Blood Moon: Book 2 of the True Mates Series: A Werewolf Shifter Paranormal Romance

by Alicia Montgomery

  A persistent knock on the door interrupted them.

  "Is Jared knocking?" Nick's brow furrowed. The normally reserved Lycan assistant was usually calm and reserved, and used the intercom to communicate with this boss.

  Grant shrugged and walked to the door.

  "Primul," Jared called, using the honorific title for Lycan Alphas. "I'm sorry, but you need to take this," Jared practically shoved the cordless phone in Grant's face. "It's Mercy Grace Hospital."

  "Thank you, Jared," Grant took the phone from the younger Lycan. "Hello...yes this is Grant Anderson. Yes, I'm her contact..."

  Nick watched his friend's face change from confused to worry, and then turned pale.

  Grant's jaw set in a hard line. "I'm headed there now. What about the driver? Yes, I know I'm not related to him, but he's my employee. At least tell me if he's...ok good. Yes, please go ahead and call them. You have their number? Good. And thank you." He handed the phone over to Jared. "Call the garage and have whoever's on duty get the car ready. Now." His voice was pure power and command and Jared nodded, rushing back to his desk.

  "What's wrong?" Nick had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  "It's Cady. She's been in an accident. The ambulance brought her to Mercy Grace Hospital."

  Nick shot up to his feet. "I'll drive, it'll be faster." He didn't bother to wait for Grant, but instead darted towards the door.

  Grant followed his friend, stopping by Jared's desk, instructing him to call Dr. Faulkner and take care of Greg's family. When he got to the elevators, Nick was pacing impatiently. The doors dinged and he held the doors to let Grant enter first.

  Nick jabbed the floor to the private garage, willing the elevator to go faster. There was a buzzing in his head as anger, worry, and anxiety threatened to pour out of him, but he took control. Be calm, he told himself. It would serve no good if he got into an accident while driving to get to Cady. A deep, protective growl came from within him when he thought of her. He pushed back thoughts of what could have happened - Cady, bloody and broken while she lay underneath twisted, burning metal. The elevator doors opened and Nick didn't bother to wait for Grant as he strode to his car.

  "The car swerved and hit a barrier," Grant supplied as climbed into the front passenger seat. "That's all they told me for now. Greg's pretty banged up with a broken leg and Cady's unconscious but only sustained minor injuries."

  Cady was alive. Nick felt some of the tension leave his body as he drove out of the garage and headed downtown.

  ***

  The trip to the hospital was quick, with Nick driving effortlessly through New York traffic, taking a few shortcuts here and there. After parking the car, the two men headed to the front desk, where the receptionist sent them to the East wing.

  "I'm Grant Anderson," Grant said to the nurse at main desk. "Where's Cady Gray?"

  The dour-looking older nurse clicked a few keys on the computer. "Wait here," she eyed the notes on the screen. "The doctor will be with you in a moment."

  "What room is she in?" Nick asked, leaning over the desk and staring down the woman. "We want to see her now."

  The nurse stared right back at him, unfazed. "I said you have to wait. The doctor wants to talk to you first."

  Nick opened his mouth to speak, but Grant clapped him on the shoulder. "C'mon Nick, let's wait for the doctor." He nodded a small apology towards the nurse, who looked more bored than offended. The blonde Lycan deferred to his Alpha and sat on one of the chairs near the desk. "I'm going to make a phone call," Grant told his friend. "Just wait here, ok?"

  Nick nodded and watched Grant walk away. He crossed and uncrossed his legs, his hands unable to stay still, his eyes darting around the room, waiting impatiently.

  Finally, a tall, older man in a long white coat approached them. "Mr. Anderson? I'm Dr. Marks. Please come with me." Both men stood up, but Dr. Marks shot Nick a stern look. "Sorry, family or emergency contacts only."

  Before Nick could protest, Grant spoke up. "Nick is my bodyguard, and he needs to go where I go," Grant explained. "And I just spoke with Paul Goldman, your hospital's CEO. We serve on a few boards together. He said he would extend every courtesy to me and my staff. I assure you, we're all discreet."

  Dr. Marks looked conflicted, but relented. "Alright, come this way."

  The two men followed the doctor down one of the corridors, away from the main public area. "Ms. Gray was in a vehicular accident. As far as we could surmise, the driver suddenly swerved off road, hitting a traffic barrier. It was a good thing that car she was riding was built like a tank, and she sustained minor bruises and cuts, including one on her forehead. So far, the MRI showed no signs of a concussion, but we'd like to keep her at least overnight." The stopped outside a door with the number 405 in front. "She's in there, resting now."

  "Is she awake?" Grant asked.

  The doctor shook his head. "No, we had to give her some drugs for the pain, which is why she's out, plus she needs lots of rest. You can check in on her, but I assure you, she won't be waking up until morning."

  "What about the driver?"

  He looked at his file. "I'm afraid I'm not the attending physician, though I was told his injuries are more severe, but not life threatening. His legs, unfortunately, bore the brunt of the crash."

  "Could you find out where he is?" Grant requested. "He's my employee and I need to meet with his family as well, to reassure them we will be taking care of him."

  "Alright, I'll check for you Mr. Anderson," the doctor turned back to the Nurse's station.

  "We'll be right behind you," Grant called. When the doctor was out of sight, he turned to Nick. "You know we have a big problem."

  Nick rubbed his forehead, another headache coming on. "Once the doctors see Greg healing in a few hours, they'll know something's up."

  "Right. Dr. Faulkner should be on the way. I'll do what I can with the administration to make sure we can take him back to The Enclave as soon as possible," Grant ran his fingers through his hair. "Can you check on Cady? I'm going to go talk to Greg's family. We'll have to get her out of here too and try to cover up any accident report, but she's human so it's not a problem if they want to keep her for observation."

  "Of course," Nick nodded his head. "Call me when you decide what to do." He turned and walked back to room 405.

  Slowly, Nick opened the door and peeked inside. He walked towards the bed where Cady was lying frightfully still, his heart stopping at what he saw. The overhead light did nothing for her complexion, which was even paler than usual, her cheeks marred with bruises that would surely turn purple by morning. Her red hair was pulled back and a bandage was plastered over her right eyebrow.

  "Cady," he called softly, willing her to hear him. Her faint, candy apple caramel scent played along his nostrils. He reached out and grabbed one of her small hands, wrapping his own larger one around it. It took him years before he even let himself touch her, and now it was like he couldn't stop, like he needed to feel her warm skin all the time. The bruises on her face made him wince in pain, but he had to remind himself that she was safe and didn't have any serious injuries. He picked up the steadiness of her breath with his keen hearing, confirming that she was just sleeping deeply. Pulling up the chair next to the bed, he sat down and continued to watch the rise and fall of her chest, while her eyes remained closed in slumber.

  Chapter Six

  Cady felt like she was floating. She tried to moan, but her dry throat produce a short, raspy sound. Slowly, she opened her eyes, only to be assaulted by the harsh overhead light. She shut her eyes quickly.

  Where am I? Nothing felt or smelled familiar. The sheets were scratchy, the pillows lumpy, and there was an antiseptic smell in the air all around her. Hospital, she realized as she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and her lids felt heavy, but she forced them open anyway.

  It looked like a standard hospital room, white walls, fluorescent light overhead, a single window covered with a green curtain.
The car spinning out of control and then...nothing. Why couldn't she remember...she was too sleepy and distracted. Her father's grave. Victoria. A chill went through her. She couldn't shake that strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that these events were connected somehow.

  Suddenly, the door opened and a tall, large nurse dressed in colorful scrubs walked in with a tray.

  "Well, good mornin' sleeping beauty!" she said cheerfully, her smile revealing a set of pearly white teeth, made even whiter against her dark complexion. "I thought you'd never wake up!"

  "What time is it? Where am I?" she panicked. She racked her brain, trying to remember what happened. It all flooded back into her. "Greg! Where's Greg?" she shouted, then winced when she tried to sit up. "Oh god, it hurts!"

  "Calm down, Cady," the nurse set the tray down and walked towards the bed. "You're at Mercy Grace and I'm Nurse Ellen. Is Greg that boyfriend of yours?"

  "No, he...he's the driver of the car I was in." An accident. Must have been an accident. "Is he ok?"

  Nurse Ellen patted her arm reassuringly. "Ah yes, the other patient," she leaned down and lowered her voice. "Now, I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but...I heard he was being transferred to another hospital. They want to do some special surgery for his legs, some state-of-the-art procedure."

  Cady sighed in relief. "Thank god."

  "Now, let me go get the doctor. Oh and your boyfriend, I think he said he was going to make a phone call. He'll be glad to know you're up."

  "Boyfriend?" Cady looked, confused. "I don't have a boyfriend."

  The nurse frowned. "You don't remember him, honey? How bad were you hit in the head?" Nurse Ellen placed her hand on Cady's forehead gently. "'Cause if that tall, blonde drink of water was my boyfriend, I'd never forget him! Mmm-hmm!" she joked.

  "Tall...blonde?"

  "Yes, the one that likes to wear them tight suits and pants that show off his cute butt?" She nodded to the empty chair beside the bed. "Stayed here all night. Had one of the night nurses bring him a pillow and a blanket too."

  Nick Vrost? Last week, he acted like he couldn't stand to be in the same room as her, and now he stayed with her the whole night? Maybe the nurse was mistaken, though she didn't know any other tall, blonde men who wore Italian-cut suits. "Can I have some water, please, Nurse Ellen?"

  "Of course, sugar," the older woman patted her arm. "I'll grab a glass, while I get the doctor. I think we might have to get you more pain killers too." With that, the nurse left the room.

  Cady found the controls to the bed and reclined it forward so she was sitting up in bed. She fidgeted for a while, trying to find the right position that didn't cause her any pain.

  "What are you doing?"

  She looked up towards the door, where Nick was standing, regarding her with his usual cool stare.

  "I'm trying to get comfortable, which is proving to be very hard, considering I'm wearing and lying down on cold paper sheets," she fiddled with the controls again.

  Nick strode over to her, reaching her bedside in a few steps. He took the pillow he had been using and placed it behind her, then wrapped the soft blanket over her shoulders. "Better?" he asked, tucking her in.

  "Thank you," she sighed, snuggling into the soft warmth of the blanket. "How's Greg?"

  "I just spoke with the Alpha. They moved him back to The Enclave early this morning, before any of the doctors noticed how fast he was healing. Dr. Faulkner said his broken legs should be fine in a couple of days," Nick sat down on his chair.

  "Good...I was worried when I woke up and I couldn't remember..." she drifted off. "What happened, by the way? Do they know?"

  Nick shook his head. "Greg is still under sedation, which should help speed up his healing, but that means we can't question him for another day or so." He frowned. "What do you remember?"

  The redhead wrinkled her nose delicately as she searched her memories. "Honestly? Not a lot right now." She paused. "I was falling asleep in the back seat, then the car swerved...that's about it." When she winced in pain, Nick got to his feet.

  "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

  She sucked in some air, breathing deeply. "Meds are wearing off..."

  "Where's that doctor?" Nick muttered.

  "I'm fine," Cady protested. "I shouldn't be having all these painkillers. They're making me feel sluggish and groggy. I need to get to my e-mails or they'll pile up."

  "You need rest," Nick stated.

  "I have work to do."

  "If you think Grant will let you go back to work in your condition-"

  "I'll work from home," she retorted.

  "I'll cut off your Internet and confiscate your phone," Nick crossed his arms over his chest.

  "You wouldn't dare!"

  "Try me."

  Before Cady could protest any further, the door opened and Dr. Marks and Nurse Ellen walked in.

  "How are you today, Ms. Gray?" Dr. Marks asked. "I'm Dr. Marks."

  "Fine," Cady sulked. "When am I leaving here?"

  The doctor regarded her carefully. "Ms. Gray, you were in a major car wreck. The only thing that saved your life was your seatbelt and that reinforced vehicle. You've got bruises all over your body and face, and you're lucky you didn't even get a fracture."

  Cady gasped at his words, touching her cheek where a bruise was blooming. "Oh my god!" She looked like she was going to cry.

  "It's not that bad, honey, don't worry," Nurse Ellen took her hand and patted it. "Nothing a little makeup won't fix." She looked knowingly at Nick. "And your boyfriend doesn't seem to mind, right, sugar?"

  The redhead opened her mouth to tell the nurse Nick wasn't her boyfriend, but before she could say anything, Nick took her other hand and kissed it. "You look gorgeous, sweetheart."

  Tingles shot through her hand where Nick's lips grazed her bare skin. She was almost glad her bruises hid her blush.

  The doctor stayed a while longer, explaining what needed to be done and that she would need some serious medication in case her cuts became infected and of course, pain meds. Cady said she wanted the least amount of pain meds possible, and the doctor agreed that they would dial back and eventually she would only need them to sleep at night and get rest. He ordered another night of observation, and at least a week of rest at home.

  "I can't believe they want to keep me here longer," Cady pouted as soon as the doctor and nurse left. "I feel fine. Fit as a fiddle."

  "I don't supposed you'd like to go dancing?" Nick smirked. "I'll take you out into the hallway right now and we can prove Dr. Marks wrong."

  Even thinking about getting up made Cady wince, and she fell back into bed. "Fine. I'll stay another night. But I'll need my cellphone."

  "Sorry, Cady," Nick said in a smug tone. "Your phone and pad were destroyed in the crash."

  Cady groaned and pulled the covers over head. This was going to be a long week.

  Chapter Seven

  Flower, gifts, and cards poured into Cady's hospital room. Tate Miller had brought over a bag with some clothes and personal items, telling her that Mr. Vrost had asked Suzanne to pack the items which she thought Cady would need. She was practically giddy with relief when she saw her robe, favorite cotton nightgown, and face soaps and creams in the bag.

  Still, after getting cleaned up and refreshed, Cady had way too much time on her hands, and without her phone or pad, she pretty much didn't know what to do. She wished she could talk to someone - anyone - about what happened. Guilt consumed her at the thought of poor, innocent Greg. What if the accident was Victoria's doing? Was her mother attempting to kidnap her on the way home? The thought of the young Lycan in pain because of her was too much to bear.

  Grant came by at around lunchtime, checking up on her and giving her a status report on Greg, but other than that, he refused to talk Fenrir business with her, even ordering Suzanne to stay away. He assured Cady that everything would be taken care of and there was nothing urgent that needed her attention. Cady, meanwhile, begged them not t
o tell Alynna or Alex about the accident while on their honeymoon. Since the couple would be returning in a week's time anyway, and there was no need to worry them. She also asked if she could do anything for Greg or his family, but Grant said they were taken care of.

  For the rest of the day, Cady drifted between sleep and lucidity, the drugs making her tired and loopy. Weird visions came to her - Victoria, telling her she would do anything to get her back. Dark, swirling clouds consuming her. Frightful creatures surrounding her. Also, as she drifted in and out of consciousness, she could have sworn Nick was hovering around her, holding her hand, and then apologizing when he had to leave. The scent of his aftershave lingered, and she wasn't quite sure if it was all a hallucination, but sometime in the middle of the night, she woke up lucid and saw she was alone in the room. She was disappointed, but perhaps Nick found something better to do than play nursemaid to her.

  In the morning, she woke up, feeling much better, though very much alone. There's nothing more you can do, she told herself. Greg was recovering, no one else was hurt. Maybe it was the drugs that was making her paranoid. It had to have been an accident, right?

  Dr. Marks came by as well to check up on her and when she said she wasn't in much pain (downplaying it as much as she could), he said she could switch to over the counter painkillers. He also had more good news for her - they were releasing her into Dr. Faulkner's care that day, but only if she promised to stay at home and rest for a week and follow all their orders.

  "All right, honey," Nurse Ellen said as she helped Cady into a pair of loose black pants and a sweater. "There, you look gorgeous. I'm sure that cutie of yours will be happy to take you home."

  "He's not...er-" Cady stopped herself short. Nurse Ellen seemed to be giddy at the idea of Nick being her doting boyfriend, and she couldn't bear to tell her otherwise. "Thanks."