The Reluctant Vampire Page 0,68

would get.

"Do I need to change or anything? Or do I just lie down?" Tiny asked, and the uncertainty in his voice caught her ear.

"You might want to take off your shirt if you're especially fond of it," Drina murmured. "And change your pants if you like those as well."

Tiny didn't ask ques ons, he merely shrugged out of his T-shirt. Apparently he wasn't overly fond of the joggers, though, because once his shirt was off, he simply lay down on the bed. It was Teddy who asked, "Why? What's going to happen to his clothes? He's not going to hulk out or something, is he?"

"No," Drina assured the older mortal with amusement. "But the nanos will force out any impuri es through his skin. It's hard to get the clothes clean afterward."

"I'll say," Stephanie mu ered with disgust. "I was wearing my favorite top when I turned. I washed it six mes before I gave up trying to get the s nk out." She grimaced, and then added, "The bed I was on was ruined too. They hadn't thought to put one of those bed-protector things on before laying me in it."

Tiny was immediately hopping off the bed as if it were hot coals. Without a word, he tugged the blankets and sheets up at one corner to reveal a bed protector underneath with one side plas c, the other cloth. He didn't return the bedding then, but pulled the sheets off completely and tossed them in the corner of the room, leaving only the protector, muttering, "No sense ruining Elvi's sheets."

Edward immediately moved forward with the chains and quickly half tossed and half slid the first under the metal frame. Alessandro pulled it out the other side, and then moved to the foot of the bed as Edward repeated the process there. Once done threading chain under the bed at both the top and bo om, Alessandro straightened and nodded with approval. "Bella. Is good."

Tiny grunted something of a response and climbed back onto the mattress protector. Drina moved toward the two coolers Anders had moved to the room earlier. "Did Lucian send any - "

"The green cooler," Anders interrupted before she could finish, and Drina closed the red cooler she'd just opened, which held only blood, and moved to the second, green cooler. Opening it, she nodded as she spo ed the li le medical case inside. She knew it would contain needles and ampoules of various drugs. They wouldn't prevent Tiny's experiencing the pain, but would dull it somewhat and keep him from ge ng too ac ve during the worst of it. Unfortunately, they couldn't be administered un l a er the turn had started. The dosage would kill a mortal without the benefit of the nanos in their system. She straightened and opened the case to reveal the items lined up inside.

"Are those the nanos?" Tiny asked warily.

"No," Drina answered. "These are drugs to help you through the turn."

Tiny frowned, and Stephanie - obviously reading his thoughts - piped up, and said, "Oh believe me, you do want the drugs. They don't do much, but they're better than nothing at all."

Leonora and Dawn nodded in solemn agreement. They were the only immortals there besides the teenager who had been turned. The rest of them had been born immortal and avoided this necessity. Tiny knew that as well and peered from one solemn face to the other, before clearing his throat, and asking,

"So what can I expect here?"

When the older women hesitated, Stephanie grimaced, and said honestly, "It's gonna hurt like the dickens, Tiny. It feels like you're being torn apart from the inside out and I guess that's kind of what the nanos are doing." She breathed out a little sigh, and then added, "But the nightmares are the worst part."

Tiny raised his eyebrows. "Nightmares?"

"Or hallucina ons or whatever," Stephanie said unhappily. "I was in a river of blood. It was burning, the flames leaping all around me, and I was caught in a current and being dragged downstream. I couldn't get out, and these mu lated and bloated corpses kept floa ng by while I just screamed and screamed. And then the current pulled me under, and I was choking on the burning blood." She shuddered at the memory. "And then I woke up, and it was over."

"I had the same nightmares," Leonora said with surprise.

"Me too," Dawn announced. She then murmured, "I wonder if it's your brain trying to understand what's happening