to smile, but couldn't manage it. "Let the paramedics get to him." The women did shuffle back, clinging to each other.
Two men carrying a first-aid kit and a litter stopped next to Ray and started to assess the damage, pulling out equipment I knew would be useless. This was impossible and I knew what I had to do. No matter what was wrong with Ray, a day's sleep would take care of it. For now, we had to get away from these mortal witnesses. I gazed into their eyes, then told the paramedics to put Ray onto the stretcher without checking his pulse or whatever else they usually did. Nate and I stayed close as they carried him to his trailer. I would handle things from there.
The crowd got really quiet as a path opened in front of us. I heard the clicks that meant that pictures of this were going to show up in the tabloids. No help for that. Ray deserved whatever bad press this brought him. Nate and a pack of bodyguards kept the paparazzi at bay as we crossed the parking lot. Curious bystanders probably wondered why we didn't load Ray into the waiting ambulance but a brief comment at the trailer door took care of that. Nate just put out a statement that Ray was already awake and refused to be transported.
Inside, I threw a towel under Ray's bleeding head and had the confused paramedics lay him on his bed. The fact that the wound was still bleeding freaked me out. Vampires usually quit bleeding in moments, even from head wounds.
"We should - " The paramedic never got to finish whatever he wanted to say. I got in his face and took care of business again. Nate hovered behind them and escorted them out the door with the empty stretcher. After I'd finished with them, all they'd remember was that Ray was fine, awake, with no sign of a concussion. He'd just gotten a little bump on his head.
Actually, he was still unconscious and I was going to have to find him some decent blood to drink. Not from me; I'd already given my quota for the night and still felt shaky. What I drank to keep me on my feet was from Ray's stash, full of alcohol, and I was feeling the effects. I grabbed another bottle and drained it. Nate was close beside me again and smelling way too delicious.
"What can I do, Glory?" Nate stared down at his friend. "He's not, uh, dead, is he? You wouldn't let the paramedics do anything. Not even take his vital signs."
"Nate, his signs aren't vital. He's a vampire, remember? And immortal. Unless he fell on a stake or the sun came out, he'll live. But I don't like how he's looking." I put my hand on Nate's arm. "Blood pressure, temperature, they're not going to be in the normal range. Those results would have freaked out the paramedics." I sighed. "But there is something you can do. Have you been drinking tonight? Drugging?"
"What? I don't do drugs. And, while I could use a stiff drink, especially tonight, I always wait till after the show is over." Nate looked from me to Ray. "Shit, I get it. You need my blood. For him to drink. What about yours?"
"I already fed him before the show. To get him sober enough to perform. I can't give again tonight." I touched the oozing cut on the back of Ray's head. It was healing now, but slowly, and I didn't even have enough juice in me to speed up the process. "I know you're not enthusiastic, especially after he attacked you before, but it will save him. I don't know how serious this head injury is, but he's not coming around yet. I don't like that. He'll live, but I've seen impaired vampires who never healed properly for one reason or another. I don't want Ray to end up less than he should be."
"God, no." Nate shucked his suit jacket and sat on the side of the bed. He always dressed like the business manager he was and didn't go for a casual look. He unbuttoned his cuff and rolled up his sleeve, then offered his wrist.
"Thanks. I'm sorry if this hurts." I bit into his wrist, ignoring how yummy his blood tasted, then pressed the open wound to Ray's lips. "Come on, Ray baby, drink for me."
No response. This was not normal, not by a long shot. Usually one