by Juniper Hart
“I don’t see anyone,” Liv murmured. “Do you?”
A quick survey of the street showed Damon nothing and he shook his head. His gut was twisted, alarm still spiking through him, but he had no way of knowing if it was real instinct or merely concern for Liv that was creating beads of sweat over his forehead.
“Wait here,” Liv told him as they neared the front. “Keep an eye out.”
“Absolutely not. For all you know, they’re camped in your unit.”
She tried to argue but Damon was already in the stairwell, climbing to the third floor. Liv followed behind him. He paused outside the door as Liv reached for her keys but there was no need for them. The frame had already been smashed down and Damon knew what they’d find when they entered.
“Shit,” Liv muttered, stepping into her trashed apartment. “I should have known they’d do this.”
“At least they’re not here,” Damon offered by way of a silver lining. But as he looked around, he could see that nothing had been salvaged. Liv’s clothes had been torn to shreds, her refrigerator emptied, the contents smashed upon the floor. Holes had been punched into the walls and the vanity in the bathroom had been ripped from the wall.
“So much for my security deposit,” Liv quipped.
“Would they have found anything to trace back to who you really are? Anything with your address back in the States or—”
“No, nothing like that,” Liv said quickly. “I’m careful.”
She disappeared back into the bathroom and when she returned, a look of relief crossed over her face. Damon noted a cell phone in her hands.
“Is that what you came for?” he asked in disbelief. Liv nodded.
“It’s the only way I can get in contact with my boss,” she explained. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Damon allowed her to pass, his brow furrowing.
If she’s a journalist, shouldn’t she be able to contact her boss at their headquarters? What’s with the cloak and dagger burner phone?
“You coming?”
Damon nodded and stepped over another pile of debris but as Liv opened the door, she fell back in surprise.
“Well, there you are,” a man rasped, pushing his way inside. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, you little bitch.”
“Roderigo!” Liv choked.
He didn’t see Damon until it was too late, the bigger bear morphing without being told. He threw his head back and unleashed a warning roar that shook the walls. But sense didn’t seem to have any place in the man’s mind and he lunged for Liv, disregarding the fury in Damon’s eyes.
Damon froze as Roderigo attacked, morphing into his full bear form as he did.
Liv’s fangs elongated, her eyes glassing over as she turned to gnash at his arm, but the hold he had on her disabled her from taking the bite she wanted.
Damon roared again, jumping forward, but the other bear used Liv as a shield, his teeth sinking into her neck. He dragged her back as blood began to pour from her neck, genuine fear overcoming her face.
He’s trying to take her out of here!
He sprang forward, knocking the bear backward until he finally had no choice but to release the hold he had on Liv.
She crumpled forward, her eyes glazing over as she began to lose consciousness. Seeing her in such a weakened state only fueled Damon’s fury. He slashed and bit, drawing blood from every part of his counterpart’s body that he could until Roderigo was a quivering mass of fur on the ground.
If Damon had had some way to decapitate him, he would have without a second thought. With another gnash of his teeth, he tore a piece out of Roderigo from the same place he had bit Liv. Finally, the gang member went down with a whimper and closed his eyes.
“Liv!” Damon cried, rushing to her side as he shifted back into his mortal form. “Liv, look at me.”
But she remained unconscious, her neck wound showing no signs of healing.
She’ll heal, he thought, looking at the fallen bear. But not before his backup shows up.
Damon knew he needed to get Liv and get out of there before more trouble found them. He picked her up in his arms and sprinted down the stairs, ensuring that the cell phone she’d come for was securely in his pocket.
Knowing he couldn’t bring her home in that condition, Damon stopped at Embalse del Muna to park and wait for Liv to regain consciousness. He didn’t want to freak out the Santos family any more than they already were.
“Come on, Liv,” he begged her, knowing that she was taking too long to wake. He knew that a bear bite was nothing lethal to a demon, but the waxen shade of her cheeks made his concern spike.
By the water’s edge, he peered at the wound. It had long since stopped bleeding but it still didn’t seem to be healing at any great speed.
Why isn’t she waking up?
He pursed his lips together and continued to rock her in his arms, knowing that all he could do was wait, but he had done enough of that for an eternity.
A low moan filled his ears and Damon turned his attention to Liv, his heart leaping into his throat with relief.
“You’re awake!” he breathed.
“How long was I out?” she mumbled, struggling to sit up, but he held fast to her, inhaling her scent as joy flowed through him.
“Damon, I’m fine,” she laughed weakly, staring up at him.
“You were out for hours,” he answered. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
She laughed but the sound was hollow.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she chuckled. “What happened to Roderigo?”
“He was unconscious when I left him,” Damon assured her. “He won’t see us again.”
“Dammit. I wish I’d bitten him. He’s not going to stop.”
“He’ll burn himself out on all that rage,” Damon replied. “He wasn’t even thinking when he went after you.”
“Clearly,” she replied. Her teal eyes widened suddenly and she patted at the pocket of her hoodie. “The phone!”
“I got it,” he promised. “Come on. We should get back home before Miguel starts to freak out. He’s called my phone at least six times.”
Damon rose and helped her to her feet. They brushed the grass off their clothes and walked back toward the Kia.
Liv paused and looked at him, a sly expression on her face.
“You’ve rescued me twice now,” she said. “Maybe I should get you a points card or something.”
Damon chuckled.
“And what do I get after the tenth rescue?” he teased.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to cross that bridge if we ever come to it.”
Damon snickered again.
“At least we’re making progress,” he said as they settled into the vehicle.
“Oh? How’s that?”
“You’re not denying that I saved you this time.”
Liv stared at him for a long moment and fleetingly, Damon thought she was angry. A look of wonderment crossed her face as she nodded.
“You’re right,” she muttered as he started the car. “I’m not contesting that at all.”
She sounded amazed by the realization as she settled back against the leather passenger seat.
“And I’m letting you drive.” She whipped her head around and narrowed her eyes. “Did you do magic on me?”
Damon hooted.
“Sadly, that is beyond my capabilities,” he replied. “I’m afraid that this is all on you.”
Liv gave him a warm smile, her eyes shining.
“I’m not complaining,” she murmured.
“Neither am I,” Damon agreed and zoomed out of the parking lot. In fact, he had never been happier than he was in that moment, knowing that Liv was safe and coming home with him. Again.
16
Liv cleaned herself up the best way she could on the drive back to Damon’s place, but she knew she still didn’t look pretty when they walked in the door.
“Where have you been?” Migu
el cried when he saw them. “I’ve been worried sick! I called you a dozen times, Damon!”
“Sorry,” Damon muttered, not meeting his friend’s eyes. “There were some minor complications.”
He shot Liv a warning look but she didn’t need to be told not to stress out the Santos family any more than they already were.
“I’m going to jump in the shower,” Liv told them, excusing herself and hurrying up the stairs to leave Damon to deal with his concerned friends. She was feeling strangely lightheaded but considering where Roderigo had bitten her, she wasn’t all that surprised. She’d never been attacked so intimately before.
It really was a good thing that Damon was there. If not for him, who knows what would have happened?
This newfound gratitude was both foreign and startling, but Liv was learning to savor it. She’d spent so much of her life taking care of herself, maybe it was time to accept the fact that she sometimes needed help.
Don’t get too comfortable, she warned herself. Damon still doesn’t know the entire truth about you.
The thought was sobering and when she secured herself in the bathroom, she pulled out the burner phone she’d taken from Damon on the drive back. As soon as she turned it on, her notifications lit up like a bomb. The compilation of texts and voicemails made her cringe slightly.
At least I know I was missed, she thought dryly. She turned on the shower to block any potential for being overheard and dialed out. Lucien answered right away.
“Where the hell have you been?” he growled, his tone menacing. “I was about to send a search team looking for you.”
“I’m working,” Liv said quickly. “You know I’m not always accessible.”
Lucien grunted.
“Does the same go for your team? Orion and Laz said they haven’t heard from you either.”
“I’m in deep,” Liv replied sharply. “They shouldn’t be reaching out to me unless the situation is dire.”
“Dire?” Lucien scoffed. “It’s under control. They’ve dismantled their respective crews and are ready for an extraction. You’d know that if you answered your phone.”
Liv’s blood ran cold.
“Where are you? I’m sending in a team. You’ve created enough chaos among Los Asesinos for a while. The threat is contained for the time being.”
“I-I don’t think that’s true!” Liv breathed, her mind racing wildly as she thought of an excuse to stay.
Silence met her declaration and Liv felt the hairs on her arms rise.
“Lucien, I just don’t think we should leave the job half done,” she rushed on, heat sweeping through her head. Another wave of dizziness overcame her. “A little bit of discontent among the gang isn’t going to stop them down the road. We need to dismantle them completely.”
“You have more important matters to attend to than a bunch of punks in Bogota, Olivia.”
Liv closed her eyes and willed the world to stop spinning, if only for a second, so she might think straight.
“Let me touch base with Laz and Orion,” she said quickly. “Let me assess the situation and—”
“The situation has been assessed.” There was no room for further argument in Lucien’s tone, but Liv knew she couldn’t allow the team to come there, not when everything was hanging on a balance right now.
She couldn’t leave Damon to deal with this mess by himself, not when she was the one who got everyone into it.
“Send me your location. Expect an extraction in twenty-four hours.”
The line went dead in her ear but Liv didn’t move, her heart hammering.
She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
She slid the cell onto the bathroom counter and stood shakily. Defying Lucien was nothing she’d ever considered in her life, but this was not a normal situation.
I should call him and tell him I’m with Damon, she thought. He might give me more time.
Yet she didn’t believe that. She had a bad feeling that they would both be snatched up by the team before they could blink, leaving Miguel and his family to fend for themselves.
She stripped off her tattered clothes and tossed them onto the floor, the steam of the shower fogging up the bathroom as much as her head.
The heat of the water on her skin did little to alleviate the anxiety forming inside her.
She didn’t hear Damon enter the room until he called out to her.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You’ve been up here a while.”
Liv jumped slightly and peered out through the steamy glass. She forced a smile.
“I’m good,” she lied. “Just washing off the day.”
He nodded, his eyebrows wiggling.
“If there weren’t young, impressionable ears running amok, I’d join you but…”
Liv chuckled.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” she promised. Damon turned to leave her alone but before he did, she said his name. He pivoted back, his hand on the door handle.
“Hm?”
She sighed and turned off the taps. Damon automatically reached for a towel and in seconds, she was enveloped in the warm fleece.
“I called my boss,” she muttered slowly, knowing that she needed to rip off the Band-Aid. The sooner they dealt with this issue, the sooner they could move on to the others. “He won’t help with bringing the Santos family to the States.”
Damon’s smile faded, his eyes shadowing.
“I see,” he said gruffly. “I guess you warned me about that.”
“I’m sorry,” Liv muttered with a sigh. “I did my best.”
Damon pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.
“I know you did,” he conceded. “And I appreciate you trying.”
She pulled back and stared into his eyes.
“What will you do? You said something about a backup plan before.”
He exhaled in a whoosh of breath, a pained expression overtaking his face.
“I don’t really have a choice,” he replied. He instantly caught her expression and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. At least it’s an option to get them out. Everything will fall into place.”
He squeezed her against him again and Liv parted her lips to tell him everything but just as before, the words died in her mouth.
“Seriously, don’t worry,” Damon told her quickly, mistaking her stricken look. “I’ve got this. I’m going to head out right now to deal with that so we can make plans to get them out ASAP.”
Liv pressed her lips together and nodded.
“Okay,” she mumbled. “I’ll hold down the fort while you’re gone.”
Damon gave her a sweet kiss on the lips before ducking out of the bathroom. Liv stared after him for a long moment, her heart still racing.
As soon as the Santos family is gone, I’ll tell him who I really am.
She only hoped it wouldn’t be too late by then.
While Damon was running his errand, Liv took the time to touch base with Laz.
“There you are,” Damon’s brother chirped in her ear. “We’re getting ready to bounce out of here. You coming with us?”
“No,” Liv replied slowly, unsure how much she should tell him. “My work isn’t quite done here.”
“Oh. I thought Lucien said you were coming too.”
Liv grimaced. She had hoped that they hadn’t been in contact yet.
“I’ll make my own way home,” she assured him. “Are you sure that your crews are crippled enough?”
“Four arrested, two wounded in my group. Orion got his entire crew nabbed at the scene of a robbery. They’re completely out of commission. I heard some reports of another Asesino killed, out by Cerro de Monserrate. No idea if that has anything to do with anything but it’s enough to wreak havoc on the gang.”
Yeah, I heard about that too, Liv thought grimly.
“Fine,” Liv said crisply. “I’ll contact you when I’m back on American soil and we’ll do a debrief.”
“Sounds good,” Laz agreed. Liv discon
nected the call and tossed the phone on the bed, flopping back to stare at the ceiling.
Or maybe I should go home and come back. Once I do a debrief and see Lucien, I’ll be left to my own devices.
She dismissed the idea. Damon needed her. Miguel needed her. She wasn’t going anywhere.
But, was it more than that?
She couldn’t help but feel like she was fighting this because she couldn’t bear the idea of leaving Damon, even for a little while.
Her head was still hazy from the attack and she closed her eyes, resting her tired body for a moment. She was insurmountably tired, the events of the past few days taking a serious toll on her.
We’re coming to the end of this, she reminded herself. Soon, this will all be like a distant dream.
She and Damon were running through a field. At first, she thought they were sprinting side by side but when she looked to her right, she saw that Damon had shifted and was chasing after her.
“Why are you chasing me?” she demanded, her eyes wide. “I didn’t do anything!”
“You know what you did,” he growled. “I know who you are!”
Guilt surged through her and she tried to shake her head but it felt like a lead weight.
“I’m Liv!” she cried out imploringly. “Your mate.”
“You’re no mate of mine. You’re a puppet for my father, sent here to spy on me!”
Liv gasped.
“That’s not true! I-I didn’t know who you were,” she breathed. “I swear, I didn’t know. Fate brought us together, Damon!”
He laughed but it sounded more like a roar of cynicism.
“Lies!”
Tears blurred her eyes and she willed her legs to go faster but Damon was far too skilled in his bear frame to let her take the lead. He jumped through the air and pounced—
“Olivia! Wake up!”
Her eyes flew open and she blinked uncomprehendingly at Damon, the unsettling dream weighing on her head.
“Oh,” she laughed, sitting up, slightly discombobulated. “I fell asleep.”
But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, she could see that Damon wasn’t smiling. His face was twisted into a look she’d never seen before. It was a peculiar expression but nothing about it resembled the adoration she was accustomed to seeing in his face.