I noticed that the glow of our as as˜angelsas had dimmed once we entered the presence of artificial light. Judy, standing closest to the lantern, had stopped incandescing entirely. She looked like a normal woman: blond hair, blue eyes, freckled skin. Unangelic.
Matt!as the man shouted. as Hey, we need a doctor.
My gaze slid to the two young women. Their hands were knotted together. They were probably only a year or two older than I was. They looked like sisters, with the same long black hair and pale gold skin. But there was blood splashed on their faces. One of them held a hand over her eye. What I thought was snow on their clothes didnas't meltas"it was glass glittering.
If youas're looking for a doctor, youas've come to the wrong place.
A man entered the parlor, wiping his hands with a dishtowel. I guessed him to be in his middle forties. Gray was beginning to streak his brown hair on the left temple, and his hazel eyes were lined with humor. He was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. I liked him immediately.
He looked at us, and then at the girls. as What happened?
The man with the flare gun nodded at us. I saw that his name was Peteras"It was embroidered on his coveralls. as We saw the fireworks, went to look.
It could have been a vamp trick.
It wasnas't. These twoasas"he pointed at me and Alexas"as were trying to distract the vamps from taking the girls out of their car.
We werenas't trying to distract them, actually,as Alex said. as We were trying to kill them by hitting them with the fireworks. But we werenas't very effective.
Peter grinned. as Good idea. Need better aim.
Matt wasnas't listening to us. He went to the girls. He was talking softly to them, persuading the one with the wounded eye to take her hand away. I couldnas't see what he saw, but I thought it was bad because Peter looked away.
The girls nodded, but spoke back in another language that I didnas't understand. I wished I could know what they thought, but there was an invisible wall between us. I wondered if the English felt that way when we spoke Deitsch around them.
Anybody get bitten?as Matt asked.
No,as Judy said. as We asked before we brought them in.
I wondered what they would have done if one of us had been bitten . . . would they have done as we did foras"or toas"Ginger? I hoped so. But I still shuddered to think of it, and a pang of grief twitched in my stomach.
Letas's get them to the kitchen. I think we need some towels. And tweezers. See if someone can find Cora. Sheas'll be able to tell better than I can.
Peter unhooked a walkie-talkie from his belt, pressed down the button. as This is Waterfront House. Looking for Cora. Over.
The radio crackled back. as This is Summer House. Coraas's here. Over.
Send her to Waterfront, with supplies. Weas've got two girls we found on the road, cut up pretty bad. Over.
Weas'll wake her and send her right over. Over.
Roger Dodger. Copy. Waterfront out.
I gaped in amazement at the walkie-talkies. I had not heard an artificial human voice in months.
Peter clipped it back on his belt. as Each occupied house has one. Ias'm the maintenance guy, so it seemed like a good idea, as long as the batteries hold out.
Arenas't you a doctor?as Alex asked Matt.
Matt gave a short bark of laughter, shook his head. as Not a medical doctor. Ias'm a biologist. But Ias'm hell with a pair of tweezers. Coraas's coming, though. She used to be a nurse.
Judy ushered the girls to the back of the house. as Ias'll see if there are any wounds we missed.as She traded an inscrutable glance with Matt and disappeared.
Matt glanced down at Fenrir. I didnas't know if animals were allowed in the house. I should have asked.
Heas's beautiful,as Matt said. as Looks like mostly timber wolf. With a bit of shepherd mixed in.
Alex knelt beside him, scrubbed his ears. as Fenriras's harmless. Donas't worry.
Matt extended a hand to him, at nose level. Fenrir sniffed at him. He shied away when Matt tried to touch him, slipping back behind my skirt.
So . . . youas're not aliens. Not that I would believe that now,as Alex said. as What the hell are you, other than biologists, nurses, and maintenance men?
Matt spread his hands out. The sides facing the lamp looked normal. Human. The palms turned toward us, in shadow, glowed softly. as Weas're human. Donas't worry. Weas've just found a way to adapt to the vampires.
Steps clomped on the back step.
Thatas's Cora.as Peter let a woman in her sixties inside. She had tightly permed gray hair that was flat on one side, and was dressed in a pink sweatsuit. I was envious of the imprint of a pillow seam on her cheek. A raincoat was thrown over the sweatsuit, and she clutched a first-aid kit.
What did you find?as Her eyes were wide and bright.
Two girls . . . Theyas're speaking Vietnamese. I think. Judy has them in the back. Cut up with glass. One of them has a pretty bad-looking eye.
Ias'll take a look.as She bustled to the back.
You guys will have to excuse me,as Matt said. as I think I might be needed to hold a tray while Cora picks glass out of those wounds. But I will come up to talk with you later. I promise.as He nodded to Peter. as Set them up in one of the guest rooms.
Peter glanced at my bonnet. as Not to be too prying, but . . . would you like a separate room, miss?
I swallowed and shook my head. I edged closer to Alex. He put his arm around me. as Thank you. Ja, that is very thoughtful of you. But after all that has happened . . . where he goes, I go.
All right, then. Follow me.
Peter led us up the back staircase. He didnas't light a candle or bring a flashlight. Perhaps heas'd had much time getting used to glowing in the dark.
Alex started whistling. It was a song that I didnas't recognize.
Whatas's the song?as I asked.
as˜Stairway to Heaven.as'
I stifled a shiver.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I couldn't sleep in the House of Angels.
I had learned to sleep in the open, on the cold ground, in darkness, in daylight. But I couldn't sleep in this warm, soft bed with Alex beside me. Not after I'd been fed ham and cheese sandwiches with milk. Not with only a useless scrap of my precious Himmelsbrief remaining, knowing I was spiritually defenseless. And not with the knowledge that there were glowing beings in the house. I still wasn't certain that they were quite human.
And I couldn't sleep with the screams.
From the floor below, I could hear the dull murmur of voices, trying to be soothing. I guessed that the sobbing girl's injuries were more serious than we thought. I didn't know if they were pulling glass from her eye . . . or taking the eye itself.