“I have such a friend. He is like this one. He had a place not too far from here that he often stayed in when we’d spent too much time in the swamp. He didn’t like the sun either. I’ll take you there. Gregori and Savannah know him. I don’t think Julian would mind.”
The boat began to pick up speed now that they were out of the root-choked channel and into the clear water. “Thank you,” Gary said gratefully.
Beau LaRue knew the bayou like his own backyard. He took the boat to the top safe speed and found every shortcut he could think of. When they approached land, it was a small island with a single hunting cabin on it. The cypress trees were thick, nearly impenetrable. “The ground is very firm here in the center of the island. It doesn’t look so, but there is a trail of stepping stones leading through the mire. We can take them to Julian’s secret place. He owns this piece of land, and it’s always undisturbed. He isn’t a man one wants to trifle with.”
They took Gregori first because Beau had to lead the way. He picked his way carefully, every step placed on a round stone in the muck. It was difficult going with Gregori so big, his body a dead weight. Beau could not discern the rise and fall of the man’s chest, but he refrained from saying so. It seemed insane to him to take someone so mortally wounded to a dark, damp cavern, but he had seen Julian go to this place on more than one occasion when the sun was rising to its peak.
The cave they approached was man-made and very small. There was almost no room to stand. They laid Gregori’s body full length on the dirt floor in the darkness and retreated quickly, Gary anxious to get Savannah out of the light. He lifted Savannah into his arms and faced the captain. “Thanks for your help. I’ll attend to these two. Leave my bags right here on the stones. I’ll see to Savannah and come back for them.”
“You want me to stay?” Beau asked, torn between curiosity and his ingrained belief in privacy.
Gary shook his head, already moving across the stones.
Beau cast off, started the engine. “I’ll check to see if you need me later tonight.”
“Thanks,” Gary called over his shoulder, hurrying to get Savannah’s body out of the sun.
He sank down beside the two still bodies, breathing hard, worried that they might truly be dead. He was even afraid to bathe Gregori’s fearsome wounds, not certain what harm it might do. He passed the time playing solitaire, drinking from his canteen, and going back and forth between being certain they were dead and sure they would rise with the setting of the sun.
Out across the bayou the sky finally became a smoky gray. Gary crawled to the entrance to the cave and stared out at the gathering night. It couldn’t happen too fast to suit him. When he turned his head, he saw the rise and fall of Gregori’s chest beneath the blanket.
Gregori felt hunger first, then pain. He blocked them both and assessed the damage done to his body. He had lost a good amount of blood, but Savannah had replenished him. It took a short time to focus, to go inside himself and heal the gaping wounds. Even with what Savannah had given him, he was in desperate need of blood. Only after he had closed the lacerations so that there was no further blood loss, he stirred, then sat up. He could hear a heart beating close by, the ebb and flow of life rushing hotly, calling to him so that his fangs began to lengthen in his need.
His mind automatically reached for Savannah. She had saved him. He was getting used to her pulling him back from tight spots. There was no lack of courage in Savannah. He found her life-light huddled in a small corner of his mind. She had brought herself to the brink of death in order to give him life. Swearing, he pushed the blanket from his body and shoved hers aside. He gathered her close and examined every inch of her.