Free Vampirates 3: Blood Captain by Justin Somper Page A

replace the bandages. Once more, he lifted Lorcan’s head to make things easier for her. She tied the knot and then stepped back from the bed.
    As she did so, Mosh Zu spoke once more. “I don’t want to upset you, Grace. But while the surface wound is fairly easily dealt with, I suspect there are complications here.”
    “Complications? What kind of complications?”
    “I’m going to perform a deeper examination,” Mosh Zu said. “You may find this distressing. It’s up to you whether you wish to stay or step outside to join the others.”
    “No,” Grace said, standing firm. “I’ll stay.” Whatever was going to happen, she wanted to be there for Lorcan.
    “Very well,” Mosh Zu said. “But I want you to prepare yourself.”
    Now he was frightening her. What was he about to do? All kinds of dark thoughts rushed through her fevered imagination.
    “I’m going to put my hand on his thorax,” Mosh Zu said, his calm voice helping to slow the rush of terrors in her head. “You know the thorax? It’s the part of the body between his neck and diaphragm. It is a very important part of the body for a vampire.” He turned to Grace. “Have you ever watched him share?”
    She shook her head. “No,” she said. Then she remembered. “Except, one time, I saw him and Shanti afterward. They were sleeping.”
    “But you’ve not actually watched him, or any of the others, in the act of taking blood?”
    She shook her head, cross with herself for feeling repelled at the thought.
    “Well, when they feed,” Mosh Zu continued, “they bite into their donor’s thorax.”
    Grace was surprised. “I always thought that they bit their vict — I mean their donor, in the neck.”
    “Of course!” Mosh Zu said, his eyes twinkling. “Everyone thinks that. Why, even some of the vampires themselves. They’ve read about it in books so, of course, it must be true! They like the whole drama of it. But much the best place to make the connection is through the donor’s thorax, just over their . . . well, I’m sure you can work it out for yourself.”
    “Yes,” Grace said excitedly. “Of course! It’s where the donor’s heart is.”
    “Exactly,” said Mosh Zu. “But now let us turn our attention from the donors to the vampires. The vampire’s own thorax is important, too.”
    Grace was puzzled. “But they — I mean you — you don’t have hearts, do you?”
    “Not in the same way that you do,” Mosh Zu said. “Immortality is a gift — perhaps the greatest gift of all. But it comes at a price. There isn’t a living pump in the vampire’s body, sending blood throughout the body. That dies when the body dies its first death. But all the same, something remains under the thorax. You could describe it as a well of deep emotion. I suppose you could even say that it’s the closest thing we vampires have to a soul.”
    Grace was wide-eyed. Mosh Zu shrugged. “These are emotive terms. It’s a matter of debate what we call it. But as you will see, this point of Lorcan’s body is a seat for the deepest of emotions.” He extended his hand toward Lorcan’s chest, then turned and paused. “Are you ready?”
    She nodded once more, her own heart suddenly racing.
    Mosh Zu placed his palm on the left side of Lorcan’s chest. Lorcan did not react immediately. Grace wondered if Mosh Zu was able to feel or hear something that was hidden from her.
    But then, suddenly, Lorcan opened his mouth and emitted a deep, loud scream. It was a terrible sound — one of the most terrible sounds she had ever heard. It seemed to come from the very depths of his being. She wanted to cover her ears and shut her eyes. But somehow, she refrained from doing so. Instead, she focused on Mosh Zu, who remained in position, maintaining his hold. As the scream eventually subsided, Mosh Zu nodded to himself.
    “It’s okay,” Mosh Zu told her. “Try not to be alarmed. There’s more. Yes, here we go again . . .”
    Lorcan screamed again, loud and