He seemed stunned by the sound of my voice, and calmed considerably.
I peered at him closely. “Is my blood hurting you?”
“No,” he half gasped, half coughed. “It’s energizing and … making shit change. I feel … different already.”
“What kind of shit is changing, Ray?” I asked patiently. “You need to be more specific.” I turned toward Naomi. “Is this normal?”
She made a sound close to a snort. “No. But nothing is normal when it comes to your blood, Ma Reine.” Touché. She edged in closer to examine him. “Does your mind have more clarity, fledgling? Do you see the way now?”
“What is he supposed to see?” I asked curiously, immediately envisioning a vampire headmistress with a high collar and a pointy stick tapping a blackboard to inform him about the basics of flight and impaling your fangs into unsuspecting humans.
“His inner mind should open and he should ‘see’ the way of the vampire. His body should give him cues. A normal fledgling vampire would be in awe of this and look for immediate guidance.” She narrowed her eyes at Ray. “However, I suspect he will remain himself, but now with a second sight.”
“I see it,” he grumbled again. “It feels like I’m remembering myself from a long time ago, but the visions can’t be real. I’ve never been afraid of sunlight or had an aversion to eating any food.”
“I get a cranky she-wolf in my head fighting me for control and you get nice, peaceful daydreams. It so figures.” I stood and took a step back. “Ray, pay attention to what you’re seeing. This is how you get your survival information. Make sure the pieces fit together so you don’t lose your mind again. Once you finish catching up, and my blood does what it needs to, all the information should seem like a nice, coherent package.”
“When does it stop?” he complained. “I don’t need my brain filled up with a bunch of useless crap. I get that I’m a vampire. I suck blood and sleep during the day. What more do I need?”
Naomi shook her head. “He is unlike any I’ve ever witnessed. There are no explanations.”
Raymond Hart was the most stubborn soul I’d ever come across, and as a human, he’d never been susceptible to Nick’s persuasion. It seemed logical to assume Ray’s mind had been resistant to change as a human so as a supe it would be twice as bad. That, coupled with my powerful blood, meant there would be no dealing with him now.
I waited for a minute and watched as his eyes continued to flicker. “How’s it going now?” I asked, glancing at Naomi. “How long do you think he needs? Didn’t you tell me new vampires lose their humanity for a time? He’s obviously gone through the major part of the transition already, because he is a vampire, but what happens now?”
Naomi shook her head. “I do not know. He might need another night or two to adjust fully, it’s not easy to see. I believe he will continue to be unpredictable.”
“I’m fine,” Ray grumbled. “And I want out of these chains. I need clean clothes and a shower.”
I sighed. “Ray, you just heard Naomi. You’re unpredictable, and I can’t let you out of here until we know for sure you won’t run amok. You wanted to eat my intestines only a short time ago,” I reminded him. “If we let you loose on humanity, and you’re not back to yourself, you could kill innocent people before we could stop you.”
As a former police officer, this should still be important to him. I knew Ray would hate the thought of being a harbinger of death to innocent people—if he was still Ray on the inside.
He eyed me, his eyes finally settling into their normal hazel color. “My head is clearing. I get what happened to me. I’m a vampire now. I see the dreams and I can guarantee I’m not going crazy. But if I were to go crazy again … you can tie me up. Is that good enough for you, Hannon? Now let me out of this place.”
I bit my lip.
If he learned to fly, he could disappear. Naomi could barely control him before, and he’d been weak. “I think the best thing to do is establish the Master-fledgling thing before I set you free,” I answered. Ray didn’t know he had to accompany us to New Orleans in the next few hours or that he’d be a key piece in saving my father’s life—whatever that meant. So I couldn’t risk him taking off and not returning, and I wasn’t exactly sure how much to share with him until I understood our new relationship. I turned to Naomi. “How much control does a Master usually have over the fledgling?”
“They have considerable control, but normally it is unnecessary to wield any power, because the fledgling would willingly do anything for their Master. They seek approval and love, much like a puppy to its new owner.”
I arched a skeptical brow at Ray. That so wasn’t happening. The day Ray was my puppy the Earth would cease to turn. I was going to have to barter with him and we both knew it. I turned to Rourke, who stood next to me, his expression severe. “What do you think about letting him go?”
“I’ve never come in contact with a fledgling before, but I think threatening him within an inch of his life to do what we say is the first step. I’ve heard young vamps can be unwieldy, and I have zero problem killing him if he doesn’t follow your program.”
“I don’t want Rourke to kill you,” I told Ray, “so it would be nice if you followed the program. Does that mean anything coming from me as your new Master?” Crossing my fingers would be childish, but that’s exactly what I felt like doing. Any extra nugget of help I could get, I’d take right now.
Ray’s irises flicked silver. “Yes.”
His response had come through gritted teeth, but it was a start.
I’d also felt something jump in his blood at my question. Like he hadn’t wanted to answer but had been compelled to do so. Naomi had knelt next to me. She’d had my blood, too, but nothing like that had ever happened to us. “Naomi, I have to ask you something. I gave you just as much blood to heal your wounds as I did to Ray, but Ray and I seem to have an internal connection. I can feel Ray’s emotions, almost like I can with the wolves, but I don’t get much of anything from you. Do you know why that is?”
She shook her head. “I do not. But I’m very old and have drunk from many, including some very powerful supernaturals. My blood is a thousand times more potent than any human’s. I would likely need to drink much more from you for us to forge the same kind of connection. But, again, your blood is an anomaly, so it’s hard to know.”
“Hannon,” Ray said. “I don’t care about all this other bullshit. I want out of here.” He rattled his chains. “I promise to follow your program, but I’m done with the prisoner routine. I deserve time to myself to process this like a grown-up. I’ve been on your leash for weeks now and I want my life back, starting right now.”
“How do I know you won’t get into trouble and that you’ll come back?” I asked.