by Leia Stone
“Please help him. Help my friend.” I gestured to Sterling.
Without another word, Sage and Walsh took off, darting through the melee and pouncing on the back of the vampire attacking Sterling.
Luka’s fingers gently probed my wound and I whimpered, my teeth chattering. “It doesn’t even hurt anymore,” I assured him.
His jaw clenched. “That means you’re near death. Pain means you’re still alive.”
With that sobering fact, everything blurred around me as he zoomed us out of the gala, and then the dizziness finally took me, and everything went black.
Chapter Nine
Muffled voices pierced the blackness. I tried to focus on them, but it felt like I was drowning in cold darkness.
“Drive faster!” Luka’s voice snapped, panic and tension registering in his tone.
Luka.
Memories suddenly came rushing back to me, the gala, the attack. He saved me, he came for me. I was totally wrong about him, I could see that now. Maybe all of the other vampires were evil, but not him. He was good.
“I’m going as fast as I can without wrapping this car around a pole,” a familiar male voice called back.
Walsh. The werewolf.
Arms tightened around me and I forced myself to open my eyes. Luka was holding me firmly to his chest. We were in the back seat of a car as Walsh drove us and Sage sat shotgun. Sage had a phone pressed to her ear. “Yes, she’s bleeding out, and if she dies, Luka dies too. She’s his only food source now that they’ve bonded.”
Her words tore into me like a thousand blades.
Luka was working so hard to save me because I was his food…
Bile rose in my throat, and he looked down at me then, shame coloring his pale cheeks when he saw that I was awake. I closed my eyes, not wanting to deal with the reality of what was happening here. I was falling for a vampire who was fighting to keep me alive so he could have dinner.
My eyes sprang open and Luka opened his mouth to speak.
“Sterling?” I rasped, and Luka’s face darkened.
“They got him out.” Luka nodded to Sage and Walsh.
My eyes started to un-focus and I shook my head slightly in an effort to fix them. “I…” I didn’t have the breath to speak, and I couldn’t feel my body anymore. It’s like I didn’t have a body, which was weird.
“Don’t talk.” Sage flew into the back seat, straddling the center console to put her fingers to my pulse. “It’s weak but it’s there,” she told someone on the phone, and then pulled it from her ear, looking down at me. “We’ve got the alpha’s surgeon flying in via helicopter. You’re going to be okay.”
Alpha surgeon? As in Alpha werewolf? What the…? Maybe I hadn’t heard her right. We generally were not permitted to go to hospitals as our accelerated healing would tip them off that not all was right with the world. But we had some of the best doctors in the country on the society’s payroll … just not here right now. Portland would have had a medical safe house, I just had no idea where it was because I hadn’t planned on being attacked while here!
The car skidded to a halt and then I was moving. The door opened and Luka whooshed out with me in his arms. Everything blurred, then suddenly we were stepping into a helicopter.
A male doctor wearing full surgical gear put up two blue gloved hands. “Whoa, this is a completely sterile space,” the doctor barked at Luka. “Give her to my nurse and go.”
I felt Luka’s arm tighten around me slightly at the mention of letting me go. A female nurse stepped toward me with her arms outstretched. Her blue gloves were pulled up over her white gown and she wore a mask and clear face shield so that all I could see were her blue eyes.
My gaze darted around the helicopter. There was a gurney, IV bags, surgical tray…
They were going to do surgery on me in a helicopter!
I inhaled. They were wolves; they smelled like Sage, a smell I hadn’t really noticed before but now recognized. Luka was going to leave me with werewolves to die in a helicopter!
“No,” I whimpered to Luka. “Just let me die.” If God was ready to take me, then I was ready to go.
Luka pressed me to his chest, looking down at me with wild eyes. They burned with desperation, need, and … something I couldn’t identify.
‘I can’t,’ he said, and then deposited me into the nurse’s arms.
The nurse had kind eyes and she gently lowered me onto the table.
“You can meet us in Werewolf City,” the doctor told Luka, who was standing there, blood covering his shirt as he stared down at me in shock. The helicopter blades whirred to life, making every tree and bush in the open field sway, and Luka took a step back, nodding.
Werewolf City? “No … I’m human. I can’t go there—”
“Don’t worry. We are going to take good care of you, dear.” The doctor placed an oxygen mask over me and suddenly a sweet smell coated my nostrils and tongue. Heaviness pulled at my limbs as I felt the drugs course through my system.
‘No,’ I pleaded.
‘I’m sorry.’ Luka’s voice bled through mine and then I let go. I didn’t have the strength to hold on anymore.
“If she didn’t have regenerative capabilities, she would have died instantly.” The male surgeon’s voice pierced my brain and my eyelids flew open.
“Regenerative capabilities?” Luka’s unique, deep timbre was slightly warbled as the effects of the drugs still left my system.
“DNA modifications. When younger,” I croaked.
“Aspen?” Luka called out and I moaned, looking around. I was in a hospital room. The four walls were white and clean, but the door … was blown off; scorch marks kissed the edges.
I frowned and Luka followed my line of sight before nodding. “War. Werewolf City is only now rebuilding. Are you okay?”
I looked down at my gown and pulled it up to reveal a giant puckered wound with over a hundred stitches. Pressing the gown back over my bare legs, I looked up at the surgeon. He was about forty years old with a little salt and pepper hair. “Thank you,” I told him.
I guess God wanted me to live another day.
“You’re welcome.” He nodded. “You should stay off your feet for a week. I’m still unsure what rate of healing you have, but a week to be safe.”
I nodded. Liv, Maz, Sterling … I needed to get back to the society in Spokane.
I was about to try to sit up when a gorgeous blond walked into the room and grinned at Luka. She was wearing cut-off jean shorts and a t-shirt that said Fragile Like a Bomb. Her long hair was braided over one shoulder.
“Can’t even stay out of trouble for a week?” she scolded Luka, and then pulled him into a hug.
“What can I say, I missed you guys,” Luka told her, grinning as he wrapped his arms around her. Jealousy spiked through me before a giant male followed in after her.
Holy hell. He was like a tatted-up Chris Hemsworth. This had to be the alpha. He reeked of power and … manliness.
“Stop hitting on my wife,” the male told Luka in a playful tone as she pulled away from their hug.
Luka shook his head, grinning as the big alpha pulled him into a bro hug and they rapped on each other’s backs. “Of all the girls you could bind yourself to, you chose a vampire hunter? Really, bro?” The alpha shook Luka as if that act might shake some sense into him.
I’d forgotten all about my desire to flee, now I was entranced by this little get-together. It was a side of Luka I didn’t really see. A side of werewolves I’d never seen.
The girl looked over at me and noticed me lying there, watching them. With a soft smile, she approached the bed. “Hey, Aspen, I’m Demi. Sorry the place isn’t exactly top notch, but we’re working on repairs from what the war damaged.” She extended her hand and I took it in mine, shaking it gingerly.
Demi … that sounded familiar. I didn’t read much news about the werewolves. We had a weekly newsletter, but I skimmed it for vampire related stuff only.
Demi…
“Oh … Demi.” Realization dawned on me as I heard her name. “You’re the … you’re both.” I pointed at her mate. I’d read an article in the society email newsletter that covered their recent wedding. Sawyer was her husband’s name. It was of pertinent news to us because they were both alphas, and that might shift the political landscape, which could drive more supernaturals out into the human world.
“Werewolves?” she said. “Extremely good looking?” she added with a grin.
I snort-laughed and then grabbed my side, wincing at the pain. “Alphas.”
Demi nodded, trailing her finger across her leather wrist cuff. “I mean technically, yeah, but I’m pretty much in charge around here.”
“Hey!” Sawyer growled, causing Demi to grin.
Damn, they were so normal. It was hard not to think of them like me … but they weren’t. I liked her but I couldn’t stay here. I had to get a hold of Liv and let her know I was alive. No one in the society could know that I was in Werewolf City right now or my career would be over.
“Well, thank you for the help, but I need to get back.” I started to sit up, biting through the pain.
“Whoa. Chill. You need to rest.” Luka zoomed to my side and started to gently push me back onto the bed.
“Don’t touch me!” I snapped at him, and everyone in the room froze.
I looked at Demi and frowned. “I’m sorry. Could I speak to Luka alone please? It was nice to meet you, and thank you so much for your help in saving my life.”
Demi nodded, clearly catching on that there was more drama here than she understood, and waved Sawyer out of the blasted-open doorway.
Luka peered over at me like I’d grown three heads. “What’s wrong with you? The doctor said you need to stay off your feet for a week.”
Sage’s words from the car came back to me. Luka wasn’t concerned with me, he was concerned over my blood.
“Yeah, I can heal at home. I’m not staying in Magic City with a bunch of werewolves, no matter how nice they seem.”
His forehead wrinkled, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Wow.”
My teeth clamped together. “Wow, what?”
He shook his head. “I expected a thank you for saving your life.”
I scoffed. “Thank you for saving your future dinner,” I snapped. “Let’s not pretend this is more than that. From now on, I see you at mealtimes and you forget I exist otherwise.”
The hurt that crossed his face looked genuine, but he also didn’t deny my words. “Sage just said that because—”
“I don’t care,” I interrupted. “Look … I need to get back or this will be harder to explain later,” I told him. “Just drop me off at the nearest bus station or call me a cab.”
His eyebrows raised, but then he looked down at me with a flash of anger. “Fine. I’ll have Walsh drop you. It’s clear you only want to see me as needed. Goodbye, Aspen.”
Those two words, Goodbye, Aspen tore into my heart way more than I thought they would.
It was better this way. Anger was good. I could handle anger. It was attraction, lust, and the other stuff with Luka that I couldn’t even begin to comprehend.
Walsh popped in about ten minutes later with keys in his hand. Sage stepped up next to him and faced me. “The van is all gassed up. We can take you to a hospital in Portland. Your cover story is that a human hotel employee found you bleeding out in the hallway and called an ambulance. You were treated at the hospital and released. You can call your people from there to make the cover story seem legit.”
I could tell by the cadence of her voice that she was annoyed with me. Long gone was the nice girl from the elevator. Luka must have said something to her and he must have thought up the cover story, which was actually really good.
But we were in Magic City. It was somewhere in Idaho and over six hours’ drive to Portland. I was already feeling so exhausted, I just wanted to sleep. But if they dropped me off at the society in Spokane, Maz would want to know how I got there.
“Thank you,” I said.
She nodded curtly, and Walsh just pushed the wheelchair up to the bed as I slowly managed to get myself inside of it and slumped into the seat, wincing every few moments at the fresh waves of pain.
“Ready?” Walsh asked, his voice pretty devoid of emotion. He seemed like the strong and silent type.
I nodded, and Sage dropped a bottle of pills in my lap. “For the pain,” was all she said.
Great. These people were nice to me and helped save my life and I was being a total asshole.
Walsh pushed me out of the blasted-open door and I looked to the left, my eyes catching on a bunch of tradesmen sweeping up rubble or painting or repairing glass.
“The vampires did this? In the war?” I asked Sage. “Don’t you hate them?” I looked up at her.
She nodded. “But we don’t hate him.” Her gaze went to Luka, who was down the hallway speaking in low tones to Sawyer and Demi as they all glared at me.
Fabulous. I’d just made enemies with the people who’d saved my life. Way to go, Aspen.
I was just too tired to care, and after hearing Sage talk about me as Luka’s meal plan, I wasn’t too worried about their feelings. It was my own I needed to protect.
Once we got in the van, I lay flat on the back seat, popped two pills, and fell into a deep sleep. I just needed to get out of here and back with my own people. I wasn’t used to nice supernaturals. It was throwing me off.
Why couldn’t things just be black and white, good and bad? Why did Luka Drake have to be gray?
“I thought you were dead!” Liv screamed into the phone the second I called her from the waiting room of Portland’s emergency room department.
“Me too. Come get me?” I just sat in a van for six hours to get here. I didn’t want to drive all the way back to Spokane, but it was the role I needed to play for the cover story. I’d tell Liv everything later, but if she was with Maz, I needed to—
“Aspen!” Maz’s voice came on the line, and I was relieved I hadn’t said anything about what had really happened. “We’ve been worried sick. They couldn’t find your body and Sterling said he lost sight of you.”
Fear spiked through me at the mention of Sterling. He’d seen Luka carry me out…
“Is he okay?” I dodged her question.
“He’s recovering but will be fine. Honey, how did you get out?”
My mouth went dry. “A miracle,” I said flatly, hoping I wasn’t going to hell for that one.
“Praise God,” she agreed. “We’re on our way.”
I’m pretty sure God was looking down at me and facepalming every five minutes, because I was making some pretty epic screw-ups down here.
Chapter Ten
My week of recovery was the weirdest week of my life. During the day, I lay next to Sterling, my ex who I’d stupidly kissed, as we both mended in the society’s healing ward, and at night … I snuck away for feedings with Luka. We both discovered that I was healing faster and felt better with daily feedings as opposed to every two days. Liv helped me get out, under the guise of going for a walk, which was doctor-recommended daily, and Luka would jump out of a library or bookstore or coffee shop and take his meal.
We barely talked, I didn’t moan, and he drank from my wrist only. It still felt good, but something had changed between us. This was a business arrangement now, as it always should have been.
Now that I was healed and back on hunting duty, I was ready to slay some demons and live my life. Maz and the rest of the society were on high alert after the attack at the gala—no more hunting alone. We’d all paired up. Liv and I were officially hunting partners until we had more info on who led the attack on the gala and why. Sterling had tried to ask me a few times about the vampire who carried me out and the two werewolves who had helped him, but I told him I didn’t remember anything and he dropped it.
Liv and I were going on a raid tonight with a team of other hunters, but I needed to feed Luka before we left.
As I was walking down the hallway, Maz turned the corner.
“Oh, dear, I’m so glad to see you up and about again.” She beamed at me, her eyes falling to the leather wrist cuff jewelry I now wore almost constantly. “You sure do like those bracelets. I don’t understand young people’s fashion,” she added.
My heart picked up speed and I let out a nervous laugh. “Well, you know me and Liv, we like to keep up with the latest trends. I’m going for a run, and then I’m excited to do that raid tonight.”
Maz nodded, clasping her hands in front of her. “Be safe.”
As I walked past her, I swear she inhaled as if trying to smell something on me. Okay … no more wrist biting. Clearly that was getting suspicious. I’d have to figure something else out.
I drove my Beetle to Luka’s apartment and parked two blocks away at a local park, jogging the rest of the way just in case there was a tracker on my car. If anyone asked, I drove to this park to run because it was pretty. When I made it up the stairs, I knocked. It was around 8 p.m. and Luka would be awake. Using the key felt weird, especially since he said his roommates were back from out of town.
The door opened to reveal a tall, lanky male fey. I froze, staring at the tips of his pointy ears, my heart hammering in my chest. The tattoos that crept up his neck screamed danger. Stepping back a few paces, I wondered if I had the right apartment, but I recognized the couch behind him.
“Hello, delicious,” the male purred, his blond hair swooping into his eyes as he ran his gaze up and down my body.
I reached behind my back and pulled out my pistol, brandishing it before him and pointing it right between his eyes. “Hi.”
The dude’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “Damn. You must be Aspen.”
I grinned, proud to have that sort of reputation around here.
“Bennet, I presume?” I lowered the gun slightly. Luka told me about his male roommate but had left out the fact that he was a freaking fey!