The vampires exchanged panicked looks.
“Have you ever dealt with an injured wizard?” the male whispered to the female, who shook her head.
“Maybe the hospital?” The woman glanced uneasily from her companion to Jade.
“I don’t want a maybe, I want a certain answer,” I growled.
“Wizards heal differently from humans and they can take potions, so, so perhaps the Cloisters?” the male said, his tone becoming increasingly desperate.
The woman pulled a cellphone out of her handbag—a very wrong looking image considering her hair and dress. “Our Family has a blood donor, let me call them.”
“Blood donors are humans, not wizards!” The man cried.
“Figure it out fast or call someone who will know,” I snarled.
More footsteps echoed down the street as three more vampires came sprinting in my direction, but it wasn’t until I heard the distant roar of an engine that I began to hope.
I figured at least a few of them would be dispatched to the city, but I didn’t know if they’d be in range. Please, please—
Before I dared to hope, a black SUV screeched around the corner flashing a dragon insignia that was painted on the door.
The Drakes—Killian’s Family—were here.
The driver slammed on the brakes and the car screeched to a stop in the middle of the road, next to me.
The driver door, front passenger door, and a back seat door were flung open. A tall, red-haired vampire emerged from the driver door, a broad shouldered vampire that looked more like a werewolf with his muscles than a vampire climbed out of the back, but it wasn’t until I saw the black haired, bland faced vampire that hopped out of the passenger seat that I relaxed, recognizing Killian’s Second Knight.
“Elder Maledictus.” Josh—the Second Knight—gave me a sweeping bow. “How can we help you.”
I lifted Jade. “She’s hurt. Where do I take her?”
Josh blinked as he took in Jade’s pale face and task force uniform. “Ah. Is she a wizard, or…?”
“Slayer,” I said.
Josh nodded, even though all the vampires around me suddenly took a huge step backwards likely spooked by the poisonous properties of her blood. “Very good, Sir,” Josh said. “If you’ll load her in the car, we’ll take her to a medical facility. We have a stock of high-grade potions you can administer to her on the ride over that will stabilize her.”
More vampires hurried down the street, summoned by my command. I ignored them, honing in on Josh. “The Cloisters wouldn’t be a better choice?” I asked.
Josh tilted his head, studying Jade. “They are an option, but it appears your slayer has lost a great deal of blood. Fae potions don’t help with blood loss, so I believe a human facility will be better equipped to help her.”
I hesitated, feeling torn. How would the Drakes know what’s appropriate when the rest of us don’t have a clue?
The Drakes must have sensed my hesitation. The broad shouldered one exchanged looks with the redhead, who gave me a second deep bow. “If you’ll excuse my impertinence, Elder Maledictus, but our Family is trained in the treatment of magical humans due to His Eminence’s One being a wizard.”
Killian’s pet wizard, right. I should have just called him instead of panicking.
Tapping my speed, I stepped off the curb and made it to their car in moments where I struggled to ease Jade into the car without jostling her.
Behind me, the Drakes huddled up.
“I’ll drive,” Josh volunteered. “Gavino, you stay behind to direct these stragglers. Wouldn’t want any accidents to happen.”
The big vampire bowed his head to Josh, then turned to the rest of the vampires who were looking at the drops of blood Jade had left on the ground with horror.
I’d managed to shift into the car, Jade mostly situated in my lap with her legs stretched across the bench seat. I slammed the door shut and impatiently waited.
The redhead turned to walk back towards the car with Josh. “I’ll call ahead to the hospital.”
So slow. Why are they so slow?
“You can,” Josh blandly said. “But I don’t believe it will make much of a difference.”
“What do you mean?”
“Stop talking and drive,” I snarled.
I noticed when the blonde vampire from the task force joined the growing crowd of vampires. “Jade?” She shouted, clutching a radio. She looked like she was going to step off the curb until the broad shouldered Drake vampire directed her to back up.
Josh hopped in the driver’s seat and buckled his seat belt—they’d left the car idling, so when his red-haired companion threw himself into the passenger seat, Josh shifted to drive and slammed on the gas before he could close the door.
The SUV roared down the road, breaking every traffic law in the city as the red-haired vampire barely managed to shut his door and buckle himself in.
“Potions,” I snapped.
“Yes.” The red-haired vampire opened the SUV’s glove compartment and passed me back an aqua blue potion, followed by a rose red potion. “Pour the blue one over her arm wound—it can be absorbed through the skin but try to avoid just dumping it on her clothes.”
I held the vials in one hand—clutching them by their necks.
I bit the cork of the blue potion and yanked it out, then delicately peeled her tattered sleeve off her arm. “She packed her wound; do I need to take that out?”
“No—oof.” The red-haired vampire winced as Josh blew through a stop sign and took a left turn, the momentum slamming him against the door. “If the surgical gauze absorbs the potion, it’s fine, as it’s inside the wound. Look out!” He pointed to the vampires who were starting to swarm the road.
I barely registered the car’s sudden movements as I emptied the potion bottle over Jade’s wound.
“Perhaps you should release your command, Elder Maledictus?” Josh humbly suggested as he narrowly avoided hitting a vampire standing in the road.
I’d called out to every vampire nearby. They were following us on my continued command.
Instead of letting them go, I shifted the command as I tossed the empty potion bottle to the ground.
Clear the roads to the local hospital.
“Very good, Elder Maledictus,” Josh said—likely feeling the order all the way to his bones. “That will help a great deal.”
“Oh, backup.” The red-haired Drake pointed to a dark SUV that pulled onto the road in front of us and the black car that joined our caravan behind us, both cars driving with the same high speed as Josh.
“Hold on,” Josh advised before he took another sharp corner.
Jade and I didn’t move, but the red-haired vampire had to brace himself from getting tossed around.
“How far out are we?” I impatiently asked.
“Less than five minutes,” Josh said.