Far from being offended, Marguerite chuckled at the words and handed over the carafe. “Thank you, dear. I know I make lousy coffee and I could do with one myself.”
“You’ll both be wired for hours,” Julius warned.
“Bouncing off the walls,” Decker agreed, and then said, “Make a full pot, honey. I think I’ll have one too.”
“And me,” the twins said in stereo.
“Can I get you something else?” Nicole asked Julius when he just shook his head with amusement and settled at the table. “Tea, perhaps? Or soda?”
He considered the offer and then asked, “You do not happen to have mint tea, do you?”
“I do,” Nicole said and moved to turn on the teakettle. She collected cream from the refrigerator, pausing to consider the contents. Somewhere under her calm demeanor, she knew there was a part of her that was almost frantic with worry, but Nicole couldn’t seem to connect to it. Instead, she felt calm but kind of empty and at a loss. In that state, old training kicked in and she asked, “Is anyone hungry?”
Several minutes later the coffee was ready, tea had been made and the table was laden with everything from coffee cake to sandwich fixings. As everyone settled at the table and began to doctor their drinks or serve themselves food, Marguerite said, “Nicole . . . Nina assured me Jake didn’t bite you. Is that true?”
“Yes,” Nicole answered at once, startled by the question.
“Yes, he bit you?” Marguerite asked with concern.
“No, I mean yes, it’s true that he didn’t bite me,” she explained.
“Good, good,” Marguerite smiled and patted her hand before commenting, “Nina said you were wrestling with Jake when they arrived.”
Nicole nodded. “I know you said not to get near him, but I wasn’t sure he was breathing, and I just wanted to check—”
“Of course, I understand,” Marguerite interrupted, patting her hand again before she was distracted by Julius setting a slice of coffee cake before her.
“How is he?” Nicole asked as concern suddenly rushed upward inside of her on an unexpected wave. It was as if a curtain had been tugged aside, allowing her to connect with her emotions again. “He’s really sick, Marguerite. He really needs to go to the hospital.”
Marguerite immediately turned her attention back to her and the worry inside of Nicole quickly receded.
“Yes, he is sick,” Marguerite agreed, her tone, or perhaps her words having an immediate soothing effect on Nicole. “But it is not as bad as it may seem. He will recover. We simply have to sort out what the problem is . . . and a hospital can’t help with that.”
“Are you sure?” Nicole asked with a frown.
“Quite sure,” Marguerite said firmly. “We will help him. In fact, Nina and the boys have already made a good start. They moved him to his room after Nina brought you up here and have been giving him blood. Apparently, he’s still vomiting it up as fast as they can give it to him, though, so we need to figure out what’s causing it.”
“Of course,” Nicole agreed and then frowned as she recalled the fangs that had slid down from his upper jaw. Troubled, she leaned forward to whisper for only Marguerite to hear, “He had fangs.”
“I know, dear. It’s fine,” Marguerite assured her and Nicole immediately relaxed. It was fine.
“Tell me what happened,” Marguerite suggested quietly. “Nina said he complained of a headache?”
“Yes.”
“We don’t get headaches,” Dani said with certainty, a forkful of coffee cake coming to a halt halfway to her lips.
Nicole glanced to the doctor with confusion. Everyone got headaches, some more than others, but everyone could get them.
“Actually, Dani, yes we can,” Marguerite countered quietly and the doctor looked almost shocked at the admission, and then understanding crossed her face.
“When we’re dehydrated and need blo—”
“Yes, then,” Marguerite agreed, cutting Dani off with a glance toward Nicole. “But there are more reasons for headaches than just physical ailments or such.”
“It is rare, but can happen,” Julius agreed. “Emotional stress, frustration, annoying sounds, certain strong smells . . . all of this can cause them.”
Marguerite smiled at her husband and then paused to take a bite of cake. It was Dani who then asked Nicole, “So, it started with a headache?”
Nicole nodded.
“And then he got in the hot tub and started vomiting blood?” she asked. When Nicole nodded again, she considered this news with a frown and then heaved a sigh and said unhappily, “Marguerite, I know you’re counting on me to help Jake, but I’m not sure I can. This isn’t like treating a mortal and—” Pausing, she shifted and then said with frustration, “And I thought immortals couldn’t get sick. Have you ever seen anything like this?”
Marguerite frowned and shook her head. “No. I’ve never heard of an immortal vomiting up blood.”
“I have,” Julius said quietly, and when everyone turned to him curiously, he explained, “During the Renaissance one of my sisters received a dress as a gift from a mortal whom she thought was a friend. It was coated inside with a type of poison that can be absorbed through the skin. Had she been mortal, my sister would have died. Instead, she began vomiting up blood.”
“That makes sense,” Dani said slowly. “The nanos must try to surround or somehow bond with the poison and then purge it from the system. Blood is their vehicle, so the more poison absorbed, the more blood is purged.”
“And nanos with it,” Decker said.
Nicole found the whole conversation confusing. Nanos? A poison dress? The Renaissance? That word stuck in her foggy mind and she turned to Marguerite and asked in a whisper, “Did Julius say during the Renaissance?”
Marguerite smiled reassuringly and patted her hand. “Yes, dear. I’ll explain in a bit, I promise. But for now, everything is fine.”
“Right. Everything is fine,” Nicole murmured, relaxing.
“Did your sister suffer a headache first too?” Dani asked.
“No.” Julius shook his head. “But I believe I’m developing one.”
“So am I,” Tomasso announced.
“And me,” Dante acknowledged.
“Me too,” Dani said, and glanced to her husband, who nodded solemnly.
“Just the beginnings of one,” Marguerite said when the group then turned her way in question.
Realizing their attention had turned to her, Nicole shook her head quickly. She was finding a lot of this confusing, but every time she started to feel panic growing in her at something that was said, Marguerite would murmur, “Everything’s fine,” and her panic would recede. That being the case, the best thing to do seemed to be to simply sit and wait for the explanations Marguerite promised her. She was sure everything would be fine until then.
“And there’s a buzzing in my ear,” Julius said suddenly. “Very faint, but there, like an annoying insect, constantly buzz buzz buzzing.”
Nicole peered at the man curiously. He sounded extremely annoyed about the buzzing.
“I don’t hear anything,” the twins said together.
“I do . . . now that you mention it,” Decker announced, head tilted and frowning. “I didn’t notice it until now, but it is rather annoying, isn’t it?”
Marguerite stood and moved around the kitchen slowly, her head tilted as if listening for something. “Yes. I hear it now. It—”
Nicole watched curiously when the woman paused suddenly and moved toward the wall socket beside the water cooler. Her eyebrows rose though when Marguerite bent and unplugged the little white unit Nicole had plugged in there earlier that night.
“It’s gone,” Julius announced.