Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Night Huntress World 2)

"Cystic fibrosis," Kira rasped. "She was born with it."

The irony of that stabbed a fresh spurt of pain in Kira. According to what Mencheres just revealed, Kira might also have been born with a genetic mutation, but though hers might steal her freedom, it wouldn't grow deadlier until it killed her, like Tina's.

"She is dying," Mencheres said, still with that same indecipherable expression.

"Don't say that."

Kira gave the vampire a look filled with all her impotent rage over her sister's condition as she stood up. She knew it was true. All her instincts warned that this time, Tina wouldn't recover. She'd felt that dread growing in her all day even though she'd tried to discount it.

His black eyes were hard. "As she is now, that is fact, but what are you prepared to do to change that fact?"

Did he mean . . . ? Kira looked at Tina, at Mencheres, then at the EKG machine monitoring her sister's weak pulse. A pulse that Mencheres no longer had.

"Nothing quite that drastic," Mencheres said, with the barest hint of a nod at the heart monitor. "My blood healed your injuries. It cannot cure your sister's disease permanently, but it could heal the complications that cause her to be in this condition." Hope smashed through Kira as she stared at Mencheres. His blood had healed her

- from a mortal injury, no less. Even if it didn't cure Tina's cystic fibrosis, could it heal Tina enough to get her off the ventilator? Maybe even out of the hospital?

"You'd do that?" It took everything Kira had not to beg as she waited for his response.

"Yes. For a price."

Her knees felt weak again, but this time, with a different sort of dread. Of course the price of Mencheres's help would be for Kira to accept the loss of her freedom . . . forever.

After all, he'd repeatedly said he wouldn't let her go until he could erase her memory of vampires. Six days later, he still couldn't manipulate her memories or hear her thoughts.

Kira didn't hold out much hope that tomorrow would magically make any difference.

Genetic mutation. Natural immunity.

She looked back at Tina. If his price for getting her to accept her fate as a permanent captive was to heal her sister enough to give Tina another chance at living, she'd agree.

She might not have a choice about losing her freedom, but she could see that Tina benefited from it. A thousand times, she'd wondered, "Why her?" about Tina's condition, and yet not once had she ever heard Tina echo that sentiment. Her sister had accepted her fate with an ice-cold bravery that Kira had long been in awe of. Now, it was Kira's turn.

"I can guess your price," she said, straightening her shoulders. "And I'll agree, if you heal Tina more than this one time. Do it enough times to give her a normal life span, and I'll stay locked up for the rest of mine. A life for a life."

Mencheres stared at her in silence for so long, Kira wondered if she'd dared to demand too much. Was he angry by the condition she had added to his price? Amused?

Scornful? None of the above? It was true Mencheres could just hold her hostage forever without helping Tina, but if wanted her to be as docile as Selene, Kurt, and Sam were, then this was what he had to do.

"Call the nurse," Mencheres said.

That wasn't really an answer, but Kira didn't press. She went to the nurses' station and within minutes returned to the room with Tina's nurse.

Mencheres looked up at the woman and his eyes flashed that bright emerald glow.

"Bring me a syringe."

The nurse's expression immediately changed into the same obedient, placid one the visitor registrar's had. Once again, Kira marveled at how effortlessly Mencheres could control other people's minds as the nurse left the room. Less than a minute later, she returned with a syringe and handed it to Mencheres.

"Leave now. You gave me nothing. You remember nothing about me," Mencheres said to her dismissively. The nurse walked away without a backward glance.

Kira would've commented about how eerie that whole exchange was, but she was too busy concentrating on Mencheres as he slid the needle into his wrist and slowly pulled the plunger out. Red liquid oozed into the syringe until it was full.

She glanced behind them at the nurses' station. No one was looking their way. Kira glanced back to find Mencheres staring at her. He now had the needle inserted into the IV line. She didn't look away as he pressed the plunger down, turning the tube that fed into Tina's hand red with his blood as it absorbed into Tina's vein.

Kira held her breath until the syringe was empty and out of the IV line. Mencheres capped it and slipped it into his coat pocket. The only trace that anything unusual had happened was the residual pink fluid at the end of the IV line where the catheter was secured into Tina's flesh with tape.

"Stay here," he said before walking out of the room.

She didn't ask where he was going. Kira sat by the bed and traced her hand along her sister's pale, motionless arm. How long would it take for his blood to counter the merciless damage Tina's disease had inflicted on her? He'd only given her one single syringeful. Maybe that was all he intended to give her to start, but then he'd inject another few syringes' worth of blood into Tina in the next day or so. Maybe he didn't have enough blood in him now to give more. That could be where Mencheres was headed; to find an unknowing donor and refil . . .

Tina made a gagging sound. Everything in Kira froze as she saw her sister's eyes open. Tina blinked several times before gagging again, her head turning. Her sea-green gaze met Kira's in question, but not confusion. Tina was awake - and lucid. Then the limp arm Kira had been stroking lifted, her sister's hand moving up to tug at the tube in her mouth.

That was all Kira saw before her gaze blurred, and she choked out a single word.

"Nurse!"

Mencheres watched Kira say goodbye to her sister. Her face was still flushed with happiness as she leaned down to kiss Tina's cheek.

"I'll try to come again soon," she murmured. "Love you, Tiny-T."

"Love you, too, sis," Tina replied, her voice soft, but lacking the scratchiness Tina should have had after her ventilator tube had been removed.

"It's just miraculous how fast she responded to the new antibiotics," the nurse marveled to Kira as she accompanied her out of Tina's room.

"Oh yes. Miraculous," Kira echoed, but she looked up at Mencheres as she spoke.

He gave her a faint smile. The healing effects from vampire blood - specifically blood as old and powerful as his - would indeed seem miraculous to the nurse, who didn't know better. Kira did, though. She took his hand once she drew near, then she brought it to her lips.