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Chris and the pilot ca boxes of equipment and supplies Emma sprayed them, and only when they had both passed inspection did she put her palate

"Where do you want these?" Rob asked

"Put the out to e roole recliner The curtains had been drawn on all of the s so that it was die of a stone fireplace After greetingChris set up the equipo she’d been living a nor hunted by a e anted her dead And it looked like her only option was to put her life in the hands of people she’d only just met and atteuarantee of success

In the last few days she’d been shot, had surgery, had run for her life twice, and been part of a gun battle All that would have been hard on me, and I was used to violence How difficult must it have been for her? I walked over to her "Hey, Michelle, how you holding up?"

"Truthfully? Not so hot Kevin’s acting strange He keeps pacing and looking out the s He hardly talks to anyone Emma’s worried, but she won’t say why, and it doesn’t feel like she’s worried about me" She took a breath "And I’m scared What if the transfusion doesn’t work? I "

"It’s the day of the full one outside theto keep a little distance between himself and so oing to let you die I’ll do everything in my pohatever it takes, to see to it that you make it to tomorrow Do you believe me?"

Her ansas a barely audible whisper "Yes"

"I can’t promise that this ork I think it will; I think it’s our best bet But if it doesn’t, we’ll do so else would be, but I kneouldn’t give up I did not want her to die, not just because her death would help Connor Finn, but for her own sake She seeood kid She deserved the chance to have a full, happy life

Chris said, "We’re ready, and we should probably get started right away The rapid infusion device was destroyed in the fire yesterday and I couldn’t get a replace done well before sunset"

I turned to Michelle, who had gone pale She began to shake her head no, over and over

"Michelle, you need to do this"

She didn’t answer, just kept shaking her head Chris, E at me like: fix this But I didn’t knohat else to say, how to convince her to go through with it I wondered if Chris had brought sedatives; I wondered how he’d feel about transfusing an unconscious person against her will

Just then the temperature in the room started to drop A cold breeze ruffled my hair and my breath misted the air

"Mama?" Michelle’s voice held awe and wonder "It’s you, isn’t it?"

The sound of scratching on the frame of the picture above the fireplace le word Yes

"I , her words almost childlike in their desperation and simplicity

You have to do this You MUST The words appeared slowly, but they were un hard, she turned to me "Will you hold my hand?"

It was a bad idea I’m part vampire, and there was about to be a lot of blood in the immediate area I should be as far away from the whole process as possible But she was so scared and desperate that I foundmute assent I heard Chris tell Rob to turn up the blood warmer

Michelle was still strapped to the machine when the attack ca me to my knees Michelle shrieked as her hair burst into fla al that were draining her blood, flinging the apparatus away fro to stinking black liquid before our eyes He cla pressure to the wound even as Michelle’s skin began to blister and blacken beneath his hands

"Do so or she’s going to die!"

He was right