She shook her head firmly. "Well, there's just no way Marguerite Argeneau would allow anyone to harm one of her children. She--"
"It doesn't matter, Mirabeau," Thomas interrupted wearily. "I promised Greg I wouldn't go anywhere near them and I won't. We'll have to find the blood elsewhere."
"We're wasting time here," Greg said impatiently. "Lissianna needs blood. Do you have any at your place, Thomas?"
"Yes, I do," he said, obviously surprised that he hadn't thought of it himself. "Not as much as we'll need, but a couple of bags at least and that should be enough to bring her back to consciousness, then we'll find her some donors."
"Donors?" Greg asked.
"The doorman, maybe a couple of neighbors." Thomas shrugged.
"What about an IV?" Greg asked. "I understand that once she's conscious she'll be able to feed off the donors herself, but you'll need an IV for the bagged blood. Can you get one?"
"No, but that's not a problem. Her teeth will suck it up whether she's awake or not," Thomas said as he headed for the door. "It's just easier to feed the donors to her once she's conscious because then she can control their minds. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Thomas?" Mirabeau followed him out of the room. "Do you have a--"
The closing of the door prevented Greg from hearing the rest of what she was asking, not that he was really interested. He was peering at Lissianna as she moaned. It wasn't a normal sound. She was completely motionless, looking almost dead, but emitting a growling moan that was barely audible and came from deep in her throat. The depth of pain she must be in to emit the sounds tore at his heart, and they seemed to be coming closer together. He could only think this meant her pain was increasing in intensity by the minute.
Greg opened her shirt and lifted the towel away from her chest to look at the wound. It was almost closed. While part of him was relieved to see the healing, another part was thinking that it just meant her body was using up blood, and she needed to keep as much as she could until Thomas got back. The more she lost, the more pain she'd be in.
Another moan drew his attention to her face, and Greg hesitated, then decided he had to do something. Leaning
closer, he took her face in both hands and used his
thumbs to pull her mouth open.
"What are you doing?" Mirabeau asked as she reen-tered the room.
"Opening her mouth."
"Why?"
"How do I get her teeth to extend?" Greg asked instead of answering.
"Why do you want her teeth extended?" Mirabeau walked over to stand on the opposite side of the bed, concern on her face as she peered from he to Lissianna.
"Because I can donate some blood, then we could bring up the doorman and whoever else we can find and she can finish off with the bagged blood when Thomas gets back, rather than suffer pain all this time and just start when he gets here."
"You don't want to do that, Greg," Mirabeau said solemnly.
"She's in pain," he hissed.
"Yes, she is, but she isn't conscious."
"But she still feels it. She just can't thrash about and scream because she's so weak, but she does feel it. Doesn't she? That's why she's moaning. Right?" he asked grimly.
"Yes." She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, then hesitated. "It will be painful."
"It wasn't the last time she bit me."
"Yes, but she kissed you last time and got you to relax your guard, then when she bit you, she was able to send the pleasure she was experiencing. Lissi can't do any of that this time, Greg, and it will hurt. Trust me."
"Then I guess it will hurt," he said simply.
Mirabeau peered at him, and he felt a familiar ruffling in his mind. He knew without a doubt that she was trying to dig into his thoughts. Greg did his best to open his mind to her. He needed her help to help Lissianna, and if this was what it took to get it, so be it.
"Very well," she said finally, and gestured him out of the way.