Venom drove straight to a twenty-four-hour clinic that catered to both mortals and vampires. The harried vampire physician on duty took one look at Zeph and Arabella and immediately hooked them up to blood IVs. “Best blood we have,” he said, his ebony skin dull with fatigue. “I sure hope you two are covering the bill or my ass will be on the line.”
“Send the bill to the Tower and it’ll be taken care of,” Venom said before Holly could respond. “We need to speak to them. Is there any chance either will wake soon?”
The doctor, dark circles under his eyes, took in both patients again. “Him, no chance. Her . . . give it a quarter hour and then, if you’re willing to donate half a glass of your own blood, you might be able to jolt her to consciousness.” A faint smile. “No clinic has access to blood as strong as yours.”
The wait was excruciating.
“Why did you help Brynn?” Holly asked as the two of them stood with their backs to the scratched and nicked wall outside Zeph and Arabella’s room.
In truth, she wasn’t expecting an answer, but Venom spoke. “The mortal reminded me of a girl in my village. Maina was as . . . innocent. Childlike while being a woman. Even though I was only ten to her sixteen, I already knew to treat her like I did my younger siblings, rather than like other girls her age. Her family married her off to an old man who beat her, until one day, she just didn’t wake up.”
So many memories in his head, so much dark history. “I’m sorry.”
“So was her family, but they were the ones who chose to think of her as a burden they had to shed.” Pausing after that harsh summation, he said, “The two within use Brynn as a donor?” The question was dangerously impassive.
“No,” Holly said at once, wanting him to know the hearts of the people he’d helped save. “Zeph and Arabella just pretend she’s their personal donor so that other vampires will leave her alone. It’s considered bad form on the streets to poach a donor who’s been claimed.” The two had been near starvation more than once and still never touched Brynn. “All those scars she has, they’re from before, when she was alone.”
“Maina’s family was high ranking in the village,” Venom murmured, “but your friends have more honor than they ever did. I’ll personally ensure they have no debts as a result of their medical treatment.”
Holly didn’t know why she did it; maybe it was the hopelessness she’d smelled in the squathouse, the hollow pain of a history that could not be changed, or because Venom had just ruined another suit jacket and pledged his own funds to help people he could’ve disregarded as not worth his time . . . but she closed her hand over his.
Neither one of them moved until the doctor returned to ask for Venom’s blood. He injected it straight into the IV, so it’d directly hit Arabella’s bloodstream. “That’s all I can do,” the doctor said afterward. “If she’s not awake in five minutes, she probably won’t come to consciousness tonight.”
A loud beep had the medium-height male rushing off to handle an emergency.
It was only thirty seconds later that Arabella’s swollen eyelids fluttered. “Zeph.” It was a croak.
“In the bed next to yours,” Holly told her, sliding two ice chips between the other woman’s bruised lips at the same time. “He’ll live, but you’re both going to be in the clinic for a few days.”
A struggling flicker of panic in the hazy blue of Arabella’s eyes. “I’ll pay,” she managed to whisper as the melting ice wet her throat. “Zeph . . . he can’t.”
It took Holly a second to understand. “The Tower’s taking care of the bill in thanks for your information about the bounty on my head.” Everyone had pride and this small lie would protect Arabella and Zeph’s. “You won’t have to sign up to serve an angel to pay it off.”
Her relief unhidden, Arabella turned to take in the sight of Zeph’s motionless form and of the IV running red down his arm. “Brynn?”
Yes, Holly thought, her outwardly powerless and broken friends had far more honor than many. “Safe.” She touched her fingers to an unbruised part of Arabella’s hand. “Do you know who did this?”
“Just a stupid fight. People acting crazy. Zeph said they smelled off, like bad stuff was coming