"i still can't believe you're going to be in santa maria de luna for the whole year." i was really happy for him. he was never more him than when he was studying and learning new things. "god, that's incredible. and you got accepted into the doctoral program already?"

he nodded. "i know it's quick. but warren sponsored me and the board of trustees agreed, provided dr. sloan would be my advisor. i wasn't positive he'd do it because he's so close to retirement." he grinned and it looked good on him. "but he said yes."

the grin was infectious and i found myself smiling right back at him. "so i guess i'll be seeing you around town."

"yes, yes, you will. just so you know, i turned down duke to come back to our alma mater. in fact, several colleges started calling me once they learned about the murphy tract and that i had exclusive permission. but i wanted to be here. not new jersey, not arkansas or maryland. here."

his expression didn't change, but his eyes did. they deepened somehow and the flames i remembered so well flickered and flared. they moved from mage to male and made parts of my body tighten with memories of his touch.

"um. that's-"

"deluca?!" dr. sloan's voice echoed down the hallway. "aren't you coming? you didn't follow me."

bruno chuckled when i did and sharing the laughter felt good. he stood, then reached out to help me to my feet, but i got up awkwardly and my right leg gave out. bruno grabbed my arm and kept me standing.

"you okay?"

i shook my head. "my leg's been bothering me since the bomb in the school."

crap. i shouldn't have said that. i could tell from his reaction that he didn't know what i was talking about. how could he? i doubt it had made the papers back east. his eyes went wide, then narrowed suspiciously. "bomb? school? what the hell, celia." he looked at my leg and sucked in a sharp breath. "what attacked you? that looks bad. have you had a healer look at it?"

i looked down but only saw the denim of my jeans. "only a dozen or so. i've been to doctors, specialists, and witch doctors. none of them can figure it out. what are you seeing that they haven't? the latest one thinks there's a spell on me, but i don't know if they're connected."

he knelt down next to my leg, moving one of the chairs out of the way in order to put both hands on my calf. dr. sloan walked in the door just then, followed by rizzoli. his brows rose so high it looked like his bushy eyebrows were a toupee and i felt i had to explain. "it's not what it looks like."

bruno didn't even look up. "this is bad, celie. i mean like killing you bad. what is this?"

"that's a very good question, mr. deluca," rizzoli interjected. "what do you think it is? none of our bureau people have a clue."

"joh ... creede is working to unravel whatever's attacking my aura around my head. is the problem with the leg the same thing?"

bruno shook his head. "i don't know anything about auras. not my specialty. but this is attacking your flesh. medical magic is what i'm good at. it could well be the same. i'd have to compare notes with ... john."

"hey, a witch with the bureau, gail jones, said top mages like you can identify the caster. any idea who to talk to about this mess?"

he looked at me, his eyes both surprised and suspicious. "this is a spell? wow. i pegged it as some sort of magical virus. it doesn't feel like a spell at all."

"magical virus?"

dr. sloan nodded. "oh, yes. the centers for disease control doesn't talk about it much, especially not in public, but there is a magical branch of the organization for viruses that mutate and bacteria that can be magically transmitted, changing from a magical event to something that can affect more than the original target."

"wow. that's seriously scary. but one's physiology and the other is ... well, magic."

bruno let out an odd chuckle. "magic is part of my physiology, celie. if i caught something that backfired from a spell, it's possible i could pass it on to family members. even human ones. after that ... well, it could take off. like this has." he motioned to my leg. "i think we need to call in the centers for magical disease control to take a look at you. in fact, i'd like to look at your skin myself."

i couldn't help but smirk. "i'll just bet you would."

he didn't smile in return and that made my stomach hurt. "i've got an ugly suspicion. but first i need to put you in a quarantine circle." he looked at dr. sloan. "could we use the lab for this? we might need the restraints."

suddenly i was less than excited about this idea. "what exactly do you think i'm going to do, bruno?"

he paused and his face was set in stone to keep from showing me what he was really feeling. when he finally spoke it chilled my blood.

"scream, celia, if i'm right, i think you're going to scream."

12

i refused to scream. but i was turning the air blue with cursing and yelling. "bruno! stop it! i swear to god i'm going to rip your head off if you don't let me up!" my knuckles were white from straining against the titanium restraints. the metal was bending but not enough for me to get loose. everything looked red. it was too close to sunset for this crap. i don't like being tied down and bruno knew it. at that moment, i couldn't remember why i'd agreed to this at all, except that he had me really worried about my leg.

his voice was calm from across the room. from my position on the table i could just see him on his knees, drawing runes on the floor where a thousand other symbols had been drawn by countless undergrads. this room had been built for that very purpose, to allow students to examine dangerous creatures without much worry of reprisal. rizzoli was watching from the corner of the room, but dr. sloan was nowhere to be seen. that surprised me a little. he's usually first on the scene to examine stuff. "celie, if i let you up, you will rip my head off. the bat in you is talking right now. your eyes are bright red and you're glowing so much that i don't need the overhead light. those bindings are the only thing between me and my head. so, dream on. you're staying right where you are until i'm done with this casting."

being held down was really starting to mess with my head. it was too close to the past, not just right after i'd been turned into an abomination, but further back, to when i was twelve. i tried to keep the panic out of my voice without much success. "bruno, you really need to let me up. i'm starting to flash back."

he stood up and looked at me, his eyes filled with sympathy. "i know and i wish i could make it better. but it's too close to sunset. this can't wait until morning. you could be dead by then. would it help if we knocked you out with drugs?"

he looked like glowing bands of shiny color to my vampire sight. he smelled heavy with sweet, rich blood and my stomach growled audibly. he jerked back a few inches and i strained to follow. his words had sunk in but just barely. panic was rising in a black wave that lapped at my sanity. "yes. you need to do that. because if you don't, i'll call you. i can feel it inside me. i'll call you to me like your brother was called by lilith and everything will change. give me the drugs, bruno. please. i don't want this thing inside me to get out, but the restraints are too much for me."

his heartbeat sped up and he began to smell of fear. i felt a needle pierce my arm and i felt my body react without my will. the blood flow to that arm slowed to nearly a stop. "it's not working. my body's stopping the drug from getting to my brain. you have to do something more drastic."

bruno's colors turned more blue. he was sad and worried, which wasn't as exciting as fear. "i don't want to hurt you, celie. isn't there another way?"

anger flared for no reason and i knew the vamp inside was taking control. the only thing i could think to do was let it take over. maybe bruno would see there was no other choice. he's so sweet and i knew he wouldn't want to hurt me, but i also knew he would react in self-defense if he had no choice. i snarled and bared my teeth, then raised my head abruptly to grab those colors. he reared back, fast and hard, and i couldn't follow because of the metal band around my chest. but the band did bend a little. "whoa! okay, i guess not. just promise you won't hate me in the morning."

his glow increased until it was blinding. i shut my eyes to escape from the bright sunshine, but the light crashed through my eyelids and all i knew was pain. i screamed, long and loud. it kept getting brighter and more painful while i screamed as fast as i could draw breath.

then came a burst that was like the rising sun. it hit me in an agonizing flash and everything went black.

it was dark and filthy. i had finally stopped flinching when bugs crawled on me. i had too many bites to count, but i couldn't scratch them because of the ropes that bound me spread-eagled on top of a wooden table. "you don't want us to hurt your sister again now, do you, ivy?"

she was sobbing. i wanted to say something to her, but i couldn't. they'd used duct tape over my mouth.

"all you have to do is call the ghosts, get them to tell us where the money is hidden."

a second male broke in. and while the first man had at least tried to sound gentle, this one didn't bother. "c'mon, kid. call up the ghost or i'll use the cigarette again."

"i can't! she won't talk to me." another burst of tears from ivy made me crazy. "she's a mean lady."

"do it!" pain! oh god, the pain. my back arched off of the table, my shrieks stifled, but still audible through the tape. burning, searing pain on the skin of my upper thigh. the scent of burning meat, my flesh. tears streamed down my face as i struggled against the ropes, but all that did was make me bleed worse.