by HK Savage
Gunfire erupted again. This one from another direction; a shooter fanning the general area hoping to get lucky. No NVGs there. Casting a searching glance the direction of the shooter, Michael deemed it too far for an accurate shot with his M4 so he left the two carbines he’d been carrying strapped to his back. Ryan got up to pursue and Gabrielle stopped him with a hiss.
“There’s no time. We’ve been here too long already.”
Ryan’s whine turned into a growl and he licked his chops, frustrated.
“She’s right, Ryan, we don’t have time. By the time you get up that hillside we’ll have company for sure.” Michael put a hand to his wound, surprised when it came away soaked. He wasn’t healing as quickly as he should; his throat was on fire. The damage must be worse than he thought. There was no time to worry about that.
Someone else knew they were here and Becca was out there in the dark. Alone. He was pissed all over again at himself for getting stabbed. Gabs must have seen him struggling after Ryan pushed him over the wall and came to help, like any of them would. But she’d left Becca undefended. And now there was a shooter who, even without night vision, might get lucky and hit one of them. His dead heart froze. Unless he wasn’t trying to hit them. What if he was pinning them down until reinforcements came? What kind of a mess had they walked into? This didn’t smell right from the first shot and it just kept getting worse. They were definitely double checking that Intel source when they got home. Maybe diverting money and starving them out wasn’t enough for someone anymore.
“Gabs, go get Becca, we have to move fast.” Michael rubbed his hand against his ribs, the wetness there making a splishing sound.
“Can you move on your own?” She gave a nod to his barely functional legs.
“I’ll manage.”
Ryan took a few steps closer and sat down. He had one of his pack’s straps in his teeth.
“Yeah, best not to change back just yet. We don’t have time for you to get dressed.”
He gave a playful yip.
“Quit trying to show Becca your ass,” Michael growled, not entirely kidding. He caught Gabrielle’s tight features and grimaced. The touchy feely side of management wasn’t his thing, but the way they worked together was important and if Gabrielle was struggling, it was a concern. “You good, Gabs?” he asked, a little softer.
She gave a quick nod and hopped up into run. Momentarily, she returned and deposited a wheezing and choking Becca beside him. Everyone dropped as a spattering of rounds sprayed harmlessly off to their left. Yep, this guy was holding them down. No one was that bad a shot unless it was on purpose. He cut the tall blonde a glare and she held up her hands, backing up a step to rest on her heels. Ryan whined in greeting. The breeze carried Becca’s sweet scent mixed with perspiration to him. His mouth watered and his fangs hummed in his gums.
“Michael, are you hurt?” Becca’s panicked voice cut through him and ran his tongue over his teeth, willing them back.
He’d put teeth to her only once and, although she forgave it as a consequence of passion, he did not. He wanted to reach out to her, to take her in his arms and reassure her. But they were under the gun. Literally. There was no time for comfort. “I’m fine. We have to get back to the helicopter. I think this guy’s holding us for bigger guns.” His assumption was met with silence and Michael knew they didn’t disagree. Still, she held a shaking hand out, patting the sand and he gritted his teeth. “Becca, can you see?”
Biting her lip, she shook her head.
Cursing under his breath, Michael exchanged glances with Ryan. The dog dipped his muzzle. He would help guide her. Thankfully it wasn’t too close to the full moon or this depth of comprehension wouldn’t be possible for the wolf. The closer the moon waxed to full, the more animal the wolves’ minds became. They were mid cycle so essentially it was like having a human in a furry body. Much easier on an operation such as this. “Becca, take Ryan’s pack and keep a hand on his fur. He’ll get you back.”
“What about you? You’re bleeding.” Her hand had found him and, landing on his leg, had run up until she felt the wet front. He’d soaked through to his pants already and was still leaking. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” To her credit she didn’t flinch.
“I’m fine.” He glanced up at Gabrielle and she rolled her eyes, but gave him a tight lipped nod. She would help him. “We’ll go on my count. Each pair swings wide and we meet at the bird. It’s not far; we should be fine.” Fairly certain they were nearly out of range, he was also assuming the shooter was alone. If he was wrong, they could be in a lot of trouble. And Becca could be dead. The vampire inside him rumbled.
Being careful to wipe his palm on a dry patch of his clothing, Michael put a hand on Becca’s arm and felt her relax. He had that curious effect on her. If it weren’t for the fact that he needed to lean on someone stronger, he would have her with him. “Let Ryan lead and you’ll be fine.” More than a little of his influence rolled out before he remembered it didn’t work on her. Not for the first time, he wished it did. It would make life so much easier.So would her blood,the vampire inside him hissed and Michael clamped down on it. Not an option.
Hesitant to touch and hurt him, she put her hand over his and squared her shoulders. “I’m ready when you are.”
Michael gave the signal and made sure Becca was off and moving with a hand clenched deep in Ryan’s fur. The yip the wolf made gave him a little smile before he looked to his crutch.
“Need me to carry you?” Gabs asked, no hint of sarcasm. She’d seen his flight from over the wall and understood the severity of his injury.
He shook his head, lips tight. “No, I can walk.”
Scooting closer, she wrapped his arm over her shoulder and together they hauled him to his feet. Immediately, he swayed.
“Let’s go,” he said harshly before she could argue.
It was a rough run back to the helicopter. Michael scurried into the back and Becca, given Ryan’s current form and inability to change and dress without hitting numerous buttons on the control panel, had to sit in the front. Gabrielle flew high so they had no need for a man on the guns. Their seating arrangement was for the best, Michael decided when the scent of his own blood in his nostrils gave way to the allure of hers. That was when he knew he was in trouble.
***
By the time they landed at FOB Delaram amidst roughly three hundred Marines, Ryan was in the appropriate form and dressed. Michael, however, was in bad shape. He knew as soon as the rotors stopped pushing the air away he would smell the airmen sure to come assist. Damn it, that was his worst nightmare; killing a human because of his own weakness. The night he turned he’d done exactly that and, consequently, avoided close contact with humans since. Until Black brought Becca on, that is. Faced with a decision, one he didn’t relish, his inner turmoil must have been obvious.
“Hey Becca, can you hop back here?” Ryan called through to the front.
Vision apparently cleared and eager to get to him, she made it into the back in a matter of heartbeats. Heartbeats. Blood. He felt his fangs growing and he hated himself.
Ryan’s big hand rested on his shoulder. “It makes sense, Mike.” He glanced up at Becca, already kneeling beside her lover, giving her a tight smile before turning back to Michael. “You won’t hurt her.”
“What if you’re wrong?” His need was great, he could feel the burn growing in his throat.
Gentle green eyes hardened. “You think it’ll go better with one of those Marines out there? How would you feel about yourself then? You love her, you’ll stop. With them, you won’t.”
He was right and they both knew it. If there was any chance of him getting what he needed and not killing anyone, Becca was his best bet.
Peering down, her hazel eyes looking unusually large in the dim interior light. Petite and small featured, Becca told him people often mistook her for a teenager and not a twenty-two year old Navy MP. That had been her life before the admiral took her. That’s what it was when the
admiral decided he wanted someone. It wasn’t recruiting or transferring because the soldier had no choice, and there was no out. Becca was in with them for life, and hers was terrifyingly more fragile than any of theirs. She was human. Humans were fragile. He was a fool to neglect that. Her safety his responsibility, both as his lover and a part of his unit.
“Hey, Becca, we need you to give Mike a little pick me up so we can get him inside without killing anybody.” Ryan’s eyes conveyed the severity of the situation, far more than his light tone.
Michael caught the way hers widened to saucers as she took in the wetness of his clothing, mentally calculating how much blood he must have lost. She would know, even if she couldn’t see his fangs, that he was growing desperate. Only his age and control kept him from leaping at her this very moment.
“Um, how much do you think you need?” she asked Michael directly.
The fear he smelled and saw her bravely attempting to hide sickened him. The woman he loved should never see him as a monster and yet, she did. In that moment, no matter what she might say, she did.
“Just a little until we can get him inside and tucked away with a few blood bags to suck on.” Ryan rushed to quell her fear. “We can get as much as we need from the med supply. It’s just gonna be a little hairy getting from here to there through all the helpers we’ve got coming.” He nodded over her shoulder at the men already rushing toward them.
“It doesn’t look like we have a whole lot of options.” Swallowing, she held out a thin wrist to him. No questions. Leaning over and scooting close, she hid him as best she could with her back to the approaching horde.
Michael hesitated, closing his eyes as he felt his vampire roar to the surface. His control was slipping. The blue veins were under his nose and he smelled the perfume of her blood, heard her pulse just beneath that golden flesh. Fangs barely brushing her skin, he inhaled deeply. God she smelled like heaven.
“Michael,” her voice barely shook, “there’s no time. Take what you need.” Her lips brushed his ear as she leaned in. “I trust you.” She sensed his continued reluctance and did what she knew would push him over the edge. Lingering, she kissed his neck and slid her tongue down to the flesh of his throat. He drew a sharp breath but still didn’t bite. With a small, fearful whimper, Becca ran her tongue over his throat and bit him first.
Pushed past his white knuckled grip on control, Michael growled and his mouth gaped. A flash of long, white teeth in the greenish light and he latched onto her wrist. Her body jerked back automatically when fang pierced flesh. Not in the height of passion, she had no distraction from the pain. If he were clear-headed he would have withdrawn immediately, but he wasn’t. Instead, he was lost to the high only fresh human blood could provide. Granted, he and many others like him survived on donated blood. It was palatable. But blood like this; fresh, hot, from a woman he loved more than his own miserable life, it drew him in worse than any junkie coming off a drought. At the first drop, he was gone. Surrounded by her smell, sight, and taste, all he knew was her.
***
Michael woke up in an office of all places, lying on a cot across from an uneventful metal desk. Without conscious thought, he began taking mental inventory of his physical state. His flesh was warm and his legs were back to fully functional. He’d fed. A lot.
Flying to his feet, Michael’s eyes searched the small room in a frenzy. What had he done? Ryan wouldn’t have let him take too much, unless he’d been too crazed to pry off. It happened with some vampires when they were starving and, Michael was relatively young, but strong. It was a perk of being Black’s bitch, he thought nastily. Ryan was strong too, surely he pulled him off before he did anything horrible.Please tell me I stopped in time.
The door rattled and Michael drew himself up, taking care to make his expression blank. It was a pose he’d perfected in his half century of service to the king of blank.
The big auburn haired Marine walked through the door and Michael fell upon him.
“Where’s Becca? Did I,” he couldn’t voice his worst fear, “did I hurt her?”Did I kill her?
“No, Mike,” Ryan recognized Michael’s tenuous grip on himself and kept perfectly still. He was extremely volatile when he was hopped up on fresh blood and the vampire in him was riled. Both factors were present at the moment. He had to tread carefully. “She’s okay. A little weak so she’s getting an IV over in the infirmary.” He nodded at a garbage Michael hadn’t noticed next to the desk. It was overflowing with empty plastic bags with tubes coming off of them. “We hooked you up with what we could get out of med supply without raising too much suspicion. We’ll have to clean up after ourselves before we leave here.” His eyes softened. “You didn’t take too much from her. She’s okay, I promise.”
Slowly Michael relaxed his grip on Ryan’s black fatigues. They all wore them, the admiral’s team. Devoid of name, rank, even country, not only were they handy for night ops, they also lent the team anonymity. It wasn’t unusual for Spec Ops teams to be loners, which is what the soldiers onsite figured these four were. Not exactly, but not far off. “Take me to her.” He straightened and ran a hand over the clean shirt tucked into the fresh black pants. An eyebrow rose in question.
Ryan’s response was limited to a noncommittal grunt. He knew anything more wouldn’t be noticed, Michael’s mind was already focused on what his senses were telling him lay outside the office door. Ears tuned in to the voices and sounds beyond the room and into the communal area outside the metal walls. Without conscious thought, he was counting heartbeats and listening for threats. It was a soldier’s habit; a vampire’s nature.
Ryan led the way, brisk and efficient; not out of place on a military base in a war zone. They went to the building with the red cross on it and Michael forced himself to maintain a human pace, needing to see with his own eyes that she still breathed. That he hadn’t caused irreparable harm to his Becca. Someone moved and there, directly ahead of him, lay a small body on a long metal framed bed. Michael felt the blood churn in his stomach at the sight of her golden skin so pale against the bleached sheets.
Maneuvering past Ryan, around the ends of two more beds, he dropped to his knees. Slipping her hand in his, he noticed how cool it was. Long brown lashes lay on too pale cheeks and the man inside him cursed the monster responsible. “Becca? Love? It’s me.”
“She’s fine, seriously Mike.” Ryan stood beside him and dropped his voice so only he could hear. “You were on her for less than a minute.”
A minute! He could nearly drain a grown man in just twice that.
“Hey.” Ryan waited, drawing Michael’s gaze from the bed to the tall man standing next to him. “Give me some credit. I was listening to her heartbeat the whole time. You never lost it, man. She was never in trouble. I swear.”
Unwilling to let himself off the hook entirely, knowing if he could have counted on his control in running the gauntlet of blood filled humans she wouldn’t be lying in that bed, Michael gave him a grunt and a sour look. Dark blue eyes returned to the prone figure, searching her face for signs of distress. That she wasn’t hooked up to any machines was a good sign. The only line running in was an IV for hydration. The tightness in his chest loosened just a little.
Her lashes fluttered and Michael could breathe again. If he’d needed to.
***
“Hey,” Becca squeezed the warm hand in hers, knowing it was her blood, in part, that made it so. Without feeding, Michael would be cool to the touch as if he’d just come from a dip in the pool.
“Hey.”
“Are you,” she asked as a nurse walked past, “back to normal?”
“Yes, back to normal.” He fought to keep his features placid for those watching, the strangers in their midst. Michael perfected keeping his guard up in public although she could see the telling small lines in his features. It must be killing him to have fed off her. As long as he didn’t see her as a lunch truck, she was fine with doing for him when his needs were desperate. Bec
ca just wished he wouldn’t hate himself for it afterward.
“You done with your nap yet, Sauter?” Ryan stepped closer to the bed and Becca had to crank her head to take in the hulking form.
She smiled and caught the lines in Michael’s face easing. “Whenever you’re ready, Hallbeck, I’ve been waiting for you.”
Tossing an affectionate smile her way, Ryan gave her shoulder a brief rub. “I’m going to check with a doc to see what it’ll take to get you out of here.”
“Thanks, Ryan.” It was impossible not to catch at least some of the big Marine’s enthusiasm for life. His affable nature was a welcome infusion to the arguably too severe members of the unit.
Drifting away, he aimed for a short block of a man clad in desert camo and carrying a clipboard. Michael stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. Her gaze fell back to him and the look she saw there was equal parts pleasure and pain.