know if she was looking at the floor, the walls or the ceiling. But then she was in her room, the comfortable mattress inviting her down in between the sheets. Who was that talking? She tried to concentrate. It was Gorgon's voice, fading in and out, but she could make out his last words.

"I need him, now."

Soooo, who do you think Gorgon called?

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