“Do you greet all your former patients like this or am I just special?” Percy asked with a wry twist of his lips.  

It shouldn’t have bothered him to find Leo staring at him with such disgust. Like he was a swarm of maggots writhing in a pile of rot.  Perhaps it merely bruised his ego to be regarded as less than in the witch doctor’s eyes, or maybe, he’d thought that saving his life had changed his biases against vampirekind. Or at least, changed his thoughts about one particular vampire.

Guess not.

When Leo remained gawking before him, Percy added, “Just wanted a checkup.  To make sure everything’s healing properly and to see when I could shift again.  If that’s not too inconvenient for you.”

“Not at all.” Leo pursed his lips like he’d sucked on a sour lemon.  

It was unreasonable to get upset over Leo not being thrilled about him returning to his clinic.  He could’ve easily pulled out his badge and demanded to speak with him alone or tend to his wounds, but Percy wasn’t that kind of vampire.  No reason to give him more reason to hate his guts.

“Is this bloodsucker bothering you?” A young woman with fiery red hair similar to Leo’s marched out behind him, clad in hunter’s leathers and a silk black cape that draped around her muscular form.  “This is a witch clinic.  Can’t you read?”

“It doesn’t say anywhere ‘only caters to witches’ now, does it?” Percy retorted.

“You need to leave.” A potent surge of magical energy swept around Percy, enough that it sent goosebumps along his arms as he bristled, as the red-headed woman glared murderously at him.  “You’re not welcomed here.  Go find a clinic that caters to your kind.”

“Vespera,” Leo hissed, drawing his wand to summon up a counterattack spell, one that radiated with an equal amount of force.  Enough that it had Percy awkwardly taking a few steps back, not wishing to accidentally get anywhere in the crossfire.

“You know what those bloodsuckers are capable of, Leo.  Let it find another clinic.  They’re not your responsibility.  Don’t let that one coerce you or trick you into thinking they are either.” Vespera’s magic dwindled, until only a faint spark of silvery embers remained in the air around them.  

“I’ll get rid of him, okay?” Leo bit his lower lip as he cast a worrisome glance Percy’s way, one that the detective couldn’t quite decipher.  Did he really wish to get rid of him, as he put it?  “Just please, don’t cause any trouble.  That vamp’s an officer of the law.”

“Fine.” Vespera rested one hand on her hip, where Percy spied a holster belt with a knife sheathed into it. Likely a vampire hunter blade, crafted with silver. “You hear that bloodsucker? Shoo. Fly out of here, lousy bat.”

Percy bit his tongue as the witch crossed by him toward the door, and he sidestepped her when she nearly brushed against him. Not wishing to be anywhere near that dagger she had. He stood as still as a statue with a deepening frown until her figure disappeared down the sidewalk.  He suspected his killer was definitely a man (by scent alone) but with the amount of muscle she had, Percy almost suspected her if it weren’t for her sizable bust.  He would’ve noticed those had she been the one to stab him.

“I apologize for her. You said you wanted a checkup, right?” A blush crawled up the column of Leo’s freckled neck as he cradled his clipboard close and beckoned for him to follow. “Come on back.” 

Percy tucked his hands in his pockets with a curious head tilt.  “Not getting rid of me then?” 

“I had no intention of turning you away.” Leo halted in the middle of the hall and turned around to face him, gentle azure eyes pleading with him.  “You have to understand.  My sister… she’s-”

“A vampire hunter,” Percy finished for him.

Leo gaped. “How do you know?”

“Threatening me made it pretty obvious,” Percy said.  “Couldn’t ignore the silver dagger attached to her hip either or the hunter attire.”

“I’m so sorry.” Leo raked a hand through his windswept red hair, exhausting a sigh.  “If I’d known you were coming by, I would have made sure she wasn’t around.  Please, forgive me.” He bowed his head.

Percy rubbed his chin as if contemplating it.  “Perhaps you can compensate me then. A bite from that pretty neck of yours, hm?”  The literal purr in his throat had been unintentional as he smirked at the way the doctor jumped away from him, drawing his wand so defensively like he’d hex poor Percy right there.

“Keep your fangs to yourself.”

“Kidding.” Percy snickered, watching the way Leo shivered against the wall he’d backed up against, how even in spite of his trembling his magic remained strong pulsing around him in anticipation. 

“Not funny.” Leo peeled himself away from the wall and moved to open the door of an unoccupied patient’s room.  “Any complications lately? Any pain?”

“Honestly, I mostly dropped by to see when I could shift into a bat again.” Percy rubbed the back of his neck. “But when I landed outside your clinic, I admit, I got a bit lightheaded.  It could be because my body’s not acclimated to broom-travel like it once was.”

“That’s not good.” Leo frowned.  “Come, have a seat here and I’ll check your vitals. Very possible you could have a venom deficiency. You’ve had a sufficient amount of blood recently, right? Not near blood starved or hypovolemic?”

Percy bit his lower lip with his fang, not wishing to admit he probably hadn’t taken as much blood as he should’ve to recover. He’d been so busy trying to hunt down their killer. It really hasn’t crossed his mind. 

“Hypo- what now?” Percy asked, completely dodging the question at hand.

“When the body loses too much fluid. For cases of vampires, it could be blood-related or venom-related,” Leo explained. 

“I’m good on blood,” Percy reassured him. 

“Is that so?” Leo asked.  “Could’ve fooled me out in the hallway.  You looked pretty starved to me, even so desperate enough to crave my own blood.”

Warmth crept up Percy's neck as he sputtered, “I told you I was kidding!” 

“I know. So was I.” Leo bit back a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.  “Can I not tease you back?  If I thought you posed any serious dangers to me, I’d easily have subdued you by now with a vampiric sedative. Do keep that in mind.”

“Duley noted,” Percy mumbled.

“So, any closer to finding the person who tried to kill you?” Leo asked before flashing a vibrant light in face, one that Percy swore nearly blinded him.

“Not really,” Percy muttered.  “What are you trying to do?”

“Just follow the light when I shine it again,” Leo said without further explanation.

The second flash was far less blinding, but the third was tolerable enough that Percy could actually do what was instructed.  He blinked a few times to readjust to the room, until the muted colors around him returned to their natural shade. That lightheaded sensation struck him again, but not as severe before. Enough that it reminded him of a night as a teen when he sneaked out and got drunk off wolfsbane beer for the first time with his old friends.

Before he changed.  Before the world around him continued to grow without him.

“You okay?” Leo gently asked with a note of concern to his voice.

“Of course.” Percy cleared his throat, shaking off the memory.  “Let’s get the rest of this over with.”

“Only if you’re sure.” Leo hesitated, and the way he looked at Percy almost made him mistake it for genuine concern. “Bite down,” he instructed. 

“Pardon?” Percy frowned at the slab of plastic presented to him. 

“Open your mouth and bite down.” Leo raised a brow. “Have you never done a venom test before? It’s simple and painless now. We don’t use that awful extraction tool anymore or pull your fangs to see your venom levels.”

“I didn’t realize…” Percy shook his head and did as Leo instructed, surprised by how it made his tongue slightly tingle. 

“It might feel a little funny at first but it’ll fade,” Leo reassured him. “It numbs your mouth up a little and keeps us safe from vampires who can be a bit more bitey.”

After he released the plastic, he repeated, “Bitey?” 

Leo nodded. “See the line here on this? How the color changed to a pale gray? It means your venom levels are quite low. You’re not starved for blood, but you’re definitely not getting the intake you should be to get your venom levels up like they should be. An injury like yours requires more blood to get your strength up.”

“I’ve been a bit busy, doc. But I’ll be sure to keep up with my blood intake,” Percy told him. 

“I understand. And I’ll prescribe you an elixir to get your venom back to a normal level as well. Something that gives an extra boost when taken after you’ve fed.” Leo jotted something down on his clipboard. “I’d advise you to refrain from shifting until your venom levels are regulated.”

“Fangs,” Percy cursed under his breath. “How long do you think that’ll take? For it to get back to normal? Would consuming more blood help?”

“Could take a week or so if you take this elixir nightly and keep up with your blood feedings. Just be careful not to overindulge. It might be tempting and make you feel like it’s speeding up your recovery but it could be more detrimental.”

“What if I were to shift into a bat before getting my venom levels back up?” Percy asked. 

“I’d highly advise you not to.” Leo set his clipboard aside on the bedside table. “With it so low, it could make you faint mid-flight and injure yourself more. I don’t want to find you back here on death’s doorstep again.”

“Don’t worry then. I won’t do that,” Percy reassured him.  

“Good.” Leo offered him a small smile. “Come back in three nights and I’ll retest your venom levels to make sure they’re getting up to where they need to be.”

“You want me to come back?” Percy asked incredulously. 

Leo furrowed his brows. “Of course. It’s the only way we’ll know for sure when you can shift again. Unless you’d rather see a vampire doctor, which I completely understand. I can even send your file over to your doctor if you’d prefer that.”

“No. I’d much prefer you, doc.” Realizing how that sounded, Percy quickled added, “To, uh, ensure I’m back to a clean bill of health, of course.”

“Right.” Leo drew out the word.  “Let me get that elixir for you so you can be on your way.  Remember, still no shifting until I say so.”

“Yes, doc.” 

It shouldn’t have excited him to consider returning to the witch doctor’s clinic.  Especially not after the man’s vampire hunter sister literally threatened him. But Percy had always been one to tempt his fate and risk his sorry fangs.  Surely it wouldn’t kill him to flirt a bit with danger, would it?