Free All Wounds by Dina James

to her. He nodded at the kitchen door. “Come. Unless of course you still don’t think you can do this.”
    Rebecca hesitated a moment, then reached for his hand. She pushed her chair back as he helped her to her feet, then released her hand with a smile.
    She took a deep breath, then followed him out of the kitchen.
    “There’s something you must remember...one of many things, actually, but this is something you should know right away,” he said as they climbed the stairs. “As a Healer, you need to embody quiet and calm. Move as quietly as you can, speak softly and gently. Most of those you’re going to heal have senses beyond yours, and it’s more than just polite to try and respect that.
    Sometimes something as usual to you as a normal speaking voice can do serious harm, and your enclave is a place of comfort.” Wait. My enclave? Hers?
    “Think of it as a cross between a library and a critical care unit in a hospital,” Syd went on. “No loud noises, sudden movements or excess stimulation. Calm and comfort. Remember that.”
    Rebecca nodded but kept silent as she followed Syd. Wow. He had a nice...back. She expected vampires to be dressed like Dracula in the movies—
    a tuxedo under a cape or something. Syd was wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt with some saying printed on it and a windbreaker, just like any guy at school. Really nice jeans that fit just—
    She remembered he could hear her thoughts and tried to concentrate on what he was saying and not on what was in front of her as they climbed the stairs.
    “A fledgling vampire can be difficult to manage. Turning is never easy, and usually done in the privacy of the clan’s lair, but Ryan is injured, which doesn’t help. Turning someone—more times than not, truth be told—doesn’t always go well for the human. He’s going to need you to feed him at least twice if not three times a day for the next week or so until his change is complete and he can hunt for himself. Possibly longer.” Rebecca stopped just before she reached the top step and looked toward the closed linen closet door.
    There was a vampire in there just waiting to suck her blood. Unreal .
    What was even more unreal was that she felt more like herself than she had in a long time. She had a purpose and knew what to do for the first time...ever.
    This felt right, no matter how strange it sounded.
    Strange. Stranger .
    She remembered what it was like when Ryan took her blood. The things she saw. The images and the feelings and the—
    “Wait.”
    Syd stopped and turned to regard her.
    “You—you and Ryan. It was on purpose, wasn’t it? You planned for him to get hurt. To get bitten by a hellhound.” The words tumbled out in a rush, and she didn’t think she could stop talking even if she’d wanted to. Images and feelings flooded her mind and they flowed out of her mouth. She stumbled and leaned against the wall, clutching at the staircase railing for support.
    “You and Ryan both decided. He would be the bait. You knew the demons were massing, where to find them. You took Ryan and lured the hellhound away and then—oh! Oh, no! No—run! OW! Oh, god, that hurts!
    Oh please—oh no—!”
    “Stop!” she heard Syd’s voice order. She felt herself being shaken, hard. Strong hands gripped her upper arms, hurting her. “Pull it back, now!
    Don’t let it overwhelm you!”
    Her eyes went to his face and she shivered. It was so cold in there. So frightening and—
    “Remember what I said about strength,” Syd said. “You’re apparently a Seer as well, and after Martha mentioned it last night, we talked a little about it. Such an ability has its advantages...and disadvantages. One of the drawbacks is that you’re going to see more than you want to. More than you need to. But you can control it. You must, or you’ll go mad. Hush now.”
    “You did this,” Rebecca accused in a weak voice. She shook her head at him. “He was bitten, badly. Worse than...than what you wanted. You