Page 114 of The Donor’s Dilemma

“Still no sign of him?” Cora asked.

Verity shook her head.

The landline telephone rang, the shrill cry having Cora dash across the room to answer.

Verity didn’t need telling that she was far from forgiven, but the simple fact that Cora was allowing her to be there, that she summoned her back to wait for Theo, gave her hope that their relationship wasn’t broken beyond repair.

“Yes, it…” Cora started. “Yes, I… oh… yes, she’s here actually.” Wide eyes met Verity’s and she held the phone out. “It’s Mr Wysall.”

Verity flew across the room, grabbing the phone from Cora.

“Elliot? What’s wrong? Where’s Theo?”

“He’s in the hospital.”

A strangled sob slipped between her fingers as Verity covered her mouth. “Is he…”

“He was attacked on Blunts Way. Silver poisoning. He needs blood. Smythe called, apparently you aren’t his donor anymore. He doesn’t have one,” he explained.

“I don’t know what’s happening, Elliot,” she sobbed. “I need to get to him.”

“Marcy!” Elliot yelled, before Verity heard a muffled conversation. “Verity, honey, Marcy’s on her way. Just stay where you are.”

Verity barely managed a goodbye before the line went dead. Silent tears dotted her chest.

Blunts Way. He was nearly there. She was stood waiting like a fool and Theo was being attacked mere minutes away.

“Verity?” Cora asked.

Everything was so bright, so vast and empty and still. Like time might stop if she didn’t move, if she didn’t tell Cora. If she didn’t voice the words, then maybe it wasn’t really happening.

Cora took a step closer, reaching over to squeeze Verity’s arm, pulling her back to the room.

“Someone attacked Theo,” she croaked, and Cora gasped. “Elliot’s partner is on her way to take me to the hospital.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Verity shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. What could they possibly do?

Cora kept a hold of her until Marcy arrived, screeching down the street in a sports car before skidding to a stop in the middle of the junction. Luckily the roads were dead. Perhaps humans were already abiding the curfew.

“She’s human too,” Cora said when Marcy jumped out of the car, waving to Verity in the harsh morning light.

“Yeah,” Verity murmured, grabbing her bag. “It’s more common than you’d think.”

She was grateful when Cora didn’t ask any questions, only held the door open for her. The line of her brow and the purse of her lips told Verity that she was still far from forgiven for her secrets, but there were bigger problems at hand. “I hope he’s okay.”

“Me too,” Verity said, jogging up to the car and jumping in the passenger seat.

“Seatbelt,” Marcy demanded before racing down the street.

Elliot was on loudspeaker, giving Marcy directions, and telling Verity how to get to Theo’s room. Under different circumstances Verity might have commented on Elliot’s bossiness, questioning if he really did wear the trousers after all as Marcy followed his every instruction.

Before long they were outside the hospital, and Verity didn’t bother saying goodbye as she jumped out and ran into the building.

The double doors at the entrance worked as a light-lock, trapping Verity as she waited for the outside doors to lock shut before allowing her inside. The seconds it took felt like a lifetime. The moment they were wide enough for her to squeeze through she was gone, sprinting past the reception and down the stairs at the end of the hall. Elliot’s instructions were perfect and in less than a minute she found herself stumbling to a stop in an empty corridor.

“Theodor Chapel” was written on a small white board on the door.