Everyone obediently left. Drew looked like he wanted to protest but after a moment’s hesitation, reluctantly left the room.
Left Trina.
Merrick knew how he felt.
Once they were alone, Merrick clenched his teeth against confronting Trina. If he thought she would obey, he would’ve done it in a heartbeat.
It both amused and angered him that she thought to sneak away from him and the future he was building for them. But if he so much as whispered a word that he knew of her plans, she’d find a way to escape his watch.
And leave him behind.
The claiming between them was fresh and his body was clamoring to finish it. He hated that she hid his mark behind a bandage from the other shifters, but didn’t say anything for fear she’d become suspicious.
It was too soon to tell her the truth. History said the mark was supposed to make him irresistible to her, make her want to jump him at every opportunity.
He wanted that because that’s how he saw her…everything he’s ever wanted wrapped up in a delicious package waiting for him to unravel. He’d just have to convince her that she needed him as much as he needed her. “I’m going to take a shower.”
She nodded quickly. “I’m just going to run to the lab and grab my notes.”
Beast wanted to leap the distance between them and follow her. It was all he could do not to demand that she stay. Instead, he curbed the desire to roar and pretend like his world wasn’t shattering.
She disappeared out the door and never once looked back as she walked out of his life.
The coven and her family had abandoned her when she needed them most. She was so loyal that even after all these years she would risk her life for them.
He wanted her to feel that intensity for him.
No wonder she was so protective of Drew. They were both alone, tossed away from where they belonged by the people who should have protected them. She was trying to make a place here for Drew. He just had to show her that she had one, too.
Next to him.
He stripped off his clothes, letting them fall where they landed. Turning the shower on full blast, he ducked under the spray and hurried. The sense of time growing short increased the longer she was out of his sight.
He stepped out and quickly dried off, dressing in the first things he grabbed. In the bathroom mirror, he noticed that his neck had healed without a scar. The area was still sore, but not bad for having his throat torn out.
He walked out of the bathroom and knelt on the floor to grab the weapon case under the bed. Only then did he realize the ease of the move.
He slowly straightened. Though sore, his back had more mobility than he’d had since he’d been shot.
She was healing him. Her blood even took away the small twinges that had plagued him these last weeks. It gave him hope that he might be able to protect her the way she needed.
He had to move fast if he hoped to catch her before she disappeared on him. He belted on knives and gun holsters, shoving spare weapons in a pack. Memories of his teenage years rose, the fights for dominance and survival he carved out of the chaos of the pack. When he opened the door, he nearly ran over a pacing Drew.
The kid hastily stepped back, fear brightening his eyes, then he straightened. “She’s leaving.” Then his gaze dropped to the weapons, and he relaxed. Almost smiled. “Keep her safe.”
Merrick grunted as the kid disappeared at a run down the hallway. The boy was loyal to Trina and that was enough for Merrick. He shut the door behind him then quickened his steps, anxious not to be late.
Slipping outside was easier than it should’ve been. He covered the ground quickly. The few men who’d spotted him nodded and kept their distance. Merrick scaled the wall and waited in the shadows.
Chapter Twenty-four
Trina drew the last vial of blood and put it in the fridge with the others. It was all she could spare and still stay standing. As for fulfilling her end of the bargain, it was pathetically little.
She wanted to stay, finish her research and see where it would lead. Chances were she’d never know, and she swallowed the ache at the back of her throat. She took out the note she’d written and set it on the desk for Glenda with detailed instructions on what to do to extract a vaccine.
She scribbled Merrick a dozen letters, but tore up each one. There was nothing she could say that would make him understand.
Trina lingered in the room almost like she wanted to get caught. It took more strength to walk away from the Den than it had taken her to leave the coven so many years ago. She could’ve made a spot for herself here if circumstances were different.
With her heart heavy, Trina headed outside. She clung to the shadows, timing the guards. It took close to twenty minutes to cover as many feet, Merrick’s increase in guards, making things tricky.
By the time she reached the outer wall, she was sweating. Freedom had never felt so empty. The hollow sound of her footfalls landed on the sidewalk. The walk turned into a run, anything to get away from the wild urge to head back to the safety of Merrick’s arms.
She rounded the corner and skidded to a stop when a form emerged out of the darkness.
Someone had been leaning against the wall, the shape so hauntingly familiar that her heart leapt in her throat.
Big man.
Broad shoulders.
A deadly predator in wait
She wanted to see Merrick so badly that her mind was playing tricks on her. She took one step back when Merrick’s scent reached her, and her body refused to retreat.
He had come for her.
She wanted the good-bye kiss that should’ve been hers, but she feared she wouldn’t be able to leave if she dared indulge now. Then she saw the bag. The pleasure of seeing him dressed in mouth-watering black dimmed as fear for his safety rose.
“Merrick.” All that came out was a breathless whisper of pure want.
He straightened. His face was so hard she realized it was the Leo and not Merrick before her. “I’m going with you.”
Her heart leapt in excitement and dread. She wasn’t sure how to feel about his declaration. “Is there anything I can do to convince you to change your mind?”
“No.” Such a simple answer broke her heart.
“Your pack…” She was speechless at everything he was giving up for her.
“You are my pack.”
Those four words devastated her resolve. She walked up to him, unable to look away, and leaned her forehead against his chest to hide tears. “Thank you.”
His arms hesitantly came around her, and he rested his cheek against the top of her head. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
She nodded against his chest. It was an easy answer. She didn’t have the strength to leave a second time.
He pulled out something from his pocket, and she found her missing hat plopped onto her head. She gave a watery laugh. His hands skimmed down her arms in a distracting way, and he laced their fingers together. “So what’s your plan?”
Trina snorted. “Plan? The only things I can think about are getting my sister back and not getting caught in the process.”
“So we’re going into vampire territory.” He sounded almost cheerful.
When he said it aloud, it didn’t sound like the brightest idea she’d ever had. It terrified her to drag him into her mess without some reassurance that he’d remain safe. She rubbed her arms, conscious of being out in the open where anyone could spot them. “We should leave.”
Merrick hitched his bag on his shoulder and took off down the street. She scrambled to catch up. “Where are you going?”
“If I was searching for you, I would have people watching the Den and Oz. We need to get off the street.”
“We could go to the gym.”
Merrick shook his head. “If those two incompetent witches we first ran across found you there, we have to assume others have worked it out as well.”
She shivered at how close they’d come to finding
her, and she’d been unaware until she nearly stumbled over them. She reasoned with herself that she would’ve disappeared if Merrick hadn’t been there, but to be truthful, she was tired of running.
Five blocks later and closer to the city, Trina glanced over her shoulder.
All she saw was darkness.
“That’s the third time you glanced back.”
Trina shrugged, unable to rid herself of the disturbing feeling she was missing something. “I keep feeling we’re being watched, but I don’t sense any threat.”
Merrick wrapped an arm around her back and, despite the danger, lust heated her blood. He increased his stride until she had to run with her much shorter legs to keep up with him. “Yeah, like this is not conspicuous.”
Merrick slowed his pace. When they passed a dark alley, he jerked her into the opening, nearly startling a scream from her.
“What—”
“Shhhh.”
The wrist he grabbed was her injured one, but instead of pain, she felt an all-consuming need to rub up against him. She held perfectly still, barely breathing for fear that she would put action to her devilish thoughts.
They waited in silence. She was very conscious of Merrick’s body pressed against hers. With him wrapped around her, she felt safe for the first time since the night of her parents’ murder. Unable to resist, she leaned into the temptation of Merrick’s body, thrilled to hear the little growl that escaped him.
She shivered at the touch of his breath on her neck, his arousal pressed so intimately against her. Attraction wasn’t anything new to her. She understood pheromones. She understood reaction to adrenaline. Her scientific mind rationalized it as a normal reaction.
But what she felt wasn’t in any sense of the way normal. They were in an alley that stank of trash and urine. The brick wall at her back scratched her through her clothes. Temperatures were dropping, they were being followed, could possibly die, and all she wanted to do was pull him behind the dumpster and demand that he give her the kiss he’d been taunting her with since they’d first met. His direct touch made her forget everything, including her name.
“Merrick…” Her lips brushed his throat, and he jerked away, dropping her arm as if he were afraid she would strip off her clothes and demand he take her up against the wall.
“You keep doing that, and I won’t be responsible for the consequences.” Cool air circulated between them, but to know that he was as deeply affected as she was helped take away the sting of his rejection.
When a shadow passed the opening, Merrick whirled, snatching up the person and slamming him against the wall.
On shaky legs, Trina circled around them, keeping her distance for fear of a relapse. Then she got a good look at their follower.
“What are you doing here?” Exasperation had her looking down the street to see if the whole pack had decided to follow them.
Weston gazed at her as if he wasn’t being held by his throat. “I gave my word I would keep you safe.”
As if he said the magic words, Merrick slowly released him.
“But the pack—”
“I promised to protect you, not the pack.”
Trina was overwhelmed by both men, and their willingness to give up their lives to help her and her sister.
Weston peered into the street. “We have to keep moving. I know a place where we can stay tonight.”
Merrick nodded and shouldered his pack again.
“That’s it. We just take him with us?” Trina crossed her arms, not happy to be leading another person into her personal hell. “I will not be responsible for dragging you both into danger.”
Merrick turned swiftly and cupped her chin. The sting of her anger faded at the scorching heat in his eyes. “Don’t you know by now that you can’t make a shifter do anything they don’t want to do?”
“But it’s insane. What can the three of us do against the vampire nation? They can’t afford to kill me, but that doesn’t apply to either of you.”
Weston stepped closer, angling his body to see the alley entrance and her. “Move now, talk later.”
Some of his urgency infected her, and she nodded. She gazed at Weston and realized how he’d found them.
Her.
A subtle smell of magic rose from him, and she suspected he used the blood she left behind to track her.
They moved from shadow to shadow, drifting from one street to another, avoiding the densely populated areas in favor of vermin infested allies.
The fast pace allowed her mind to shut down to focus on crawling through garbage and climbing over walls. They paused at the end of a dead alley, and Trina glanced at the high walls. “Where to now?”
Weston put his shoulder against a decrepit dumpster and pushed. The rusted wheels shouldn’t have worked, but the monstrous metal box shifted without a sound.
“Watch your head.”
Merrick ushered her forward. She expected to see a wall, but was greeted by a black hole. Curiosity edged out exhaustion. With one last glance at Weston, Trina stepped into darkness.
Chapter Twenty-five
Hands grabbed her from the darkness. Trina jumped, but then recognized the zing she always felt at Merrick’s touch and allowed him to draw her farther into the warehouse.
Matches struck, sulfur scented the room, and she saw Weston light some storm lamps. Nothing ran on batteries as they lose their charge after a while. The warehouse was abandoned, but there was evidence that someone had cleaned the area. A small kitchenette was against the far wall, a bed that was nothing more than a cot and a couple of bottles of water.
Nothing luxurious, but it had all the comforts of home with Merrick next to her.
“We’ll rest here for the night. I’ll take the first watch.” Without waiting for them to answer, Weston scaled the ladder behind him and escaped through the skylight, leaving them alone in the silent gloom.
It shouldn’t have been cozy, and if she could see beyond the puddle of light, she was sure it wasn’t. There was something about the intimacy of being alone with Merrick, without interruption, that sent her pulse racing.
Trina puttered around the makeshift room, trying to avoid being near him, which was laughable in such a small space.
The room had three walls. Two were created from the bricks of the building, while the last wall was partition consisting of a line of boxes that had seen better days. The floor was cement and the celling disappeared into the darkness.
When there was nothing left to explore, she finally allowed herself to sneak a peek at her silent companion. Merrick’s paleness concerned her, his limp had returned in the last hour. After today, he had to be exhausted.
She watched him retrieve at least a dozen knives from his person, setting them within easy reach. He pulled out another one, which meant he more than likely had another half dozen hidden on him.
“I think you should take more blood.”
“What?” Merrick whirled to face her.
“My blood helped you heal. In fact, your limp was gone until you pushed yourself. The next few days are going to be taxing.” She unwrapped her wrist and held her arm out to him.
“You don’t know what you’re offering.” His voice was gruff, those eyes of his devouring, and she couldn’t prevent herself from shuffling closer.
“I know enough. I’m not willing to lose you because you’re stubborn.”
He took a step toward her, snatched her hat off her head and tucked it into his pocket. Her heart thundered in her chest at his nearness and the intensity of his gaze when he looked at her. Instead of taking her arm, he cupped her chin and kissed her.
The unexpected, raw emotions knocked her on her ass. The kiss was rough and anxious, as if he thought she would protest at any second. It devastated her defenses. Her fingers fluttered, and she half expected to be scorched if she dared touched him. Her hands slowly settled on his chest, and she crept closer, lured by the heat and the promise of his deceptively simple, but potent kiss.
&
nbsp; When he pulled away, she teetered and almost followed him when he held up his hand. “Wait.”
He was speaking, but she didn’t understand a word. It was like he’d shut off her drip of morphine and expected her to be coherent. “What?”
“Do you know how shifters claim their mate?”
This answer was important, but she couldn’t make sense of his urgency, not when her body craved another taste of him. “No.”
She took a step toward him, and he backed away as if she had the bubonic plague.
“There are three stages to claiming a mate. You and I are at the last stage. If I take you, you will be mine.”
She knew she should be concerned, but being claimed by him sounded like the best idea they’d had all day. “Okay.”
Her answer seemed to stupefy him for a moment. His eyes darkened as if he could see them together then he shook his head to clear those images from his mind. Desperation flavored his next words. “It’s the bite mark. My touch makes you crave me, makes you more susceptible to my advances.”
Trina studied the oh so innocent wound. The puncture marks had scabbed over but were still sensitive to the slightest touch. She looked at Merrick and shook her head. “Your logic is faulty. I wanted you before you bit me.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. “I want you, I won’t deny it. If I touch you or take more of your blood, I won’t be able to stop myself from claiming you fully. Think about this before you do anything you’ll regret. Once we take this step, I will never let you go.”
Trina didn’t smile, didn’t move. “And does that make you mine?”
“Completely.”
Part of her knew this was wrong, that he was an alpha and should be mating with a shifter, but she was selfish. For the first time in years, she wanted something for herself.
Merrick.
She would not give him up.
She remembered Weston’s shame when he mentioned his connection to a Familiaran. She wouldn’t regret her choice, but part of her wondered if he would.
Disappointment clouded Merrick’s face when she didn’t immediately answer. He turned and grabbed his pack, avoiding her gaze. “Take the cot and get some sleep.”
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