“Stay calm, David,” Cain assuaged him. “Wesley is a friend. He means you no harm. He’s here to help.” However, Cain had his doubts that the witch was capable of what he claimed.

Wesley walked to the table. “I put together a potion. It should work on a vampire.”

“Should?” Maya asked skeptically.

“It will,” Wes corrected. “It’ll put him into a bit of a trance and make him less aware of what you’re doing.”

Maya exhaled. “And if it doesn’t work?”

Wes shrugged. “If it doesn’t, then it just doesn’t have any effect. It can’t hurt him. Promise.”

“It better not tint him red,” Gabriel interjected.

“What?” David asked, confused.

Wesley stared at the patient. “Don’t listen to him. Some people here will just never let me forget my mistakes, no matter how much I’ve improved my witchcraft.”

“Improved?” David tossed a quizzical look at Cain. “He’s an apprentice?”

Cain shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Pointing out to David that Wesley wasn’t exactly an expert in his field wouldn’t help in this situation. Maybe for once it was better to cut the kid some slack. “Wesley is an accomplished witch.”

Suddenly a smile formed on the older man’s face. “You’re a terrible liar, Your Majesty.” Then he glanced at Wesley. “Well, do your thing then and let’s hope it won’t kill me.”

Triumphantly, Wesley removed a vial from his shirt pocket. “You’ll all need to step back for a moment, so you don’t inhale it, too.”

Cain took a few steps back, as did Maya and Gabriel. Then Wesley opened the vial and held it under David’s nose. A green colored mist rose from it.

“Just inhale deeply,” Wes instructed in a soothing voice.

The vampire did as told and pulled in a deep breath. His eyes closed and suddenly his head rolled to the side. He was unconscious.

“Oops.” Wes looked up, a sheepish look on his face.

Cain charged at him. “What the fuck did you do now?”

“I suppose the potion was a little stronger than I thought. Don’t worry, he’s just out for a little while.” He motioned to Maya. “Better start right away. I have no idea how long it’s gonna last.”

“That’s just great,” Gabriel grumbled. Then he pointed to the door. “Better get out of here. He might not be too happy to see you when he comes to.”

“If he comes to,” Cain added.

“You’re such pessimists,” Wes complained and turned on his heel. “Call me when it’s all done and I’ll take care of the girl, too.”

When the door closed behind him, Maya took up the pliers once more. “Well, let’s do it then.”

Cain took both sides of David’s head again and turned it to face upward.

“Spread his jaw open,” Maya instructed.

He gripped the vampire’s jaw and pried it open, then reached for the metal rectangle which was the size of a candy bar and wedged it between David’s teeth on the left side of his mouth, making sure his mouth remained open and Maya could freely access the right side.

Cain watched as she set the pliers at the spot where the small metal ball that the Mississippi vampires had implanted was visible. She tried to grip it with her instrument, but it slipped without finding purchase.

Maya looked up. “I can’t get a grip. I’ll have to cut it out instead.”

She set aside the pliers and reached for a scalpel instead. The moment she made the first incision into the gum, the air filled with the scent of the vampire’s blood. Cain turned his head away, but he couldn’t prevent his fangs from lengthening as a reaction to the smell.

“That’s better,” he heard Maya mumble. “Just a little bit more.” She grunted and Cain felt David’s head in his hands move.

“Shit, he’s coming to,” Cain warned her. “Quick!”

“Gabriel, the pliers.”

Instantly, Gabriel jumped and handed her the pliers while taking the scalpel from her hand.

A moan came from the patient now.

Cain noticed David’s eyeballs move underneath his lids. “It’s wearing off too quickly.”

“Got it!” Maya called out and pulled.

Blood splattered as Maya ripped the ball from the vampire’s mouth and tossed it in a bowl.

“Now the other side.”

Gabriel already switched the scalpel for the pliers in her hand, while Cain hastily moved the metal block in the vampire’s mouth to the other side.