Saved Mate

by L. J. Red

  Sparrow stared at the door. Why did she feel abandoned? He didn’t owe her anything. He never would. She may not be a little street kid anymore, but even as an adult she knew she would never be the kind of person that someone like Jacob would notice.

  Her eyes were hot, prickly, and she pressed them shut as Dr. Patil efficiently cleaned the wound. It was a long, deep scrape, but Sparrow barely felt it, her thoughts on Jacob, on her body’s impossible, uncontrollable reaction to him…

  “Can you tell me what happened?” Dr. Patil asked.

  “Alex,” Sparrow said, clearing her throat and dragging her mind on track. “Alex was attacking a vassal.”

  “Where is he now?” Dr. Patil asked, dark eyes tense.

  “Jacob sent him into the other room.”

  “Ah, Eden must be seeing to him. I’ll have a word with her after.” A frown appeared between the doctor’s eyes. “Perhaps he hasn’t been keeping up with his blood rations, I realize it’s strange to drink blood, but it’s important. You can’t get by just on human food anymore.”

  Sparrow nodded, but internally she wasn’t sure the doctor was on the right track. She wanted to say more, mention the strange white film over Alex’s eyes, but she was afraid she’d sound crazy. Could she have imagined it? They already thought she was fucked up from HUNT’s torture, she thought, remembering Dr. Patil’s whispered conversation with Jacob. No. It wouldn’t do any good. It must have been a lack of blood, that was all. Alex would feed under supervision and it’d all be okay. Nothing else would go wrong. They were safe now. She pressed her hands together, tangling her fingers in her lap.

  They were safe. So why did she feel so afraid?

  Chapter 4

  Dr. Aisha Patil secured the bandage on Sparrow’s chest and looked up. “I’ll take a look at your shoulder too since you’re here.” She waited for Sparrow’s nod and let her undo another button and pull her shirt back off her shoulder. She was glad to see the scar low on sparrow’s neck was healing, but slowly. She didn’t know what HUNT had done to slow the vampiric healing so much. She suspected they’d experimenting by grinding different compounds and adding them to the original scar from Roman’s bite that had turned Sparrow into a vampire. The monsters. What they had done to Sparrow and the others made her sick. She was only now starting to disentangle the threads of their torture. She realized she was frowning and made herself ease her expression, not wanting to alarm Sparrow. The woman had been through enough. “Looks good,” she said, stepping back and snapping off her gloves.

  “Thanks, Doc,” Sparrow said, buttoning up her shirt and sliding off the bed.

  “If you notice any tingling or loss of sensation, let me know.” She hesitated. “And if you want to speak about anything, anything at all, you know where to find me.” Sparrow didn’t meet her eyes. Aisha wished she had a better bedside manner. She was a researcher before a doctor; her specialism was in tracking down unruly viruses, not guiding people through trauma. The ten rescued vampires needed more than she could offer. She watched Sparrow leave the infirmary with a twinge of concern.

  As Sparrow reached the end of the hall and turned the corner a shadow detached from the arch of one of the doorways and Aisha caught a flash of Jacob’s blue eyes as he followed in Sparrow’s wake. Something was going on there, that was sure, but not any of her business.

  She cleaned up, then walked down the hall to where Eden was treating the other young vampire, Alex. She couldn’t see any major injuries and Eden had already patched up the minor cuts and scrapes and was listening to him try to explain what had happened.

  “I don’t know,” Alex was saying. “It was like I was dreaming while I was still awake.”

  Could it be trauma? The rescued vampires had been through a lot. They could be experiencing bad dreams, flashbacks, waking nightmares… all of this made sense, and yet, Aisha felt a niggling fear that what she was seeing was something else entirely.

  Alex was still speaking. “All I could sense was the heartbeat, the blood rushing in his veins.” His eyes trailed across the room and reached Aisha, raising toward her face, but not reaching her eyes, halting at her neck. Aisha felt a shiver of tension move through her.

  She caught Eden’s eyes and Eden glanced quickly to Alex, then back to her. She gestured for Aisha to go. “I’ve got this,” she mouthed with a flash of fang.

  Aisha nodded and carefully retreated, pausing for a second outside the door, her hand pressed flat against the wood. She could hear her heartbeat in her throat. It was easy to forget, being around the Shadows, that there were vampires who preyed on humans. What she had seen in Alex’s eyes had scared her. The hunger. Perhaps she had been spoiled, working only with the Shadows. It had been a long time since she had seen that kind of hunger in any vampires’ eyes. It reminded her of the time before the Shadows had arrived in Chicago, when Radiance had control of the city and humans had been little more than prey.

  As her memory dragged her backward, her feet turned almost involuntarily toward the door at the end of the hallway. She pushed it open, pulled, as if by a string tied somewhere in her chest, and approached the vampire lying still and silent on the bed.

  Aaron’s dark curls clustered around a face that was as familiar to her as her own. She’d spent so many months now staring down at him, willing him to wake, but Kai’s poison had worked its evil way on his body and even his vampire healing was starting to lose the battle with the poison. She dreaded the day she would come into the infirmary and find only a pile of ash.

  “I wish I could speak to you,” she said softly. Aaron had been the first vampire who had shown her they were not all creatures out of nightmare and terror. He had been the first to show her kindness, more than kindness.

  Memory caught her, and for a moment she was in the Sanctuary gardens, snow gently falling, the tall, leafless trees stretching overhead, branches throwing long shadows across the ground, and Aaron standing before her, his eyes warm, welcoming, full of longing.

  Aisha’s vision cleared and she stared down at Aaron’s sleeping face. How long did he have? She had never had the chance to tell him how she felt. She’d walked away from him that day, thinking she had time, and now it was too late.

  No. She shook her head and scrubbed away tears, glancing back at the door to make sure no one had snuck in and seen her moment of weakness. She was a professional. She would find a way to fix this. She’d find a way to defeat this poison. They had the information they had taken from the HUNT factory, and she had all the blood work and data gathered from the rescued vampires, not just the ones that had survived, but the ones they’d lost. She wouldn’t lose another, she swore silently to herself. She’d use the samples she’d gathered and work out exactly how this poison worked. She’d save him. She’d bring him back to her.

  Chapter 5

  Jacob took his place in the corner of Lucian’s office and watched the rest of the Shadows file in. The room filled with the heavy presence of his fellow warriors. A hush fell over the room. His eyes intent, he tensed, weight shifting to the balls of his feet, falling into a ready stance without thinking about it. There was no threat here, deep in the Sanctuary, and yet, the presence of his fellow warriors brought him to that familiar edge of violence, that readiness. The atmosphere was electric. This was the heart of what it meant to be a Shadow, the readiness to fight, to protect.

  Perhaps it was because Lucian had included the soulmates as well. Dana moved with lethal grace, but beside Neal and Talon, May and Eden were different, a little more timid. Their strength wasn’t in their fighting abilities and their presence brought out a protective urge in Jacob that he couldn’t explain; it almost felt like having sisters again. Memories choked his chest for a second, old, cobwebby and melancholy.

  It had been two days since he’d escorted Sparrow to the infirmary, and every moment apart from her was preying on him. Strange memories, emotions, lifted in her wake. He had forced himself to stop tracking her footsteps, to stop listening to her heartbeat a
nd catching the sound of her voice. He would not overwhelm her with his presence, but he couldn’t go on like this. He couldn’t stay away forever.

  Lucian nodded to Rune to pull the door shut and took his place in front of his desk, leaning back against it. Dana stood on his left, Neal on his right.

  “You all know I placed a call amongst the bloodlines to send their best warriors to join our ranks and become part of the Shadows,” he began. “The attack Roman orchestrated with HUNT during the Conclave has shattered vampire society and it is more important than ever that we work together.”

  “Preaching to the choir,” Talon muttered from the door. Time was that Talon would have kept going, needling at Lucian until a fight broke out. But this time he said nothing more and settled back against the door, his shoulder pressed against Eden’s, his soulmate clearly a calming influence.

  Lucian went on. “You’re also aware that I have been considering turning some of the vampire guards that Neal has been training up here in the Sanctuary. Well, I’ve made my decision. Two of them have shown promise. Benedict and Castor. I intend to bring them both into our ranks. If any of you have an objection or comments to make, now is the time.”

  For a moment there was silence, then Rune spoke up.

  “Benedict fought well when the Ravagers attacked the Sanctuary.” He stepped forward, the scar across his brow casting a shadow across his cheek, “but Castor I don’t know as well. Is he strong enough to take the responsibility of being a Shadow?”

  “He is,” Neal said, “I’ve been working closely with the guards ever since we moved into the Sanctuary and Lucian first mentioned recruiting. Those two are easily the best contenders. They far surpass the other vampire guard in speed and skill and I would trust both of them with my back in a fight.”

  “Would you trust them with May’s?” Dana said, her voice dropping into the room, her eyes hard. “The Shadows are more than just warriors now. You have soulmates, and some of them are human.” Her eyes flicked to Rune.

  “Not just that,” May said. “You have a territory as well. There are vassals here who rely on your protection. It’s not enough for them to be fighters beside you. They have to be ready to defend all their people.”

  Neal was silent for a moment, then he looked up and caught his soulmate’s eyes. A wealth of meaning transmitted between them. Jacob almost felt it move through the room, through the bond that must exist between the two soulmates. Hunger, bone-deep, surprised him with its strength. God, he wanted that. He wanted to feel that connection, that ability to know, to understand what his soulmate felt and thought.

  “I do,” Neal said, and Jacob forced himself to pay attention. “I would trust them with the defense of the Sanctuary and its people. They are good choices.” He turned to Lucian.

  Lucian pushed away from the desk. “Then I ask you to stand for them during the turning,” he said, “and after, I hope the rest of you will welcome your new brothers amongst the ranks.” He grinned. “Try to go easy on the hazing, eh?”

  Jacob snorted. Try telling that to Talon, he thought. The man may not be razor-edged anymore, but he was still sharp.

  “I have more news, good news,” Lucian went on, “Bloodline Clarity has responded to our call.” Jacob raised his eyebrows. This was new.

  “Finlay, who is acting head as Aaron is…” Lucian paused for a moment and Jacob saw a spasm of pain cross his face. Aaron was in a coma, and it was obvious Lucian missed his old friend. Lucian raised his head and continued, “Finlay will be coming with two possible vampires who are interested in becoming Shadows. Those of you who were at the Conclave spoke well of Finlay, but I cannot say whether he has chosen his recruits well. While they are here, I expect you to sound them out. But try not to scare them away. The fact that Clarity has reached out despite the massacre at the Conclave is inspiring news. Perhaps there is a chance for vampire society yet.”

  Jacob tried to smooth out his expression. This was a good thing, he knew it. But the thought of new vampires moving into his territory was unsettling, not for him so much, as for the other vampires already here. Lucian clapped his hands. “Alright,” he said, “meeting dismissed.”

  Jacob waited as the others filed out. Rune caught his eye and frowned in question. Jacob shook his head and gestured for Rune to leave with the others. Rune glanced back between him and Lucian and pulled the door shut behind him.

  “Questions?” Lucian asked.

  Jacob was silent for a moment, trying to put his thoughts in order. “Have you considered how the rescued vampires will react to having strangers in the Sanctuary?”

  “I have,” Lucian said. “I will be housing Clarity in a separate building in the complex. The ten will remain in the main building with us and the Clarity vampires will have one of the outbuildings to themselves, I’m sure they will appreciate their own territory.”

  Jacob nodded. It would have to do.

  “Is that all you were concerned about?”

  For a second, Jacob considered telling Lucian everything. That he had found his soulmate, but he had no idea how to approach her, lest he scare her away forever. Then he looked harder at his leader and noted the tension around his eyes and the way he forced his spine straight, bearing up under the weight of all the decisions he had to make.

  Since coming to Chicago, they had rattled from fight to fight, and while HUNT may have been beaten back, for now, Roman was still out there somewhere, making trouble. Lucian had enough to worry about.

  “No, nothing.” Lucian gave him a hard look but nodded and led the way to the door. Jacob followed him into the hallway. Rune was waiting for them both. He nodded to Lucian as he passed, waited until he’d turned the corner, then fixed Jacob with a dark look.

  “Don’t try and put me off,” Rune said. “I know you. What’s wrong?”

  Chapter 6

  “Nothing,” Jacob said, striding past him. Rune rolled his eyes, it wasn’t nothing and he knew it. He fell into step beside Jacob. “You going to dinner?” Jacob asked.

  Rune’s lips flattened into a line. He was trying to put him off, damn it; what did he just say?

  It had become a tradition over the past few months to have shared mealtimes. A way for all those living in the Sanctuary to come together for a little while each night. The first one had been May’s idea. Rune had been unsure the vassals would follow her example after she had been turned into a vampire, but luckily the tradition had stuck and he was glad. It made them feel a little more than merely a group of fighters. It made them feel like a family.

  For so long, Rune had felt out of place, out of time. A Viking carried through the years by his vampire nature, but never quite understanding humans. It wasn’t until he had met his soulmate, Brigit, an unashamedly modern American woman, that he had started to finally feel connected once more to the world around him.

  He suspected it was that which had alerted him to his friend’s unease. Jacob had never been one to speak much, and Rune also preferred the silence, but he was afraid they would spend the entire walk to the dining room like this unless he said something, so, trying to imagine what Brigit would do, he tried again. “Are you concerned about the hunters? I know you hate them; you have every reason to, but we are working to root out every connection, every hiding place they have. Not just in Chicago. The task force has access to resources all over the country, it’s not just us, the federal agents,” he said, stumbling slightly over the unfamiliar human term, “they know what they’re doing.” He hadn’t been convinced by the thought of a human and vampire alliance at first, but he was starting to see its benefits; tracking HUNT through the human channels worked pretty well.

  “I know,” Jacob said haltingly. “You recognize the threat, I get that. I’m not worried. When they come for us, we will be ready.”

  “Then what?” Rune could see something was eating away at Jacob and it concerned him to see his usually so calm fellow Shadow so tied up inside. He reached out and placed a hand on Jacob’s shoulder, h
alting his progress. “Something concerns you. Is it the arrival of Bloodline Clarity? It’s good that we have more recruits, and even if none of them are suitable, the fact that one bloodline has reached out will ripple through vampire society.”

  Jacob’s mouth twisted. “I hope so,” he said. “Vampires have never particularly impressed me with our ability to work together across bloodlines.”

  Rune sighed and dropped his hand. “True, but there will be vampires out there who see this as a step in the right direction. A chance to band together again.”

  “Yes,” Jacob said, “and there are others who will see it as a drawing lines in the sand. Maybe even a reason for another war.”

  Rune’s shoulders tensed. “I hope not,” he said. “I do not ever wish to see a return to the wars.” He traded looks with Jacob. “But it will not come to that,” he said, his voice stronger. “We will destroy HUNT and defeat any bloodlines who choose to follow Roman’s example and attempt to grab power for themselves over the safety of our kind and the humans we protect.”

  “We will, we will,” Jacob murmured, then stopped, looking at Rune. “Do you ever wonder if our experiences as Shadows have made us too… too dangerous…” He sighed and turned away. “How did you convince Brigit you were her soulmate?” he asked out of the blue.

  Rune frowned. He had not expected such a question from Jacob. “Convince her?” He shook his head. “It was not a matter of convincing her. The soulmate bond affects both parties. There is a feeling…” He searched for the words. “A connection between you that is undeniable. The problem was accepting that bond as true and breaking down the preconceptions I had.” His voice turned rueful. “I tried to make Brigit something she wasn’t. I tried to force her into a box she would never have fitted in. I was an idiot and she very rightly proved me one.” He sighed. “I cannot explain it. We found a way to each other. We listened to each other, though it took me a while to get it right.”