Chapter 30: Tough Choices

“Why?” Shannon demanded. “Sounds to me like he’s gonna drug you.”

“And he’ll love every minute of it.” The vampire lord grinned wider and stepped away from the bathroom wall. Masaaki remained lounged on the bed, not even trying to block the lord’s access to her. “I’m Theo.” He held out his hand to her.

Shannon located the two circular scars in his wrist and bit her lip. “Shannon.”

“All right, Shannon.” He took her hand and shook it. “From what Masaaki told me while you were…uh, busy…he’s really in a bad way. We already talked about it. I’m going to zap him tonight. Not drink, just give him a dose. Help him rebuild his immune system, if you know what I mean. He’s running on empty.”

“I was getting him vitamins,” Shannon said, feeling both irritated and guilty. “You kidnapped me before I could buy them.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about that,” Theo said. “I’ll give him a shot of go-juice and he’ll pep right up.”

“Um,” Shannon said, glancing at Masaaki, who seemed overly emotionless about the whole affair. “You sure you’re okay with that, Masaaki?”

“Working with a lord,” Masaaki said, “I can produce twice as much for you.”

“I wasn’t asking that,” Shannon growled. “I was asking if you were okay with it.”

“I swore an oath to feed you,” Masaaki said.

“Oh for Chrissakes.” She turned on the vampire lord. “Theo. Come here a sec.” She grabbed the vampire by the wrist and tugged him toward the door. Then, even as Masaaki was frowning and starting to sit up off the bed, she stepped outside, pulled the vampire with her, and yanked the door most of the way shut.

As soon as they were alone, she whispered up to Theo, “Listen to me. Masaaki has a stick up his ass about some stuff. Hell, a lot of stuff. But he’s got it in his head he’s gotta do this for me for honor or something stupid like that, and he doesn’t see reason. He’s really terrified as shit of vampires, and he doesn’t want to do anything of the sort. So yeah. Uh. Let’s just call the whole thing off, okay?”

“I know he’s afraid,” Theo said softly. “You forget, little queen. I already drank from him once. I saw his terror.”

Shannon blinked up at him, stunned. “Then why would you thrall him?”

“Well, for one, we both figured it would be the only way he’d be able to survive the next couple days. He’s dying, Shannon.”

Shannon froze. “He…is?”

“You notice how he didn’t get off the bed? How he was leaning like that? He can barely move. Took everything he had to run down the truck and flash me.”

Shannon swallowed. “Um. Okay.”

“For two,” Theo said, “I can repair the damage your parents did.”

She stared. “You can? How?”

Theo glanced at the door. “Okay, look. I don’t do this kind of thing often, ‘cause it takes a really special case, but I’ve done it a couple times. Basically, I rescue someone from a vampire den and they’re totally terrified of vampires. Which means they’re terrified of me, even though I just rescued their ass. I’m kind of a Point A to Point B sort of guy, so if some damsel in distress is still kicking and biting me after a couple days and I really need her to cooperate, I’ll give her some go-juice and teach her hey, maybe this vampire ain’t so bad, after all. Then, when it’s time to part ways, I’ll leave her with someone I trust while the go-juice runs out. It’s a little on the shady side, but I think in your samurai’s case, it might help.”

“A little on the shady side?” Shannon demanded.

The vampire narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t do it very often. Like I said. It’s for special cases. Consider it an anti-vampire-phobia drug. And if you want my opinion, Masaaki could really use it, considering how much you scare the poor bastard, and how deadset he is on helping you.”

Shannon frowned. “I don’t scare him.”

Theo laughed. “Oh yeah you do. He’s just really good at hiding it.”

From inside the room, Masaaki worriedly called, “Shannon?” It didn’t even sound as if he’d gotten off the bed.

“So,” Theo said. “Any other objections?” He glanced at her hand, which was still on the knob of the door.

Shannon considered for a long moment, then said, “Masaaki is my friend. He’s basically been asleep for seven hundred years. He doesn’t know a lot of things. Someone can take advantage of that, real easy. If you do that, and hurt him, I’ll kill you slowly.”

The vampire’s eyebrows both went up. “I’ll take that into consideration.”

“I also know he’s a prize,” Shannon said. “You take him, I’ll find you.”

“Duly noted,” the vampire replied. He wasn’t smiling. In fact, he looked dead serious. Good.

“Just want to be clear,” Shannon said. “You hurt him, you’re dead. I’ll find a way.”

“Dearest,” the vampire said, “we’re clear as crystal.” He gently laid a hand on her arm and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Now will you allow me to go help your friend before he puts himself into a coma trying to get off the bed?”

Indeed, there were some strange grunts and thumps emanating from inside the room.

“Sure,” Shannon said, releasing the door.

The vampire stepped past her and back into the hotel room. When Shannon followed him into the room, the samurai was using his sheathed sword to prop himself up in a kneeling position on the floor, pale and shaking, looking, for all the world, like a living corpse.

“Odin’s eye, Masaaki!” Shannon cried, rushing to fall beside him. “What’s wrong?”

Masaaki waved her off unconcernedly, and she watched a calm, collected façade slip back into place over the deathbed anxiety. He grunted and hung his head.

The vampire’s right, Shannon thought, disturbed. Masaaki’s been hiding it from me. The bastard. He was honest-to-God just going to let her drink him to death.

“Okay, stardust?” Theo said, “he’s really close. This is about to get really ugly. And personal. Uh. Can you please step outside for a few minutes while I save your friend’s life?”

“No way,” Shannon said.

The vampire looked up at her, frowning. At the same time, Masaaki hoarsely whispered, “Get out, wan-ko.”

Shannon opened her mouth to tell them both to shove it, then remembered what Theo’s venom had done to her, and the hours of contortions that had followed. She froze. They couldn’t possibly mean…

Their utterly humorless faces told her that they could.

“Oh.”

Masaaki lost his grip on his sword and tumbled forward.

“Now would be a good time,” Theo snapped at her, catching the samurai by the shoulder and helping him lay back.

Shannon backed out of the room and tugged the door shut behind her, locking it.

As soon as the door was shut, she’d wished she hadn’t. Masaaki started to scream. It was soft and whispery, but with Shannon’s heightened senses, she could hear it. She heard weak struggles, little thumps on the floor, frantic panting, and then silence. Then…crying.

Shannon knocked at the door.

“Stay out there,” Theo snapped.

Masaaki kept crying. It grew deeper, and more wretched, and Shannon found she couldn’t stand it.

“What’s happening?” she cried.

“Please go,” Masaaki sobbed.

Hearing the desperation in his voice, Shannon went.