The streets of Prague
Nearly three blocks away from Emma and Rayn's sanctuary, Priest suddenly stopped, grabbing Chupa's arm. "What is it?" Chupa asked, fully alert and scanning the darkened streets. "You don't hear her?" "Hear who?" Priest closed his eyes and seemed to be listening. "Rayn. We have to go back. Something's wrong," he finally said. Both blood drinkers turned around and hauled ass back to the sanctuary.
When they arrived, Chupa stopped his friend. "That was closed when we left," he said quietly, gesturing at the open door. "Shit! How do you want to do this?" Priest asked, his gaze piercing the dimly lit foyer. "We go in together on three," Chupa replied, raising his hand. Wordlessly, they counted to three and moved into the house. Finding nothing, they continued on until the reached the open door of Emma's chamber. Looking in, Chupa could see nothing amiss but he could smell blood.
"Rayn!" Priest called out in a hoarse whisper. No answer. Nodding at Chupa, he stepped into the room. He scanned the room slowly and his eyes widened when they fell on the two unmoving bodies on the floor in front of the fireplace. "They're over here," he called back to Chupa before vaulting over the sofa and landing on the floor next to Rayn. Less than two seconds later, Chupa was beside Emma. He carefully lifted her into his arms and carried her to the sofa. As he laid her down, she moaned softly. "Shhh," he murmured, lightly stroking her cheek, "you're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you." Her head rolled slightly to the side and he saw the wound on her throat. "She's been bitten," he growled, looking over at Priest. Priest, having lifted Rayn onto his lap, stared at Chupa. "How bad?" he asked, tilting Rayn's head to check for wounds. "It doesn't look too bad. Maybe her blood helped," Chupa replied, using the lapel of Emma's robe to wipe away the excess blood. "Rayn's clean. But if that wall's any pointer, she's going to have a bitch of headache," Priest said. Chupa didn't answer. "Chupa?" The big pureblood gasped loudly as he watched the soft flesh of Emma's throat knit itself back together. Her facial cuts were doing the same thing. Within moments, the only thing marring Emma's skin was smeared blood. "She healed, Priest. The wounds are gone," he finally said, turning to look at his companion. "Bloody hell!" Priest exclaimed, "What the hell are they?" "I don't know but I plan to find out," Chupa replied, a grim look on his face. And he would.
The first thing Rayn became aware of was the gentle hand on her throat. "Emma," she whispered hoarsely, trying to open her eyes. "Take it easy, little girl. She's all right," an accented voice told her. "You came," she sighed as her eyes opened to see Priest's smiling face. He nodded and helped her sit up. "What happened? Who did this to you?" he asked, still cradling her in his arms. "A vampire, I think. She was so strong. And she was nuttier than a Christmas fruitcake," Rayn told him, rubbing her left temple, "Kasha! She kept calling herself Kasha."
Chupa looked up, his blue eyes wide. "Yeah, that's Kasha, all right. But why would she attack them?" he wondered aloud. Priest shrugged slightly. "Hell if I know." Emma's whisper reached Chupa's ears. "Said Jirina stole her wish." He looked back down at her. "Jirina? Hell, she's been gone for nearly 40 years. Why would Kasha hold a grudge?" Priest spoke up. "The question is: why did she do that to Emma?" Emma answered both of their questions.
"Jirina is my mother."
