“You’re awake.” Amelia smiled.

“Yes,” Katie said hoarsely.

“How do you feel?”

“My neck hurts, and I’m so cold.” Katie pulled the covers right under her chin.

The woman she didn’t know said, “I’m Dr. Tyler McKenzie. May I take your pulse?”

“McKenzie? I know that name,” Katie said.

Tyler smiled. “You probably remember my father. He was the Debrek family physician. I’ve taken over from him.”

When Tyler lifted her hand she felt the drip in her arm for the first time. Then what happened last night hit her.

“Josie,” Katie said with panic.

Amelia stroked her hair. “It’s okay, stay calm. She’s gone.”

“But she caught me and was feeding on my neck…What happened after that?”

Amelia looked at Tyler, “Could you excuse us, Doctor.”

“Certainly. You’re doing fine, Katie. Just get lots of rest.”

Tyler gathered her bag and left the room. Amelia sat down on the chair at the side of Katie’s bed and took her hand.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

Katie squeezed her eyes shut and saw Josie looming over her in the kitchen. She opened her eyes and looked at Amelia.

“I was in the kitchen making tea—” Katie rubbed her throat with her other hand. It was raspy and sore.

“Take your time,” Amelia said.

“Josie came in and wanted my blood. I threw my cup of boiling hot tea on her and ran. I got to the landing and then up the stairs, and Josie was already there. Then I just remember her biting my neck and drifting out of consciousness. What happened after that?”

“Alexis found you,” Amelia said.

“Alexis?” Katie had been dreaming about her for a reason.

“Yes, she pulled Josie off you, broke her neck, and threw her off the stairs.”

“And I was okay?” Amelia hesitated, making Katie suspicious. “Please tell me? I want to know the truth.”

“Byron and I got to you after that and I saw…I saw your spirit lifting out of your body. That only happened to me once before, when my grandmother was dying, when I was a little girl, but my mum always told me I was dreaming. It must be one of my abilities, being part witch.”

Katie felt even colder than she had before. “I was dead?”

Amelia hesitated to tell Katie the truth. It would be upsetting but Amelia would have liked to know if it was her. The only thing she wouldn’t tell her was that Alexis tried to turn her in order to save her. That was not her truth to tell—it was up to Alexis, and she didn’t want to make things worse between them.

“Very near, but Bhal saved you before we lost you.”

“The same way she saved my ancestors?” Katie said.

Byron had told Amelia that Bhal had saved Katie’s ancestors after Byron lost control and attacked them.

“Yes, it seems to be one of Bhal’s superpowers to bring people back from the brink of death by drinking water from her hands.”