by Raven Steele
“Oh.” I grinned. Luke didn’t have a crush on Loxley after all.
My head, too heavy to hold up anymore, dropped to my shoulder. I stared at Jackson, wondering if he’d thought about Ryder before he died. I smiled again.
I killed Jackson.
Luke grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Tell me what happened to you.”
"He stabbed me. The same knife that killed his wife.” I looked over at Dominic again, satisfied, then frowned. “I hoped he cleaned it first." I giggled. “Wouldn’t it be funny if I died from some stupid supernatural infection from that knife?”
“No, that would not be funny. What is wrong with you?”
I waved him off. “It’s fine. Really.”
Samantha appeared into my peripheral vision and pointed at my side. "That looks really bad. She looks really bad. Something’s wrong.”
Luke bent over, still holding me up with two hands, to look at my wound.
Across the room, Jerry and my uncle tried to untie Dominic from the ceiling. Samantha left to help them. There was a loud thud when Dominic fell to the ground.
Luke reached for the knife and held it up. “Is this real silver?”
“Jackson claimed it’s the purest silver available.” My knees gave out. "I don't feel so good."
Luke caught me before I fell to the floor. “We need to get you out of here. This is bad."
"It's just a little silver," I breathed, growing weaker. The power I had a minute ago had left me, but I had accomplished what I came here to do—save Dominic. He would have to trust me now, maybe tell me some of his secrets, or hell, I’d take being left alone in his office. I bet I could find a lot in there.
He yanked off his shirt and pressed it into my side. "By the looks of that blade, it wasn't just a little.”
I lifted my trembling hand and lightly ran my fingers over his bare chest. "You are so hot." My voice sounded even further away. “I’ve always wanted to run my tongue over Every. Single. Muscle.” I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning my head onto his chest. “So firm. But so soft at the same time. How do you do that?”
Luke was yelling at someone for help. I don't think he'd heard me. Then his voice was in my ear, sounding distorted.
“You’re in serious trouble. The silver’s probably gotten into your blood. We need to find Samira. Maybe she has something that will help." He shook me and my eyes popped open. “Stay awake, Briar.”
"Samira’s at work with her numbers. She's such a nerd." I smiled but it quickly turned to a grimace. My whole body was beginning to feel like it was on fire. Shit. It really hurt. "I did it, Luke. I avenged Ryder, and I killed Jackson. All that's left is Dominic."
Luke glanced around, as if to see if anyone had heard me. He grabbed my hand and put it over his shirt on my wound. “Hold this here.”
He scooped me into his arms and hurried towards the stairs. “I’m going for Samira.”
The motion turned those cruel flames licking at my insides into a raging inferno. “This really hurts. Luke …” I clawed at him with my free hand. “Something’s wrong. Luke. The pain.”
“I’m hurrying. Just hold on. Samira will know what to do.”
I squirmed in his arms, trying to free myself from the searing pain exploding through my body.
Luke rushed down the stairs, his eyes practically glowing with blue flames of pure power. “Don’t you dare close your eyes, Briar. If you do, you’ll never fulfill your goal and Dominic goes free. Is that what you want?”
This got my attention. Help. I needed help or the silver would kill me.
"How close are we to Heartbeat?" I gasped, my mind barely clear enough to form the words.
"The vampire club? Not too far, ten minutes maybe, but why would you want to go there?"
I tried to say the words, but the pain had become an anvil on my head, chest, and stomach, pressing so hard, I felt my bones might snap. With the last of my strength, I blurted, “Angel. Take me to Angel."
Chapter 28
My eyes rolled to the back of my head, darkness tugging at my mind. I forced them back open. I needed to stay awake.
Luke grumbled something beneath his breath, a string of words that made no sense. My body lifted, and I was just coherent enough to capture the changing images around me. He carried me down the stairs and out the house. The cold air felt good on my skin and briefly rejuvenated me. I opened my eyes, realizing I’d closed them again.
“Stay awake, Briar,” he said, breathless.
I tried, I really did, but the next images I saw were bright lights flashing all sorts of colors. Loud music accosted my ears. I blinked my eyes, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I was losing bits of time. Wasn’t I just at the Greybacks’ ranch?
Great beads of sweat ran down the sides of Luke’s face, and he was breathing heavily. Why was he so sweaty? He had a fresh cut on his forehead. Where had that come from? I was too out of it to ask him.
"Angel!" Luke shouted over the music. "Someone get me Angel!"
There was a flurry of movement all around me, and I almost went unconscious again, but then I heard Angel’s voice, bringing me back.
“Follow me.” His voice was full of urgency.
Luke followed Angel through the large ballroom. My eyelids fluttered and before they closed, I caught an image of a row of humans donating blood. A door opened and closed. A loud crash, as if someone had dumped the contents of a drawer, jolted my eyes open. Angel had swept everything off of a table and onto the floor.
"Place her here,” he said.
Luke gently set me down. I winced and groaned in pain. Part of my body was numb, but the other half was wracked by fire lapping at my flesh, my organs, my bones. It was unbearable.
Angel pulled the side of my shirt up. "What happened?"
"Jackson stabbed her with a silver knife. I don't know how to help her."
Angel rolled me onto my side to get a better view of the wound. “And what of Jackson?"
"She killed him."
"Good for her."
“You knew?”
Angel raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing. Luke was silent, his eyes studying Angel, who had pulled off his suit jacket. Angel folded his jacket and placed it under my head. He smoothed back my hair and stared at me with intense eyes. “You’re going to live.”
I barely managed to blink.
“Can you heal her?”
“Yes. You were wise to bring her to me.” Angel rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. "Now I must ask you to leave."
Luke shook his head. “No way. I stay with her."
"I will not heal her with you in the room. You must leave."
Luke grabbed Angel’s shirt and a low rumble vibrated in his throat. “I told you, bloodsucker, I’m not leaving her.”
Angel bared his teeth at Luke, but kept his voice calm. “I can see you’re distraught over her pain, so I’m going to give you a pass. This one time.”
Luke stared him down, still gripping Angel’s shirt. Angel gave him a steely look, but then his eyes lowered to mine. "I wouldn't dream of hurting her.”
Luke let him go with a small shove. “The only reason I’m letting you touch her is because Briar’s life is on the line. I will go because she trusts you. But if you hurt her, I will kill you.”
Luke paused to let his words sink in, then he bent over and swiped his lips over my forehead. He disappeared from my view, and I heard the door shut. As soon as he was gone, my eyes closed against my wishes.
There was a moment of silence, and then I felt a hand gently touch my cheek. “Just rest, love. I will take care of you."
He lifted my shirt up past my ribs. I winced as a cloth moved over my skin, followed by a slight numbing sensation.
Angel spoke, his hand gripping my hip. “This might hurt. I apologize.”
Pain stabbed my gut, and I screamed out. My insides burned like a hot poker had been shoved deep inside my stomach. Somewhere my brain registered that Luke was pound
ing on the door Angel had locked. I couldn’t call out to him to tell him it was okay; I was in too much pain. I gripped Angel’s shirt, still screaming as the pain spread up to my chest and into my arms and legs. He grabbed my hand, stroking my skin softly with his thumb.
After a few moments, the pain began to subside and I sighed, relaxing. My head rolled back onto Angel’s coat-pillow and a few tears ran down my cheeks. A splintering sound startled me just as Luke burst through the door, chest heaving.
He pulled up short when he saw me. His eyes moved over my body, relief softening his jaw and neck muscles. He looked at Angel, who was glaring at him.
“As you can see, she is in the process of healing,” Angel snapped. “However, I am not finished.” I tried to get up, but Angel’s hand slammed down on my shoulder, stopping me. “Stay still. You’ve not healed yet.”
Luke turned back around. The door hung off the hinges, the frame broken from the lock. “I’ll guard the door.”
“Yes, you will put it back in its place, and then ensure no one enters.”
Luke looked back at me, his eyes boring into mine with both worry and anger. Without a word, he walked out, straightening the door. It groaned in protest, but he managed to mostly get it to close.
Angel leaned over me, slightly smiling. “Well now. You seem to steal the hearts of everyone around you, don’t you?”
I slowly winked at him, then let my droopy eyes close. The next sensation that came was far more pleasant. It was warm and wet, and sent a thrill right up my body. That’s when I realized Angel was licking me to heal the wound.
Gross. Or was it?
Vamp sucking and licking was disgusting, or at least that’s what all shifters thought. But the truth was, it was kinda nice. It was definitely healing my wound but it also shot a warm, seductive tingle up my body with every press of his tongue. I clutched my hand to the side of the table, trying to control my desire to pull his face to mine to kiss him.
When he was done, he stood and stared at me with hooded eyes. He had an upward tilt to his lips, like he knew exactly what I was thinking. "How do you feel?"
"I think you saved me." I jerked up, trying not to make this more awkward than it was, but a wave of dizziness crashed over me. He slipped his hand around my back and gently lowered me to the table.
"You're not out of the woods yet. We may have to do another session if you're not feeling significantly better within a couple of hours. I must admit, I'm hoping you're not feeling better."
I swallowed and probably blushed. What is wrong with me? “Thank you. You're the only one that could've help me."
Luke growled at someone outside the door. “Bathroom’s that way, buddy.”
Angel smiled. "I better let your knight in shining armor enter before he scares away all my customers.” Angel turned toward the door. “You may enter, Luke.”
The door slammed back open, falling to the ground, and Luke appeared. His eyes were wild, his hair ruffled, and his wide shoulders set in a determined line. He resembled a lion, assessing his kill. Either me or Angel. I wasn’t sure which one he wanted to pounce on first.
I hoped it was me.
He glanced down at my wound, and his eyes widened. He pulled my shirt up, making my stomach flit with butterflies. “How did you do it?"
I looked down too, shifting my boobs out of the way so I could see. The skin was stitched together, a little red and puffy, but otherwise okay. My own eyes widened at the sight. Holy shit.
Holy something, anyway.
Angel’s eyes met mine, a smug sparkle in them. “That is something only Briar and I will share."
Luke gently pulled my shirt back down over my skin and looked up at Angel. "I owe you one."
"Yes, you do. You shouldn't move her tonight. She's better, but the biggest threat to her body is any remaining silver. It could make her incredibly vulnerable if it isn’t dispelled. Her body may remove whatever's left on its own if she can keep still.”
"She has to stay here?”
Angel slowly looked down at me. "For her safety."
"I'm staying with her." Luke folded his arms to his chest and gave Angel a challenging look.
"Be my guest." He turned towards the door just as Ellie came into the room. He ordered her to bring back some pillows and blankets, and she gave me a dirty look before turning around to obey him. Angel ignored it. “I’ll have some food brought in soon. By the looks of both of you, you've both had a rough night."
He brushed the back of his hand on my cheek and left the room. Luke stared after him until Angel had disappeared. He grabbed the door and rested it against the wall, then cleaned the stacks of money, papers and the map that were still scattered along the floor. After organizing them next to some bottles of red wine, he grabbed a chair and sat down next to me.
Ellie came back in the room, holding the items requested. She put them on the table, then fell to her knees, bowing her head. “I apologize for the way I’ve treated you, Briar.” She looked up at me, eyes pleading. I just now noticed the red marks on her neck. “Please forgive me.”
Both Luke and stared at her in surprise, and I nodded my head. “Yeah, of course.”
She grabbed my hand and kissed the top. “Thank you.”
She left the room so fast my eyes had a hard time tracking her. Luke scooted his chair closer to me and took my hand in his and rubbed his lips over my skin. It sent a tingle down my spine.
"What happened to your forehead?" I touched it. "I don't remember you having that cut after the fight." It was already healed but you could still see the dried blood.
"That's because I didn't have it. We were in a small car accident on the way here. That's what I get for driving like a madman."
My pulse raced. “Are you okay?"
“I’m fine.”
"That's why you were so sweaty.” I paused, smiling. “My clothes are still wet."
His eyebrows drew together. "They are not."
"They are. Maybe you should remove them." I had a vague recollection of a promise to push people away, but I had almost died. Surely there was a clause somewhere that gave me a temporary pass.
A rumble left his throat and his eyes simmered. He jumped out of his chair and leaned over, pressing his hands into the table to box me in under him. He looked at my lips and licked his own.
“You definitely need to be taught a lesson, after that stunt you pulled tonight.”
My lips parted, exhaling a breath. “What kind of lesson?”
His hand slid down to my side and his thumb pressed into my hip. “The kind that will make you ache all over.”
I grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer and his breath washed over me, causing me to shiver. “I’d like to learn that lesson, sir. Now.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Too bad Angel made it very clear that you’re not well enough to move tonight. Or I’d show you how good of a teacher I am.”
I bit at my lip. “I can still move. A little bit of silver shouldn’t get in the way of my education.”
He bent closer, nibbling on my bottom lip. “Not tonight, Pup. I want you to be healthy when I show you how I earned my masters in human sexuality.”
I clasped my hand to the back of his head, staring into his eyes. “I’m tough. I can take what you can give out.”
“Are you going to tell me how Angel healed you?"
I grimaced. "I don't want to ever mention it again. It was kind of gross."
His fingers slid up to pull a strand of hair between his fingers. "I’ll make sure to bring it up later then.”
He stood and replaced Angel’s jacket with a pillow under my head, then tucked the rest of them around me. He followed it up with a blanket across my body. “Rest, Briar. If you die tonight because of silver, I’ll make sure that Angel brings you back to life just so I can kill you for making me worry so much.” He winked, and his eyes crinkled with his smile.
I brushed the side of his face. "Thank you for saving me."
“That was al
l Angel.”
“You trusted me enough to bring me here.”
“I’m just glad you're going to live."
“Me too.”
Luke sat back down, settling into his chair. I turned to my side and closed my eyes. I couldn't feel the Scorpion's Breath anymore. Getting stabbed with the silver knife must've counteracted the effects or something. I swallowed harshly; I didn't want to start having withdrawal symptoms in front of Luke.
I had two more vials in my pocket. The rest was at home. I glanced at him, making sure he wasn’t watching me. He was frowning, typing into his cell phone. I slipped the vial out of my pocket and, pretending I was settling in, drained it in one swift stroke. I curled the empty glass into my palm and closed my eyes, smiling as the effects warmed my blood. After a few minutes, my body began to relax. I gave myself over to it and fell asleep quickly.
I woke up to an empty room. I slowly sat up, swinging my legs off the hard table. Other than being a little stiff from my sleeping arrangement, I felt much better. I raised my arms high and yawned. I hadn’t dreamed, but I hadn’t had any nightmares either, thanks to the Scorpion’s Breath.
Speaking of which, I grabbed a vial and drank it. Smiling as it burned my throat, I checked out my wound. It looked perfectly healed. My shirt was ruined, a big bloody hole right through the side.
I walked out into the empty bar. It was a completely different place with no one in it, yet it still felt the same, as if the dead still roamed the floors as silent ghosts, whispering around me. Only slivers of light filtered in through a few windows. The sound of an engine roaring cut off just outside. Luke's motorcycle. Someone must’ve given him a ride to go get it this morning.
A moment later he opened the front door. “You're awake."
"What time is it? And do you know what happened to my phone?”
He reached into his pocket and tossed it to me. “It fell out into the van. I cleaned it out before they towed it.” He looked me over. “It's almost two in the afternoon. How do you feel?"
"Much better, thank you."
“You look good. We should head back to Fire Ridge. Dominic wants to see you. And I’ve got some stuff I need to do before it gets too late.” He hesitated as if he wanted to say more but thought better of it.