The Enchanted: Council of Seven Shifter Romance Collection

by Juniper Hart

  Walter planned this. He knew that he was going to expose our relationship from the minute he found out about it. He was just hoping to get into my pants first.

  A dozen thoughts crossed through Kate’s mind. She wanted to confront Walter, to scream at him and demand he take it back, but even if she could somehow manage to get him to retract, the damage was already done. Not to mention that it was true. Her only recourse would be ending it with Graham now, and what good would that do? He’d already have the reputation of being the attending who dated his lab assistants.

  The bitter irony wasn’t lost on Kate—Walter accusing Graham of the very infraction of which he was guilty. Well, she and Graham were together in this. They would find a way out together, too.

  She picked up her phone to text the neurosurgeon, Lisette’s hurt face still fresh in her mind. To her surprise, Graham had just texted her.

  What happened at that party? he wrote, and Kate’s blood ran cold. She stared at the message for a long moment, unsure of how to respond. She supposed now he knew.

  Nothing really. Why? Graham didn’t respond, and Kate heard blood rushing into her ears. He was furious. That was why he wasn’t texting back. He was going to blame her for everything. Graham? What’s going on? She saw the bubbles, and she waited for him to finish crafting his thought. When she read the new text, her heart suddenly stopped beating altogether.

  Check your messages.

  Kate recalled she had been doing just that before Lisette had confronted her, but now, she had no interest in knowing what the voicemail said. It could only be bad news, she was sure.

  Slowly, she put the phone to her ear and listened to the only voicemail in her box, her pulse again picking up. Carefully, she listened, swallowing the lump in her throat as she saved the message and stared at the screen for a long moment.

  Did you have a message? Graham texted again, as if he could sense her discontent despite the distance between them.

  Yes.

  I am about to scrub in, but you and I need to talk.

  Okay. Tossing the phone into her purse, she bolted toward the door, ignoring the curious looks of the other interns. The urge to get as far away from the hospital as she could was overwhelming. She felt like she was suffocating in there.

  Run and never look back, she urged herself, choking back her worry as she rushed out of the building. Go home and hide under the covers. Block it all out. But there was no hiding from the fact that she and Graham had been called before the board of directors and ethics committee. My short career as a doctor is over.

  She whipped around the corner and fell into a patient, a loud gasp escaping her lips as she almost knocked herself over. “I’m so—”

  The words died on her lips as she realized who stood before her.

  “Perfect,” Anthony Lockhart purred. “You were just the fairy I was looking for, Dr. Luthor. Tell me, how is your family?”

  14

  There was no opportunity to scream. Anthony pulled her along the abandoned hallway toward the fire stairs. His fingers curled against her arm, bruising her tender skin as they moved.

  “Make a sound,” he hissed in her ear. “Give me one reason to bite you. Go ahead.” Fear shot through Kate, but she managed to keep her lips together as she was rushed through the hospital. “Good girl,” he growled.

  “What do you want from me?” she breathed. “I’m no one. I’m just an intern.”

  Lockhart chuckled. “That’s not what I hear,” he snorted, and Kate blushed furiously.

  Even the patients know about Graham and me? Gods, where have I been? Under a rock, or just so caught up in the shroud of my and Graham’s little world?

  “Whatever you want, Mr. Lockhart, I don’t have it,” she pleaded. The demon didn’t respond. He pulled her up the stairs, gasping with the effort.

  He’s weak. I might be able to get away. The notion filled her with hope, but she erred on the side of caution. If she was wrong about his weakened state and he attacked her, she would be dead in minutes.

  “Do yourself a favor, Kate, and don’t put up a struggle. You remember what happened to Veronica, don’t you?” Kate froze at the mention of her sister, and she gaped at him. “Keep moving,” he snarled, but she couldn’t.

  “H-how do you know about my sister?” she breathed. “Are you working for Helios?”

  Anthony sneered, and suddenly, Kate realized she wasn’t staring at the same face she had seen before. The demon’s unusual brown eyes had melted away to ethereal orbs of blue, his mask slipping away slowly and revealing someone else underneath.

  “Oh no…” she choked. “You are Helios. But how?”

  “I really don’t have time for questions, Kate. Please don’t try my patience. It’s running quite thin as it is.”

  “Not until you tell me what I want to know!”

  “Keep going,” he hissed, losing the pretense of amusement. “We don’t have much time before your boyfriend gets out of surgery.” He knew Graham’s schedule? How? Why? Was he after Graham, too?

  “No!” she squealed, spinning to bolt down the stairs, but Helios was too quick, and he reclaimed his hold on her arm.

  “Don’t make this difficult, Kate. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you don’t cooperate.”

  “Cooperate with what?” she demanded. “I have no idea what you want!”

  “I want the antidote I know Dr. Griffin has in his labs. I have been trying to get it for weeks, but I can’t, not when he knows I’ve been looking around.”

  Of course. She eyed him warily, allowing herself to be pulled further toward the fifth floor.

  “Why didn’t you just kidnap him instead?” she muttered, not really expecting an answer. The demon snorted.

  “Given the state I’m in, a fairy is easier to control than a bear. All you have to do is give me the antidote, and I’ll be on my way, Kate. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

  And then he would be free to wreak more havoc on the Enchanted, just as he always had. No, Kate couldn’t give him the antidote. Without it, he would die for sure. But if she didn’t give it to him, he was going to take down everyone he could to get at it—including Graham.

  She choked back the fear of her dilemma and climbed the last flight of stairs before the fifth-floor landing, her mind working intensely. How the hell am I going to get us all out of here alive?

  “Dr. Griffin!”

  Graham turned, his hands still dripping with water from his scrub-in as a nurse slipped gloves onto his fingers.

  “What are you doing here, Ginny?” he demanded, his brow furrowing. “I’m about to go into surgery.”

  “I know,” she breathed. “That’s why I ran. I have that list you asked for, and Luke needs to talk to you right away.”

  “Well, he’s going to have to wait.”

  The pediatric nurse thrust the sheet into his face. “Here’s the list. Look at it closely and tell me if it has what you’re looking for.”

  Graham glowered at her. “This is not a good time—”

  “Just look at it!” she snapped. “You asked me to get this for you. Now return the favor and look at the list.”

  He grunted and turned to the other surgeons, who were waiting on him. “Go ahead and start without me. Mrs. Pendleton is waiting.”

  The others shuffled off to begin the surgery, leaving Ginny and Graham to stare at one another.

  “What is going on?” he demanded. “Why can’t this wait?”

  “Luke thinks that Helios is here,” Ginny said. “There were reports of him heading down the coast after the fiasco in British Columbia.”

  Graham looked at her through narrowed eyes. “Here as in Portland, or here as in—”

  “Just look at the damned list!” Ginny insisted, thrusting it closer into his face. “Tell me if you have what you’re looking for.”

  Slowly, Graham’s eyes traveled along the list of known demons, printed on FBI letterhead, but as he got lower, bile filled his throat.

&nb
sp; “Shit…” he murmured. “He’s not on the list.”

  “But he’s still in the hospital?” Ginny asked. “We need to alert the Council right away.”

  Graham was barely listening, pulling off his surgical cap and calling through the intercom.

  “I have to go!” he yelled at the other surgeons. “I’ll be back soon. Page Anderson to step in.”

  There was a dismissive grunt from the team and a wave to acknowledge he had been heard, but Graham was already out the door, heading toward the second floor and Anthony Lockhart’s room, Ginny hot on his heels.

  “Open it,” Helios growled. “Quickly.” With trembling fingers, Kate managed to punch in the code, letting them both inside the labs as the door closed behind them. “Find the antidote. Now!”

  Again, Kate froze, not wanting to comply with his demands. If she could get away, he would waste energy trying capture her. He needed her to get him the serum. He wouldn’t kill her.

  She hoped she wasn’t wrong, knowing that the plan was flimsy at best.

  “I can see the wheels turning in your head, girl,” Helios snarled. “Don’t even think about doing anything stupid. I won’t hesitate to kill you.” There was a shocking sincerity in his words.

  It wouldn’t be the first time he’s killed, Kate thought, remembering the horrors he had inflicted upon the mortals all those years ago. A fairy would be child’s play for him, and he wouldn’t even remember it tomorrow. But my death might also lead to his. I could save thousands if I manage to kill him. Suddenly, she remembered something. There is aranium in this lab! If I can inject him with more…

  “I won’t ask you again, Kate.”

  She sprung forward, heading toward the vault with a decisive and purposeful spring in her step. Out of the corner of her eye, she could feel his cold stare on her. She couldn’t look too eager, or he’d know something was up.

  Helios followed her as she decoded the vault and stepped inside the refrigeration chamber, her eyes adjusting to the blue light.

  “Finally!” he muttered, the relief in his voice almost tangible. He shoved her aside and began his own search, clearly not trusting her, but Kate had no fear that he would find what he was looking for without her help. The formulas were labelled alphanumerically, not by name. “Which one is it?” Helios howled, suddenly realizing his problem.

  Kate closed her eyes. How long will a new dose of aranium take to kill him? Will I have time to escape? Will—

  A rough hand seized her arm, and Kate’s eyes flew open as she felt Helios’ hot breath on her neck.

  “Tell me which one it is,” he hissed. “I’m done playing with you, Kate. If you don’t give me what I want, I’ll make sure your family comes to the end they have avoided for far too long.”

  A shudder shook Kate’s body. This nightmare is supposed to be over. We ran for centuries from this threat. It will never be over, not even if I kill him. Vaughan is still out there. I need to give him what he wants.

  “WI-6787,” she whispered. “That’s the antidote.”

  Helios didn’t release his hold on her, and he pulled her toward the racks.

  “Find it,” he ordered.

  She did as he instructed, pulling the vial from the case and handing it to him, her breathing slow and shallow. “Here.”

  Helios snatched it eagerly from her, and she could see how depleted he was. How many more days would it take before the aranium shut him down completely? Two? Three?

  “Find me a syringe,” he said, and she hurried away to oblige his request.

  Run! Run now! Before she could reconsider her decision, her feet were carrying her toward the hallway, not caring if Helios was watching her. She flew along the secluded corridor, willing her wings to spring from her body, but as she began to shift, her breath caught. Is that Graham?

  She blinked, stunned at the approaching figure, sure she was imagining things in her panic. Her legs pumped forward to meet her mate at the security door, time freezing as if they were moving in slow motion.

  “Graham!” she breathed, realizing that she wasn’t hallucinating him, nor the nurse from pediatrics, who was screaming at him to hurry. How did he know? How did—?

  Her mind never had a chance to finish her own question. Her body was tackled to the ground, her wings pinned crushingly against her back as Helios loomed upon her.

  “You made a huge mistake, fairy,” he hissed, his fangs gnashing, before dropping his head against her throat.

  The pain was like nothing she’d ever felt in her life, the shooting knives causing her to scream with feral agony. She had no time to react. Helios was gone as Graham rushed to her side, his face contorted in devastation.

  “KATE!” he shouted. “KATE, LOOK AT ME!”

  But the world was already going dark. “I… I… gave him…”

  “Shh,” Graham begged, dropping to his knees at her side. “Don’t try and speak.”

  “The antidote…” She wept, her eyes growing heavy. “I’m sorry. I… love… you…”

  “Stay with me!” Graham howled. “Kate, stay with me!”

  15

  Kate’s lids sealed completely, and Graham gaped at her in shock.

  “Oh, Graham…” Ginny moaned. “I’m so sorry.” There were tears in the nurse’s eyes, but Graham was already on his feet.

  “Find me a syringe!” he yelled at her. “Now!”

  Ginny looked up at him, confusion overtaking her face. “A syringe? Graham, she was bitten by a demon. Nothing is going to—”

  “FIND ME ONE! NOW!” His roar was enough to get Ginny moving, and as the pediatrics nurse jumped to obey, Graham hurried back into the refrigeration chamber, his mind reeling.

  AH-1659. That’s the one. He snatched a vial from the tray and rushed back out to meet Ginny at Kate’s lifeless body, his vision blurred by grief and fear.

  “Graham, what is that?” Ginny demanded. “Whatever you think you’re doing—”

  “Give me the syringe.” He snatched the package from her hand, opening it with his teeth. In his upset, he had half-shifted. “Keep an eye out for mortals,” he instructed Ginny. She didn’t argue this time and spun around to keep watch as Graham filled the hypodermic needle and plunged it into the fresh wound in Kate’s neck. “Come on,” he muttered, cradling her limp head in his hands. “Work, dammit! Work!”

  The truth was, he’d never had occasion to use the serum on a fairy or any other Enchanted being. No demon had ever been brazen enough to bite one. Until now.

  “Please wake up, Kate,” he breathed. “We just found one another. You can’t leave me now.”

  He thought about how angry he had been with her in the hours before, and shame overwhelmed him as he scooped her cold body against his, rocking her gently, inhaling her scent. His huge paws sank into the thickness of her dark hair, and tears of grief welled in his eyes.

  She warned me about that animal weeks ago, and I did nothing but sit on it. If I had just acted sooner… if I’d just been a better mate to her… if I’d just… He knew the “what if” game. He had counseled thousands of patients on that danger, but in that moment, his dead mate in his arms, all he could do was wallow in all he had done wrong.

  “Graham, we can’t be found like this,” Ginny whispered, looking around nervously. “Someone will be along sooner or later.”

  “Just wait,” he begged. “Give it time to work.”

  Ginny looked at him with sympathetic eyes. “Graham, she’s gone. I’m sorry.”

  He knew Ginny wasn’t being cruel. If anything, she was trying to save him, but Graham didn’t care about anything anymore. Not his job, not the Council, not his status in the pack. All he wanted was to curl up at Kate’s side and die with her.

  “Helios is getting away, Graham,” Ginny reminded him softly. “The longer we wait here—”

  “Call Luke and tell him what we’ve learned. I’ll call Theo and explain what happened.”

  Ginny seemed reluctant to leave him, but she realized she had n
o other option, and she hurried away to call Luke at the FBI and give him an update. It was only then that Graham permitted the tears to slip down his cheeks, falling onto Kate’s pale skin. As the droplets hit her face, he felt her body shiver slightly beneath him.

  I’m imagining things in my grief, he thought, but even as he did, Kate’s eyes began to flutter slightly.

  “Kate?” he gasped, pulling her face upward to meet him. She groaned lightly, and Graham’s heart swelled with hope. “Kate, are you here? Look at me!”

  Her eyes opened, and she stared at him dubiously.

  “I just had the craziest dream!” she cried, blinking. Just as quickly, she choked and sat up, pushing Graham away in shock. “Oh, my goodness! It wasn’t a dream! Helios! He bit me! How—”

  “Shh, shh,” Graham urged her, pulling her back into his body, the relief so strong that he thought fainting might occur with one of them. “You’re safe now. Helios is gone.”

  “Graham, he took the antidote with him. I had no choice but to give it to him. He threatened—”

  “He can have the antidote,” Graham interjected. “I don’t care. All I care is that you’re safe now.”

  She looked at him in disbelief. “How? How am I safe? He bit me. I should be dead!”

  Graham swallowed the lump in his throat and kissed her tenderly on her head. “I have an antidote to demon bites, apparently.”

  “What?!” He nodded and peered into her face.

  “I wasn’t sure it would work,” he confessed. “It’s never been used before.”

  Kate’s mouth fell open, and Graham could see the myriad of emotions crossing over her face. Tears filled her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me before? You knew this was the entire reason I got into medicine! I have been looking for this for centuries!”

  “I wanted you to think you had created it,” he mumbled, realizing how bad it sounded when he said it aloud. “I knew how much you wanted it.”