by Erin R Flynn
“We didn’t know you’d be fine at the time. They didn’t think they could get your arm reattached, and it’s always tricky if one can regrow. Toes or a foot, sure, most strong shifters can handle that after they shift, but a full arm and shoulder socket is a bit much.”
“That’s not actually an answer.”
“Because I still love you, Sera.”
“What?” I breathed, taken back not only by the words but the look in his eyes when he raised his head.
“I love you. I’m in love with you. Breaking the link, no longer having your blood affect me, made me see exactly my feelings for you and how deep they go. I couldn’t not be by your side when you were hurt.”
What did someone say to that? I’m not sure what a more sophisticated person would have, maybe one more in touch with her feelings or at least not lying in a hospital bed still a bit disoriented. But I went with something eloquent like, “oh.”
Fuck a duck.
14
Even if I would have known what to say to him, I didn’t get a chance. The door opened, and Hagan walked in first followed by Reagan, Simone, Davis, and a woman I didn’t know.
“There you guys are,” I sighed, discretely sliding my hand away from Tristan who let me this time. “I seriously thought I might be dead when I woke up with odd visitors but no Betas who rarely leave my side.”
“You weren’t supposed to be up for several more hours,” Simone explained, shrugging. “They were driving the hospital staff crazy, so your Agent Davis suggested we go to the witch supplier. I found it fascinating and educational. Plus, she said I have good chi and karma.”
“Share the wealth sometime,” I teased, though I was focused on Reagan.
“Why are you here, Tristan?” he asked, his tone civil, but his eyes were anything but friendly.
“I haven’t updated my emergency contact info. Alena sent Noah and Theon, and Tristan came with.” I glanced past him and gestured with my good hand. “Anyone want to tell me who we’re such good friends with we’re bringing them into my hospital room?”
“I was wondering when we’d arrive on me,” she chuckled and stepped closer.
I knew that voice. “Councilwoman. So we get to meet.”
“Oh, we met when you were dripping with blood and somehow moving when it shouldn’t have been possible, but you were otherwise distracted,” she joked as she sat on the edge of my bed. “Your healing is miraculous, even for one of us. You’re conscious. Has anyone looked at you yet?”
“I got up a minute before you walked in. Seriously, I know nothing but I’m thirsty and starving.” After I admitted that, someone grabbed a doctor, Reagan and Tristan still staring each other down. The doctor didn’t like me much, especially when I bitched and whined.
“Are you always this difficult?” he growled, some type of cat for sure.
“Yes, but I get better if I have more answers, a plan. ‘Rest until I tell you to’ doesn’t work for me, Doc. So, if I’m going to do nothing but lay in bed, our hotel beds are much nicer, and the food will be better too.”
“She’s good with rules. If you tell her what she can or can’t do, she’ll listen,” Tristan offered, and it was true. “But illogical things like she needs to stay here and rest because you say so without reason won’t work, and she will annoy the shit out of you until you give her a reason or cave. It’s only seven at night, and that’s a lot of wasted time if you tell her to sit here until you clear her in the morning.”
“Unflattering, but true.”
“Fine.” The doctor rolled his neck and then met my eyes. “That leg needs to stay straight and in that whole brace. I’ll put something on your shoulder that will keep it in place and essentially strap it to your body. Leave that on as well. I want you as immobile as possible, and try to keep your neck stationary and not holding your head up while those tendons finish healing.”
“Sera, maybe you should stay here and we’ll bring you whatever you need,” Hagan worried.
“Nope. Sit me in the back of an SUV and get me to the hotel. I’ve got reports to type…” I trailed off when the doc shook his head. “Right, no arm. Someone else can type and all kinds of goodies. It’s the only way if we’re going to at least have some fun.” I glanced at the doctor. “Can I get a bath? Not that I mean to complain, but someone didn’t get all the blood that’s now dried. So, yeah, bath, I’ll behave and come back when you tell me to.”
“My shift starts at ten,” he sighed, typing things into the tablet they used. “Yes, you can have a bath if someone else does it. No buts. You can’t be moving. Be here at ten with the Bellagio’s white chocolate French toast for me, and you may go. I’ll get you pain meds to take during the bath and as you need.”
I looked at Hagan and stuck up my bottom lip, going so far as to bat my eyelashes. “Please? Don’t leave me here alone and with hospital food. Get me a wheelchair, and you can push me up and down the strip.”
“Oh, no, sit your ass in the bed,” Hagan chuckled, nodding to the doctor. “There’s too many people on the sidewalks, and a Thursday night will be crazy.”
“So does that mean I shouldn’t even bring in all the flower arrangements?” someone asked from the hallway.
“Flowers? Who’d send flowers?” I wondered, and the councilwoman patted my good leg.
“Let’s get you back to the hotel, fed, and I’ll explain your popularity before your men give you your bath.”
“I thought we’d get a real chance to meet and talk. Sorry this got all messed up.”
“On the contrary, you contained the situation well and blew the lid off a whole other one.” I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, but she nodded to the doctor. Right, not everyone needed to know everything.
Reagan got me out of bed and down into the FBI van they’d borrowed again to go get more supplies for Nina and Terry. Luckily they’d unloaded it before coming to the hospital. Hagan handled pills and discharge, everyone took care of… Other things, I wasn’t really sure, but not long later we were headed to the hotel as I sat in the back of the van between Reagan’s legs so he could protect me from rolling all around on the short drive.
“Why are you so upset? I know I got hurt, but this is more than that. Spill.”
“Tristan upsets you. I don’t like you upset and especially not when you’re hurt. It was selfish of him to come.” I gave a grunt I heard him, not wanting to get into it more than that, and he kissed my hair. “I won’t start trouble. It just surprised me. I’m shocked Noah let him come with.”
“Me too, but I kind of get the sense they’re buddies in their anti-Vlad feelings after what he did to me. Noah and Tristan have been friends for a long time too, I think. I don’t know why he’s here besides he’s sorting out his feelings for me now that we’re not bonded.”
“How do you feel about him?”
I thought about it a few minutes. “It makes me sad to look at him. I don’t feel that hole tearing out the bond left as much, especially with all the feeding I’ve been doing and you guys around, but when I see him, I feel it again.”
“But is that because of the lost metaphysical bond, or that you loved him and now aren’t with him?”
“I thought maybe I did, but I fell into his pace somewhat. Sure, I knew I had to adapt because of what happened, but he didn’t have to move into my room. Riley didn’t. He wanted to, and I didn’t want issues, plus, we were together kinda though we skipped that whole dating thing. Everything just got complicated and too fast because of the mystical shit.”
“There were things you liked, though, Sera. You wouldn’t have just allowed it to happen if some of the stuff wasn’t good.”
“I liked not being alone,” I admitted, hating how cold that sounded. “I never thought I’d live with someone, and it was nice to. He helped me, accommodated my schedule, and was mostly supportive. We read each other fairly well, and he paid attention. I mean, if I came home and salmon was defrosting on the counter, I’d marinade it overnight and thr
ow it on the smoker before work because Tristan felt like salmon and well, it’s one of my favorites too.”
“I get it. You’re not sure it’s Tristan or that you found a groove with someone because that’s hard to find. The bond might have made you a bit yin to yang, and you’re still not sure if it was you guys or that.”
“Yeah, I think that’s pretty much it. Plus, the loss of the bond was more devastating for me than it was him.”
“I know. You don’t have to find the answers to the rest of it right away, nor do you just have to banish him from your life, Sera.”
“Yeah, I guess. I just don’t think I’d ever let myself get involved with one of Vlad’s vampires. I don’t trust him anymore or how he’ll react to being put in the corner for a time out.”
“On that we agree,” he sighed. The van stopped, and they got me out with some wiggling around and strategic lifting. Maybe it really was a pain for them to do this, but I seriously hated hospitals, and I had dried blood in every nook and cranny. It upset me to know it was there.
Not even ten minutes later I was up in our hotel room bed, propped up with more pillows than I would have thought the whole floor had. My head and back were immobilized. My shoulder strapped to my body had pillows under my elbow so I didn’t tip over, and even more all along the side of my busted leg to keep me in that spot and stable.
“Are you going to build us a fort next?” I teased Hagan, watching how he checked my position from every angle.
“Hey, your injuries are pretty bad, and I’m not going to be the reason you have to stay longer or wear that shit more because I didn’t take good care of you.”
“Thank you.” It was hard not to laugh, but I went with that instead. He was so adorably cute in his worry for me, there wasn’t much else to say. “How do I move around to get at my tray of food?”
“I’m your personal feeder,” he informed me, bowing. “All you have to do is open your mouth and chew. We’re getting bite sized or things to cut up and we’ll handle it all.”
“Can I get a milkshake in that?” I asked, Hagan raising an eyebrow. “I don’t know why, but whenever I’m hurt, I want ice cream. Milkshakes or malts.”
“You can have as many as you want, so stop getting hurt and we’ll just make weekly fucking ice cream dates,” Reagan huffed, grabbing the room service card and going into the suite’s main room.
I glanced at Hagan who shrugged. “He feels we failed you.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up his hand. “I know, I know. We can’t save you from work, but we were your back up, and we were there, Sera. It wasn’t just someone tried to put their hands on you. It was an eight guy attempted gang bang.”
“I know full well what it was. What’s your point?”
His eyes darkened a bit at what he saw as my impatience. That wasn’t it. It upset me to discuss it and especially in front of all these people.
“As the men who love you, to have been right there and not stop it, not know, right after what happened with the councilman—understand we can’t just let it go as your work and everything’s okay since they didn’t do it but you got injured instead.” He cleared his throat and headed for the door. “I’ll go see if the food is here.”
“Can someone explain to me what is going on?” I asked, glancing from Simone to Davis, even to the councilwoman.
“They’re saying logically or not, and definitely not insinuating you can’t take care of yourself, they feel responsible you got hurt and almost raped,” Simone explained gently, pulling up a chair next to the bed. “Sera, work or not, we were all there to help you, and we missed it. We missed them fucking walking in, didn’t smell cheetah, nothing, and they had to go by us to get to that back bathroom. They slipped by us in the confusion.”
I crunched my eyebrows together. “Not necessarily. There was an employee access door over there, probably for people who needed to get to the kitchen but not go through the locker rooms. I’d guess they were hanging out over there to start. Leader guy probably planned to bring me to a quiet corner to play, thinking I was stupid enough to let that happen, but instead, I was stupid enough to want a few quiet moments to gather myself for the character I needed to be and walked right into shit instead.”
“We should have had someone covering that door then,” Davis muttered, rubbing her tired eyes.
“Yeah, we should have. It wasn’t an access point Gearmo showed us, and I only noticed it when I went to the bathroom. I thought about it then, and I was going to tell someone to watch it when I got back, but well, we know what happened.”
“Actually, we don’t really know what happened besides we didn’t protect you,” Reagan said from the doorway, obviously having heard that first part about the extra entrance because he looked a bit lighter. He brought over a tray and set it on the nightstand before getting into the bed with me and putting it on his lap, careful of my right arm. He held the drink with straw up to my mouth, letting me take as much Coke as I wanted, and then lifted the food lid to reveal steak. “I told them no pink in the middle even if they had to cut it.”
“You remembered,” I gushed. I might be part wolf, but life left in my food creeped me out. I gave them the quick rundown as Reagan cut up my steak and fed me, especially since “I went ballistic and slaughtered them all” wasn’t good to say and really didn’t need to be said after they’d seen the outcome.
Harris took down my statement officially for the report, and I thought that was that. Silly me. Instead, he filled me in next.
“What you missed, and why we weren’t at the hospital with you, was the local cheetahs were right. The Tropicana owners were in on it. They hired the visiting cheetahs to steal capital so they could revamp the Tropicana and keep up with the newer and more elite places on the Strip. Turns out, they didn’t just hit banks, or should I say, they hit an armored car.”
“I knew that,” I interjected. “It was stopping at the branch bank to make a pick up.”
“It was the target,” the councilwoman cut in, nodding to Harris that she’d take over. “The armored car wasn’t simply there at a bad time. It was the target with pick up from Treasure Island, owned by the hawk leader here. There were also plans to hit the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, and every paranormal-owned business in Vegas. The Tropicana owners thought if other businesses took a hit, they could make their renovations quickly and come out as not only the ones who were safest with the best security—”
“But shiny and newly renovated,” I finished, wanting to nod but remembering my neck. “Bad owners. No cookie for them. So you’ve got them on the way to your prison after they gave a statement?”
“Yes, but it’s slightly more complicated than that,” she chuckled, smiling at me.
“Isn’t it always?”
“I find so.” She waited for me to wave her on with my useable hand. “Our laws clearly state that if one of us uncovers the theft between two of our people, no matter the species, that the person who was responsible for outing the criminals and handling the situation is bequeathed their assets as punishment. It keeps everyone a bit more honest when dealing with each other, at least in most business dealings. Dominance fights are messy enough, so this was to control how much someone could pull the rug out from another.”
“Bequeath their assets,” I muttered, still wondering where she was going with the conversation until my mouth fell open and not to take the bite of steak Reagan held up for me.
“Told you her face would be priceless,” Davis snickered.
“No, no, that’s—no, how did you settle on me? The local cheetahs pointed us at the Tropicana. Gearmo helped set the trap after we found them. My Betas and team—”
“Yes, but you were the quarterback of it all, for lack of a better term, no?” she pushed, raising an eyebrow at me. “The reason for all the flowers and well wishes is that it’s seen to be… Unethical for an Alpha from another city, especially one far away, to own a place here. Invest? Yes. Own, not looked well on.”
; “Neither is profiting from my job,” I growled, Reagan setting the fork down and studying me closely as everyone watched me carefully. “Guys, this is highly unethical.”
“How so?” the councilwoman challenged. “Do policemen and women not get promotions and pay raises for closing big cases? Your own promotion came after you solved the sizable Bernard Dorcus case, albeit your injury made you have to transfer, but that case helped get you promoted. I see no difference.”
“There is one,” I sighed, trying to think through the pain. Then I had it. “Did you know the police aren’t allowed to collect rewards on bond jumpers and people with rewards on them? Sure, it’s their job to bring them in, but if they could collect the reward, there would always be the question of what did they push aside on their desk to focus on the case with the reward.”
Simone caught on first. “You’re saying you can’t take the prize offered here because it can call into question ethics that you solved and handled this case before, say, the vampire murdering people because you could get the Tropicana in the end?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“But this wasn’t actually your case. It was the locals who should have turned it over to LA,” Hagan argued. “Can’t a police officer on vacation catch bail jumpers if they wanted? If they were certified to do so or whatever?”
“I don’t know on that,” I admitted, seeing his point as well. I blinked at the councilwoman, and she stared at me as if I was the most interesting thing she’d seen in a long time. “You keep looking at me like that, and the pain will make me less than polite.”
“Hey, look, I have a milkshake for you here,” Hagan announced loudly and about raced to the bed. I kept my eyes on the councilwoman.