He grabbed his knife and held it to the vampire’s throat, steadying the blade so that it would take only a few slices to sever the bastard’s head.
“Stop! I said don’t kill anyone! What part of that wasn’t clear?” Hunter said, clearly exasperated.
“Oh, come on, man,” Riddick said, “at least let him kill this one. That’s the one who hurt Violet! She said his name is Briggs. He’s leading some kind of rebellion against you and the council. He deserves what he gets!”
“All the more reason why I need this one alive. We need to determine if this is an isolated group, or if there are more of them out there.”
Nikolai’s hands started shaking with the need to slit this vampire’s throat. To destroy the one who’d dared to lay his hands on Violet. To make sure she was well and truly safe, once and for all.
“Put it down or I’ll take it from you,” Hunter warned.
He could do it, too. Without ever laying a hand on him. But how fast could Hunter knock the knife out of his hand? Faster than Nikolai could sever the layers of skin and muscle and bone that held the vampire’s head on his shoulders? Maybe not…
“Nikolai,” Violet whispered. “Please.”
Nikolai’s head shot up. Riddick had carried Violet in with him. Bringing her back in here had been stupid on Riddick’s part, but at least he’d gotten her out of that damn chair.
Her hand lulled limply against Riddick’s shoulder, but her blue eyes were locked on Nikolai and bright with tears and a mix of fear and…something he couldn’t quite identify. Was she afraid of him?
That’s when it occurred to him that she’d just seen him joyfully beat a man (a vicious, sadistic vampire, but still…) to unconsciousness and prepare to take his head off.
She’d seen the monster.
Fury threatened to overtake him. God dammit! He’d never wanted her to see that side of him. Never wanted her to know—to see—what he was truly capable of.
He dropped the knife, slowly stood up, and crossed the room, holding her gaze as he moved. She was so tired. He could practically see her strength draining by the second. It looked like she was clinging to consciousness by nothing but sheer force of will.
“Violet, I—”
The sharp bark of a Glock split the night air. Pain seared Nikolai’s chest. Violet screamed as blood bloomed all over the front of his shirt.
Nikolai dropped to his knees as chaos once again erupted around him.
Miles rushed into the building from where he’d apparently been hiding in the woods. He must have run before Hunter destroyed the other vamps’ guns. Pathetic little coward.
“If I’m going to Midvale,” Miles shouted, “at least I know she won’t end up with you!”
Riddick set Violet down and she immediately crawled to Nikolai’s side, tears streaming down her cheeks. Hunter waved a hand at Miles and the gun flew from his grip, but not before he managed to fire off one last shot that hit Nikolai in the shoulder.
He fell back at the impact. The last thing he heard before the darkness claimed him was Violet screaming and begging him not to die.
Chapter Thirty-One
It’d been two days, three hours, 42 minutes and—Violet glanced down at her watch—20 seconds since the surgeons had removed two bullets from Nikolai’s body. One had pierced his lung, which was one of the few wounds severe enough to actually endanger a dhampyre. Only a bullet through the heart or brain would’ve dropped him faster.
But he was healing now, and everyone assured her he’d recover, but seeing him like this, pale and weak in a hospital bed, was almost more than Violet could stand.
She held his hand to her cheek, silently willing him to hurry up, heal, and come back to her. Until he opened those beautiful green eyes of his and smirked up at her, she wasn’t going to be able to take a full breath.
The door to Nikolai’s room swung open and Harper strolled in.
She jerked her chin in Nikolai’s direction. “How’s the patient today?”
“Better,” Violet said, because maybe if she said it enough, it’d be true one of these times.
Harper hoisted herself up so that she could sit on the little nightstand next to Nikolai’s bed. She shoved an untouched lunch tray out of her way. “I have some good news. Oh, hey, look! Green Jello! I love this stuff.”
Violet watched as Harper peeled back the cover on her prize and dug in with childlike glee. It quickly became apparent that Harper had lost her train of thought and needed a nudge back in the right direction. “What’s the news, Harper?”
“Well, it would seem that the little vampire uprising has been officially thwarted. Briggs and his group were the only ones involved. No out-of-towners. And since our guys pretty much stomped the crap out of Briggs’s guys—yay us!—it’s all over.”
That was good news. Violet was sure she’d care more about it once Nikolai was awake. “What’s going to happen to them?”
Harper grinned manically. “That’s the best part. Hunter left their punishment up to Mischa.”
Violet winced. Wow. They’d be begging for death by the time Mischa was done with them. Normally, she had sympathy for condemned prisoners. But this time? Violet couldn’t bring herself to care too much what happened to Briggs, Miles, and all the other clueless losers who sought to take control from the most stable leader the vampires had ever had. They deserved what they got. “What about the human cops?”
“The legal weasel took care of them. Nikolai’s no longer a suspect in any of their cases. He’s totally clear. The best part, though? Cunningham got busted back to beat cop for what he did to Nikolai.”
Violet allowed herself a small smile at the thought of Cunningham in a years-old, too-tight blue uniform, walking a beat, writing out parking tickets.
“You look like hammered dog shit,” Harper said around a mouthful of Jello.
Violet imagined that was a polite description of how she looked. She’d gone way too long without a shower, and her clothes were so wrinkled and blood-covered they looked like she’d pulled them out of a dumpster. “Gee, thanks. You look pretty, too.”
As usual, Harper ignored her sarcasm. “Have you slept at all? Eaten anything?”
How could she possibly sleep and eat while Nikolai was in this bed, recovering from major surgery after being shot? Shot because of her?
Harper dropped her empty Jello cup and let out a disgusted groan. “Look, I can see the self-loathing all over your face. Cut that shit out, OK? None of this is your fault. He would’ve done anything to get you out of there safely. The National Guard and a whole horde of Dothraki couldn’t have stopped him. So, the last thing he needs is for you to sit here, feeling sorry for yourself, getting weak and sick because you’re too lame to take care of yourself. It’s a douchebag move and I’m not going to let you do it. He deserves better.”
Violet blinked up at her, stunned. “You really suck at offering sympathy, you know that?”
Harper made another rude noise. “Suck it up, Buttercup. You’re fine, he’s going to be fine. The bad guys are probably being basted in pickle juice and staked to fire ant colonies as we speak.” She waved her arms around and added, “I’m declaring this room a no-brooding zone. You need to get out of here, take a shower—seriously, you stink, Vi—and get something to eat. I’ll stay with him until you get back.”
Violet frowned. “I think—”
Harper grabbed her arm, lifted her out of her chair, and gave her a gentle shove toward the door. “I don’t want you to think right now. Just be pretty instead, OK?”
Everything Harper had said was so insulting on so many levels that Violet was momentarily stunned speechless. But the worst part? The part that chafed like a cheap, polyester pair of panties?
She knew Harper was right.
If he was awake, Nikolai would insist she take care of herself before worrying about him. He’d be pissed if she let herself get sick in order to maintain some kind of bedside vigil for him.
Besides, she neede
d a little time to figure out exactly what she wanted to say to Nikolai when he woke up. She figured she should probably go easy on him rather than blurting out, I love you and want to have your babies at him the second he opened his eyes.
And it wasn’t like anyone had ever won an argument with Harper Hall, anyway. What choice did she really have in all this?
Violet heaved a huge sigh. “You promise you’ll stay with him? I don’t want him to wake up alone.”
Harper waved her off. “Yes, yes. Now get out. We’ll be fine. Pretty sure I saw a Shasta and a pudding cup over here somewhere…”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The first thing Nikolai became aware of as he drifted back to the land of the living was the combined smell of antiseptic and hospital-grade laundry detergent. It wasn’t a pleasant combination.
And what the hell had died in his mouth? It tasted like he’d been sucking on day-old roadkill.
Memories of the fight at the bunker flooded back to him. The vampires, the smell of gunpowder in the air as Hunter destroyed their weapons…
The look in Violet’s eyes as she watched him nearly slice a vampire’s head off.
“Violet!”
He forced his eyes open and struggled to sit up, momentarily shocked at how much pain that simple motion caused. Jesus. How could two little bullets cause so much pain?
Small hands shoved him back down into the bed, eliciting another pained grunt from his raw throat. “Whoa, there, fireball. Just cool your jets. Your girl is fine. But you’re not going anywhere just yet.”
Nikolai looked up from his position flat on his back and found a grinning Harper Hall standing over him. “Welcome back, Comrade. I was starting to wonder if you were going to die on us after all.”
“What the hell happened?” he ground out. “Where’s Violet? What’s going on?”
Harper quickly filled in the blanks of his memory, and let him know what had happened while he was unconscious. He took his first relieved breath—which still hurt quite a bit, damn it—since he woke up. Violet was safe. But why wasn’t she here?
He groaned. “I fucked up. She saw me at my worst. Is that why she left?”
Harper rolled her eyes. “Oh, Jesus, you’re as bad as she is. All brooding and self-loathing and oh, no one can ever love me because I’m such a fuck-up.” She blew a raspberry at him. “It’s bullshit. You wanna know why she’s not here? Because I made her leave. I kicked her out because she hadn’t eaten, hadn’t slept, hadn’t showered, hadn’t done anything other than sit there, holding your hand, waiting for your sorry ass to wake up.”
Come back to me.
He thought he’d been dreaming, or hallucinating, courtesy of all the pain meds they’d obviously been pumping him full of. But if what Harper said was true, then that had been Violet’s voice he heard, luring him back to consciousness.
He struggled to sit up again, and couldn’t even gasp as the pain stole his breath. “I need to go to her,” he wheezed.
“That’s lovely,” Harper said dryly, “but I don’t think you’re ready just yet. One of those bullets pierced your lung. Even for a dude with your super healing powers, that’ll take some recovery time. How about I call her for you?”
No way. They’d already wasted too much time. He wasn’t going to sit here and waste any more of it. “I’m going. With or without your help.”
Harper crossed her arms over her chest. “Why? So you can do the oh-I’m-such-a-bad-guy-for-you-and-you- deserve-better dance some more? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure that shit can wait until she gets back.”
“No,” he said through gritted teeth. “I know she deserves better, but I don’t care anymore. I love her. I don’t want to spend another minute of my life without her.”
Harper’s answering smile was bright as the sun. “Well, in that case, what are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here.”
Thank God. “Great. But I have a couple of stops to make first.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Violet grabbed a hair tie and wound her still-wet hair into a sloppy ponytail as she raced for the door. She couldn’t believe she’d slept that long! She’d only intended to be gone from the hospital for an hour or two, not six!
And why the hell wasn’t Harper answering her phone? What if something had happened? What if Nikolai had taken a turn for the worse? What if—
She yanked her front door open and stopped short at the sight that greeted her.
Nikolai stood in her doorway, arms braced on the frame, as if he’d been working up the energy to knock. He looked pale and shaky, and seemed to be favoring his left side.
Joy at seeing him awake and right in front of her warred with her concern for his health. Surely the doctors hadn’t released him this soon.
“Why are you here? Are you okay?” she asked.
“Not really. My lungs are on fire and my ribs hurt like a bitch.” He paused and reached out to ease a strand of wet hair behind her ear. “But seeing you makes it so that I can finally breathe again.”
She smiled, her eyes filling with tears—the good kind for once. “I was on my way back to the hospital. Why did you leave?”
“Because we needed to talk, and I didn’t want to wait another minute.”
Her smiled faltered. In her vast experience, nothing good was ever prefaced with those four words. “Okay. Do you need to sit down?”
“Yes, but the only way to get my audience to stay in the car is to be out in the open where they can see me.”
That’s when she noticed Nikolai’s SUV parked in front of her building. Harper and Benny were hanging out the windows, watching their every move, and Seven and Lucas were seated cross-legged on the hood, also focused on their exchange. Even little Haven had her head craned in their direction from her position in her car seat. Riddick was the only one who wasn’t shamelessly eavesdropping from his position in the back seat next to his daughter.
“You brought…everyone,” she said, awed.
He grimaced. “Not intentionally. Harper kind of insisted.” He waved a hand in their direction. “Just ignore them. First of all, I need to apologize to you. It was my duty to protect you, and I failed.”
Violet’s throat tightened up. “You rescued me. I’m safe. You don’t owe me anything anymore.”
He raked a hand through his hair and blew out a harsh breath. “I’m saying this wrong. I meant, yes, it was my duty to protect you, but it was never really about duty. From the beginning, all I ever really wanted was to be with you. I’m yours. And I’m here to convince you to be mine.”
She choked out a laugh. “Convince me? You think you have to convince me?”
He blinked at her. “Well…yes?”
Harper waved her hands at them and yelled, “Hey! Exhibit A is getting antsy in here. Can I bring her out?”
Nikolai let out an exasperated growl. “Yes, yes, fine.”
“Exhibit A?” Violet asked.
Harper hauled a huge box up to the door and set it at Nikolai’s feet. “Yep. Exhibit A in the case of Nikolai loves Violet.” She winked at her. “It’s a doozy.”
“Fine, thank you, now go away,” Nikolai hissed.
Harper frowned at him. “Okay, Mr. Grouchy Pants. You’re welcome.”
And with that, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and went back to the SUV.
Violet glanced down at the box. “You brought presents?”
“Yes. This one is to prove that I want to build a life with you. I want all the same things you want. Anything you need, I want to give it to you. Normal things that other human men can give you—I’m capable of those things, too. I love you, Violet. More than anything or anyone. More than my own life.”
Her eyes misted over again. That was maybe the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to her. She glanced down at the box.
His eyes were warm as he smiled at her. “Open it.”
Violet peeled back the box flaps and gasped as a little dog popped up like it had been spring-loaded and starte
d licking her nose. “Oh, my God,” she squealed. “You got me a dog!”
“I got us a dog. From the shelter. I thought if I made the decision of which one to adopt, it would save you from feeling bad about the ones left behind.”
“She’s beautiful!” Violet said, pulling the wriggling little body from the box and cuddling it against her chest.
The dog leaned her head against Nikolai’s palm as he reached out to her. “I asked them to give me the most unadoptable dog in the place. The one who had the lowest chance of finding a home. This is who they chose. Apparently, she’s been returned a few times. She has some quirks, I guess.”
The dog looked kind of like a beagle, but with the scraggly, wiry coat of a terrier. She also had one blue eye, and one brown, which made her gaze oddly piercing as she stared up at Nikolai adoringly.
Yep, Violet decided, quirky would fit into their lives just fine.
And Nikolai’s choice told her he clearly knew her, how her mind worked, very well. “I love her, Nikolai. But you didn’t need to bring presents to convince me to be yours.”
He stepped closer. “I didn’t?”
“No. Do you remember when I came to find you the morning the police showed up to question you?”
He frowned and she knew he’d likely never forget the day she’d been kidnapped while he was in police custody. “Of course.”
She reached out and grabbed his hand. “I was coming to tell you something I’ve never told anyone before. Not even my parents or my sisters. I really meant it when I said I was yours. Heart, body, soul…it’s all yours. I love you, Nikolai. So, so much.”
He blinked at her. Then, for a long moment, they just stood there, shocked that their feelings—both their feelings—were finally out in the open.
Feeling like a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from her chest, she smiled up into his confused face and watched as his expression lightened and transformed into a smile that started in his eyes.
Then his expression turned serious again as he turned toward the car and snapped his fingers. “Exhibit B!”
Harper Hall Investigations Complete Series Page 97