Exton

Raina comes back with a pill and a glass of water. I lift Ky enough so that she can take the medicine without difficulty, then settle her back onto the bed again.

"Okay, Ky," I say. "If you trust me, I can help ease the pain some more. It won't be much, 'cause I don't want you so numb you can hurt yourself worse without knowing it, but it'll blunt the worst of it."

Her eyes are steady on mine. "I trust you, Nick."

"I'm going to hypnotize you, then. It'll make it easy for you to sleep later, too." I let my voice go into the level almost-monotone that both rivets the listener's attention and makes them relax. "Trust me, K'thyri. Listen to my voice and relax. You're tired; your muscles are tense… let the tension go, let everything go."

She's strong-willed, reluctant to give in. "Feel yourself sinking into sleep, Ky. The bed is soft, so soft… it feels like you're sinking into infinite softness, like resting on a cloud… Let go of the pain, let go of the tension. Hear only my voice… you feel dizzy, but it's pleasant, like the room is spinning, so very slowly, taking you with it… Feel your muscles unclench, unknot, little by little. Let the softness surround you, comfort you… Relax, K'thyri… let yourself go. You're with friends, people who love you… no need to keep your guard up, not now… sleep, my friend… sleep…."

Try as I might, though, something in the stubborn core of the elf-girl refuses to let go. It's helping, but not enough. She won't give in. Vamp hypnosis is hard to beat, but she's doing it, and doing it while mildly drugged. I've never seen anything like it.