The word had gone out quickly and Diana had spent the last couple of hours sharing a moment or two with everyone she wanted to, from the shifter couple and firefighter she had helped less than a month ago, to all her and Ryder’s vampire friends. Diego and his wife, Ramona, Rafe, Blake and Meghan, to name just a few.
And now Foley. She smiled at him and said, “If everyone is here, who’s minding the bar?”
The barest hint of a smile cracked Foley’s lips. “I hired a new manager a couple of weeks ago. Figured it was time I stop being all-work and no-play, and got a life.” He grasped her hand. “Which is all your doing. You saved my life when you didn’t have to.”
She put her hand over his. “You’re a friend, Daniel. I had to help if I could.”
He nodded, but didn’t look up. “You know I kind of love you, right? Ryder will probably kick my ass, but it had to be said.”
Diana had kind of known already, but Foley had always been so distant. Such an outsider. And she’d never had eyes for anyone besides Ryder. But she had a soft spot for Daniel, maybe because she sensed the same well of darkness and loneliness in him that she possessed.
“I’m glad you’re a friend, Daniel. I know you’ve always had my back—”
“And I’ll have it after as well, Diana. Whatever happens, I’ll watch out for you.”
“I’d appreciate you watching out for Ryder, too. This is going to be rough on him.”
He smiled, nodded, and gazed out the door to where Ryder stood anxiously, Diego next to him. “For you, I’d do anything, even watch that hard-ass.” But there was real affection and caring in his voice. If worse came to worst, she knew they’d take care of each other.
After Foley walked out, Ryder slipped back in and took a spot next to her on the bed. “How are you holding up?”
“Tired, emotionally and physically. I wasn’t ready for all that,” she said and indicated the crowd of people still lingering in the hallway and loft just outside the bedroom.
He nodded. “You’ve touched a lot of lives, darlin’. They all want to show you how much you mean to them.”
She was more touched than she could say, but that didn’t ease the fatigue pulling her toward sleep again. But the fear of not waking up again kept her from giving into the exhaustion. That, and the need to speak to Maggie and Melissa to make sure they were ready for the baby, and to speak to Jesus in the hopes that he could convince Michaela not to stake Ryder.
But holding on was getting harder and harder. The chill in her core had spread throughout her body.
“Diana?” Ryder gently shook her shoulder at her prolonged silence. She barely felt it. Her fingers and toes were numb, and the deadness was now moving inward. Soon, it would envelop every part of her.
“Just resting,” she said softly to ease his fears. Reaching deep, she drew on what little energy she had left to ask, “Maggie and Melissa—?”
“Will be here soon. David, too.”
She smiled at the mention of her partner, glad that the rift between them had been mended. One less conflict in her life.
“Jesus?” she asked, her voice sounding far away, even to her own ears.
At a noise, she and Ryder looked toward the door. Speak of the devil. Jesus and Michaela were making their way past the others, along with another man. Diana blinked in surprise.
“Is that the dead Slayer?” she asked, wondering if maybe her eyesight was already failing her. Or maybe he was coming to guide her to the other side. She shivered.
“It sure looks like him. But he’s not very dead, is he?” Ryder rose as Jesus and Michaela entered the bedroom, but the badly scarred Slayer elder remained outside as the vampires in the crowd shifted uneasily away from him. She was curious about how he’d survived, but too exhausted to ask about it at the moment.
Jesus came and sat beside her. “How are you doing, girl?”
“Shitty,” she wheezed. They had been friends and colleagues for too long for her to bullshit him.
“Tell me what you need, Di. Whatever it is—”
“Michaela,” she said, fighting for breath as she shot a worried glance at the young Slayer, who hesitantly took a spot at Jesus’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry about me...for now,” Michaela said, glancing from Ryder to her.
Diana didn’t like the sounds of the “for now,” but as she met Jesus’s eyes, he said, “I’ll handle it. You just focus on getting better.”
“You mean...dying,” she said, wanting him to understand there was no coming back at this point.
His features hardened, and the look that passed between him and Ryder was anything but friendly. Still, she trusted Jesus to honor his promise, including corralling Michaela if need be. “You do whatever you need to do for you and the baby,” he said. “I’ll keep everything else under control.”
She heard his meaning loud and clear, and was grateful.
With a quick, powerful hug, he got up to go. Michaela lingered for a brief moment. “Have an easy passing,” she said, before she and Jesus joined hands and left the room.
When Ryder returned to her side, she said, “Ask everyone...go for now. Need...time alone,” she managed.
“You read my mind, darlin’. I’ll see to it,” he said.
He headed out to usher the crowd downstairs to the living room and kitchen, just as Maggie and Melissa came in with David, carrying an incubator setup for the baby. They set it down and made a beeline for her.
“Just wanted to let you know, whatever you need, Reyes, I’m here for you,” David said, and bent to kiss her cheek.
“I know,” Diana said and smiled up at him, so happy they were once again friends. “Thanks.”
He went to leave and paused by the door, where Ryder stood watching Melissa and Maggie set up the incubator.
“There’s an oxygen tank in the living room that Maggie needs up here,” David said, and pointed to the stairs. “Can you give me a hand?”
Ryder left with David, and Melissa quickly closed the door before she and Maggie came to her side. From the looks on their faces, they didn’t have good news.
“We’ve analyzed Michaela’s blood,” Maggie began.
“It’s unique, for sure,” Melissa added.
Marshaling every ounce of strength she had left, Diana asked, “What aren’t you saying?” She waited for both shoes to fall.
Her best friends shared a look, then Maggie explained, “As expected, her blood contains vampire cells and human red blood cells. But also the cells causing your contamination. They are free-floating, and obviously not causing any issues in Michaela.”
“So...vamp cells control...the contamination?” she asked in barely a whisper, feeling weaker with every second that passed.
Melissa nodded. “We think the vampire cells binding with the human cells must be what keep things balanced.”
One word stood out to her like a neon sign: bind.
It made sense. Since Ryder had been giving her his keeper’s kiss, the binding connection between them had been growing ever stronger, and that binding was no doubt what had held off the contamination for as long as it had.
His ultimate kiss would bind them forever, as the change from human to vampire took place.
But the turning was about more than just her. “How long before...vamp cells...help the baby?”
Maggie hesitated for a moment, her expression troubled. “There is no direct blood transfer from you to the baby. The cells will have to move through the placenta to bind with her human cells. If that’s possible...”
“Big if,” she whispered. “How long...take?”
“We don’t know,” Melissa answered without hesitation. “If we can delay the baby’s birth by a few days after you’re turned, it may be enough time for the cells to move across the placental barrier and start to control her contamination.”
Days. She didn’t have days, only minutes.
Diana rubbed her hand over her belly. The acute pain and cramping that had been troubling her had settled into a constant, chronic ache. The baby had stopped being as active, but she was still alive. Diana was bound to her daughter just as she was connected to Ryder, and could sense her life force. Maybe that connection would tell her when the baby could survive on its own.
“Understand...thank you...done so much.”
Maggie laid a hand on her lips. “You and the baby will both be fine. We’ll make sure of it. Right, Melissa?”
Her sister-in-law nodded firmly. “Absolutely.”
“Good.” Because she would need them both sooner than they thought. “Please tell Ryder...it’s time.”