the arch watching him as Dani followed him upstairs. Her eyes were pulsing with that glow again, and he stared at them silently and then turned his face forward again, aware that she wasn’t really seeing him at all. She was seeing into him. He’d encountered an Edentate like Stephanie before. A no-fanger who hadn’t come out of the turn insane, but one with a special gift like Stephanie’s, and it had been a gift . . . and a curse. He hoped Stephanie did better under its burden.
Eight
“Nonsense. You have been awake for more than thirty-six hours, Dani. You need to sleep. I can sit with Allison. I used to be a nurse in my day and remember the drill with transfusions. I’ll keep an eye out for any symptoms that there is a problem and record her pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and respiratory rate . . .” There was the sound of paper fluttering and the woman with the slightly husky voice queried, “Hourly?”
“It isn’t usually checked that often in the hospital by this point,” a softer voice acknowledged, sounding weary. “But we aren’t in a hospital so I’ve been watching her a little more closely than usual.”
“Of course,” the husky voice said with understanding.
Allie frowned slightly, wondering what TV show Liam was watching. It sounded like a medical drama, but he was more a cartoons kind of kid. Actually, she thought now, they didn’t have a TV anymore. She hadn’t been able to afford one of those for a while, so he must be watching something on the computer. She was silently running through the list of movies and TV shows she’d downloaded on the computer in search of which one he could be watching now when the soft voice said, “I’ll just examine her one more time and then I’ll go lie down for a bit.”
In the next moment, Allie felt a cool hand on her forehead. Startled, she was about to open her eyes to see who was touching her when it was done for her. At least, one eyelid was pulled up gently.
Squawking in surprise as she found herself staring up at a petite blonde she didn’t recognize, Allie tried to raise her arm to knock the woman’s hand away, but her arm wouldn’t move. It was restrained somehow.
“You’re awake,” the blonde said with surprise, and then assured her, “No, Allie. You aren’t restrained. I mean, your one arm is, but only to keep you from knocking out the IV.”
Allie opened her mouth to speak, and then grimaced at the pasty feel in her mouth. She’d obviously been sleeping on her back with her mouth open for a while. That was the only time she experienced this disgusting taste in her mouth, and her throat was dry so she’d probably been snoring as well.
“Leonora, could you fetch some water for Allie, please,” the blonde said, glancing across the bed.
Allie shifted her eyes to see an attractive woman with black hair hurrying from the room. Once the door closed, she peered warily at the blonde again.
“She’ll be right back,” the woman said reassuringly. “She just—”
The blonde fell silent and they both looked toward the door when it opened. Allie felt relief slide through her when Magnus entered. She couldn’t have said why. He was a virtual stranger to her. Still, she was relieved.
“It is good to see you awake,” Magnus said, moving to the bedside.
“I’m afraid she was a bit alarmed when she woke to two strangers in the room with her,” Dani admitted quietly.
“I knew I should have stayed,” Magnus said with a frown as he sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand reassuringly.
“You’d been here all night,” Dani pointed out. “I pretty much had to threaten you to get you to go feed.” Smiling wryly, she added, “It just figures she’d wake up five minutes after you left.”
Allie’s eyes widened at the news that he’d sat at her bedside for so long, and then the door opened again and the black-haired woman returned, carrying the promised glass of water.
Dani unstrapped her arm and Magnus helped her sit up. He then took the glass from Leonora, and asked Allie if she could hold it. When she nodded, he held it out to her. Allie smiled at him crookedly as she took the glass.
They all watched her drink, which made her feel ridiculously self-conscious. But she felt better after a couple of sips and lowered the glass with a sigh,