Bellis: Skin Walkers

by Susan Bliler

  “First exam room!” Jenny barked.

  Moments later they were laying the backboard onto a gurney in an exam room that wasn’t really a room. It was just one of several spaces along a wall that housed a med bed and various medical equipment. Each space was separated from the other by a long curtain, but the area was dark. Dark walls, dark curtains, dark everything. He’d heard that the Keepers were used to living underground and weren’t used to windows, sunlight, or the modern décor or amenities provided at StoneCrow Estates.

  “Staff?” Bishop asked.

  Bellis looked up to see Jenny shake her head hard, her lips pursing. “None, yet. Monroe’s still in the hiring process. It’s just us.”

  Bellis’ heart sank as his eyes dipped to Sam. What did that mean? Was she doomed? Had he failed?

  Jenny stopped compressions and stared down at Sam, delicate fingers going to the column of her throat.

  Eyes plastered to Sam’s chest, Bellis saw it before Jenny confirmed with a relieved, “We’ve got a pulse. She’s breathing!”

  Bishop grabbed Jenny’s hips and lifted her off Sam. The second Jenny’s feet hit the floor she was moving, barking orders to Bishop who did as his mate instructed without hesitation. Within moments, wires linked to beeping monitors were attached to Sam and an oxygen mask was over her face.

  Jenny and Bishop continued to move about the small space, Jenny disappearing past the curtain a few moments before returning to administer some sort of injection. Bellis wanted to help, but didn’t know how. All he could do was stare down at Sam’s pale features. Her eyes were still closed, and her sooty lashes made a stark contrast against her pale skin.

  What in the hell had they been thinking driving her to the North Fortress? Hell, she shouldn’t have left StoneCrow at all.

  His heart contracted painfully when he remembered that she was their enemy.

  “Christ!” Jenny hissed, drawing his attention. She was staring at a screen that had several different graphs on it. Her head whipped around to stare accusingly at Bellis. “It’s not working. Why isn’t it working?”

  He shook his head, not understanding the question, but then remembered that odd scent he had caught more than once. “I…” He hadn’t provided the information yet, he’d been waiting to ensure it was accurate, but right now, Jenny needed to know. “I’m not certain she’s one hundred percent human.”

  Bishop’s head jerked up from where he was removing Sam’s boots. His nostrils flared and he stepped closer, sniffing harder. Jenny did the same, bending over Sam to put her nose close to Sam’s throat.

  “She smells human to me.” Jenny looked at Bishop and he nodded.

  “Me too.”

  Jaw clenching, Bellis shifted his stance. “Not to me. It’s faint, but it’s there.”

  “What is it?” Jenny asked. “Megalya?”

  Bellis shook his head hard. “No.”

  Jenny’s tone was impatient. “Keeper, Skin Walker, Shifter, what?”

  Shaking his head, Bellis huffed, “I don’t know, but it’s there.”

  “And why are you just now telling us this?” Jenny clipped out. “I could’ve run tests while we had her at StoneCrow!”

  Eyeing the room, Bellis waved around them. “Run the tests here.”

  “I can draw the blood samples here and analyze them, but I have nothing here to compare them to!”

  “Does this mean she’s going back to StoneCrow?” Bellis wondered at the sudden hope that filled him.

  Bishop was the one to answer. “No. King is adamant that she never return to the Estate.”

  For some reason the response angered Bellis. “You do know, King’s not in charge.”

  “He is until the Dominant fully returns to duty.”

  “Did Monroe even order King to move Sam, or was that all the Chief of Security’s doing?”

  Bishop shrugged. “Didn’t ask, don’t care.” He looked at Sam. “She’s Megalya. I wouldn’t lose any sleep if she died.”

  Bellis moved before he could even stop himself. One dark hand locked around Bishop’s throat and he slammed the Walker up against the wall, his face mere inches from Bishop’s. He wanted to say something, to snarl that she wasn’t their fucking enemy, to say she didn’t deserve to die. Instead, he kept his mouth closed, because neither claim made sense. She was their enemy, and if she were working with the Megalya when they’d attacked StoneCrow, then she did deserve to die…right?

  “Ch-ch…”

  The sound drew Bellis, Bishop, and Jenny’s attention to the med bed. Sam’s eyes were cracked open, her voice was a crackled whisper as she tried again. “Ch…ar-ar…ar-ming.”

  Bellis released Bishop. A relieved breath rushed from him as he turned to Sam.

  “You, out!” Jenny pointed at Bishop, but he balked. Annoyed, Jenny grabbed his arm and forcibly pulled him from the exam area.

  Alone with Sam, Bellis’ hands fisted at his sides to keep from touching her. Instead he bent close. “Sam,” he breathed, noting that the typical neon-blue of her eyes was absent. Right now, they were a full matte-black like a Walker in a partial shift. “What do you need?”

  She looked at him a moment, and he could see the shock that registered there before she could mask it. They stared at each other for long moments before Bellis peeked up toward the area Jenny had taken Bishop.

  “Hurry,” he prodded. “She’ll be back soon.”

  Sam’s eyes closed, and he thought she’d passed out, but then they opened again. He hated that they weren’t that heated blue that was always filled with challenge.

  “Bl…” She licked her lips and tried to clear her throat. “Blood,” she whispered.

  “A transfusion?” Jenny asked from the foot of the bed, and Bellis straightened. Sometimes he forgot the doctor was a Walker too, and she could be just as stealthy as any trained Sentry. “What kind? Megalya? What are you Sam?”

  Sam’s eyes closed and she shook her head. “Drink,” she said quietly.

  Bellis looked up at Jenny who disappeared from the area. He heard a blast of water come on and looked down when Sam started shaking her head again. When Jenny came back with a glass of water and began to remove the mask, Sam was still shaking her head.

  “No,” Sam turned her head away from Jenny and her eyes locked on Bellis. She was trying to tell him something, but he didn’t understand, and it was frustrating as hell.

  Staring at her and replaying her words, his narrowed eyes suddenly rounded. Slowly, he lifted his wrist to his mouth and opened wide. When Sam gave a barely perceptible nod, Bellis sank his teeth into his flesh and jerked back.

  Jenny gasped, but then moved quickly to remove Sam’s oxygen mask.

  Bellis pressed his wrist to Sam’s mouth. Her eyes fluttered closed as she parted her lips. Her throat convulsed as she drank. Bellis and Jenny shared a look over Sam, and Jenny shook her head. “Well, fuck! That’s new.”

  There was no pull of her mouth on him, so Bellis left his wrist over Sam’s mouth, his blood pouring into her until her breathing became even and her lips closed, causing his blood to streak down the side of her face. Pulling his hand back, he bent and whispered at Sam’s ear, “Sleep now, Princess. When you wake, I’m gonna be right here.”

  He could’ve sworn he saw a faint grin tweak her lips before it faded just as quickly.

  Chapter 9

  The next few hours were a blur of activity. The Keeper and Walker transport teams arrived, followed by the rest of the Keepers who’d been housed at StoneCrow. Apparently, it was moving day and the Keepers—in their entirety—would be settling into their new home.

  Jenny and Bishop disappeared to instruct the handful of Keepers who’d be assigned to the Fortress’ infirmary while Bellis remained with Sam.

  Before leaving, Jenny had removed Sam’s black suit and dressed her in a medical gown. It was odd seeing Sam in the light color. Bellis didn’t like it. It made Sam seem more fragile, more feminine, and his already raging protective instincts were only hei
ghtened as he studied her unconscious form. She was the smallest thing. Hell, her feet with dainty red-tipped toes were half the size of his palm. His gaze was skimming up her slight frame when he suddenly tensed, feeling eyes on him.

  Jerking his head up, his eyes collided with Keo’s.

  “Will she live?” Keo asked, his gaze sliding to Sam.

  Unsure why he did it, Bellis grabbed the blanket folded beneath Sam’s feet and gently pulled it out to cover her body. “Yea. She’ll live.” He didn’t feel inclined to tell Keo that Sam was something other than human.

  “Good job getting her here.”

  Bellis’ eyes hardened. He couldn’t tell if Keo was being sincere or a smartass. “We should have flown her from the start.”

  Keo nodded, but his eyes still lingered on Sam’s face.

  “Keeper!” Bellis growled, drawing Keo’s attention.

  Looking up, Keo merely glanced at Bellis before looking back down and saying, “She saved Bronx.”

  Awe was evident in Keo’s tone, and it irked the shit out of him. “She was probably trying to make a run for it and your damn cat got in her way.” The words felt bitter leaving his tongue, because he’d seen the whole thing. Sam shoved Bronx down and covered him. She’d saved the cheetah, but Keo didn’t need to know that. The only thing Keo needed was to stop staring at Sam like he wanted to pound his chest with his fist and declare his fealty to her.

  Keo’s eyes turned angry as he looked at Bellis. “You can go, Skin Walker. Your duty is fulfilled.”

  Bellis tensed. He wanted to tell Keo to fuck off, but the Keeper was right. His only job was to get Sam to the North Fortress, and she was here. Glancing around, he felt helpless to find an excuse for an extended stay.

  Beyond the curtain, he heard Fatal’s voice as he addressed Jenny. They were discussing Sam and her condition. Watching her, Bellis knew she was coming around and healing faster than she should, thanks to whatever else she was.

  “Keo!” Fatal addressed the Keeper from the end of the curtain. “You’re on permanent guard duty over the traitor.” His dark gaze slid to Bellis. “You’re excused, Walker. We thank you for your assist.”

  Bellis’ gut clenched at being dismissed, but what argument did he have? He looked at Sam, awake and staring at him. For a moment, mere blink of time, just the briefest flash of vulnerability shone in her expression before she hardened.

  “Good job, Demon.” She looked away, staring at the curtain. “Now, run back to your compound before your Dominant has to paddle your ass for stalling here.”

  He bristled at her words, but straightened to his full height. “Good-bye, Princess.” He gritted his teeth at the claws that raked down his insides, shredding him for what he was about to do. “Good luck.” He turned and left the infirmary, and the North Fortress. He located York and his team, and soon they were loaded up. Bellis was leaving Sam and the Crazy Mountains behind for good. Beside him, his team chatted good-naturedly, laughing about the ambush and joking about how the only casualty had been the traitor. Bellis pressed his fingers to his lips and frowned out the passenger side window. He wasn’t amused that Sam had been hurt, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps the Megalya hadn’t been attempting to retrieve her at all. Maybe, just maybe, they’d been trying to silence one of their own. Or, could it be that they knew something about Sam that he didn’t? Maybe she was a traitor, but what if it’d been the Megalya she’d turned on? It’d explain why she was adamant about speaking to Monroe and no one else.

  York slapped him on the chest. “Still pissed you had to protect the traitor and miss out on the dirty work?”

  Bellis jerked his head in a nod, but kept his eyes out the window.

  “Well, our part’s done. She’s the Keeper’s problem now.”

  Then why do I feel like I’m abandoning her?

  ***

  Sam eyed Keo’s back where he stood at the end of the med bed near the curtain. He cast an occasional glance over his shoulder to her, and each time his eyes collided with hers, he offered her a soft smile. Cute, stupid ass, Keeper.

  She was fucked and she knew it. Her secret was out, and that had her stressing, but not as much as what had happened between her and Bellis. Something had happened when she drank from him. Something that hadn’t ever happened before. Usually when she took blood she was revitalized, but drinking from Bellis had made her lethargic. She’d passed the hell out, and that was scary. It wasn’t supposed to work that way. She could get by on human food in a pinch, but she needed blood at least once a week, and normally when she finally got her fix she was wired for hours. That was how it was supposed to work. She couldn’t afford to get drowsy from feeding!

  Blinking, she took stock of her body, trying to tell if there was any other noticeable difference in how she felt. Fisting her hands and rolling her shoulders, she realized she felt…good. She touched her side over the ridiculous medical gown she was wearing and there was no pain or tenderness at all. Shifting her weight so she could pull her gown up, she peeled the bandages off and inhaled sharply.

  Keo’s head jerked around and she dropped her gown, but his gaze shot to her side. She didn’t know what he’d seen, but he turned back around to face away from her, stoically going back to his guard duty. She wasn’t sure he understood that he was supposed to be protecting his Keepers from her, and not the other way around.

  Quietly lifting her gown again, she eyed her side. There was only an angry red mark where her bullet wound had been. She planted a palm against her chest and breathed in. Where she’d felt the most pain when the grenade had exploded in front of her was now gone. Granted, she did heal quicker than normal people, but it’d never been like this, never this rapid.

  Sam licked her lips as she remembered the taste of Bellis. God, he’d been divine. Even now, the memory of the way his flavor exploded on her tongue had her heart racing.

  Fuck. That can’t be good.

  Compounding matters was the fact that she didn’t know if Monroe was aware that his Second had given her to the Keepers. She didn’t know if she could still trust him or not. Maybe he’d turned on her. Maybe, even after all she’d done for him, he’d been so pissed about the attack, the short notice of it, and the injury to his Angel, that he’d abandoned her. It’d been her worst fear, and now it seemed it was coming true. Because of it something dark and twisted slithered its way around Sam’s heart and squeezed. The only thing she could do was hope that her one last gem would be enough. She’d been holding it back, keeping it as her last bargaining chip. She knew Monroe wanted, and still didn’t have, the location of the main Megalya facility, but she did.

  Jenny came into the exam room and checked her vitals. She saw the gauze in Sam’s hand and frowned hard before tugging at Sam’s gown. When she got it up high enough to see the wound though, Jenny stilled. “Holy shit!” She looked at Sam. “Is…is that normal?”

  No, her healing like this was definitely not normal. Sam shrugged. “I heal fast.” She wasn’t about to offer up more information than Jenny needed, mostly because she didn’t have any.

  “Wow,” Jenny breathed and turned. “I need a picture of this.”

  As she stepped out of the area, Sam eyed Keo, who’d lifted his head to watch Jenny’s exit. Sam knew that if she was going to make a break for it, she’d need to do it now.

  Jenny returned, jabbing her finger onto the screen of what looked to be an e-pad. Keo was watching Jenny, and Sam’s body tensed. She was going to use a burst of energy to rush the door.

  She didn’t get the chance.

  “Keo!” A deep voice barked, and Sam looked toward the end of the curtain. It was the same Keeper who had spoken to her just before transport. She’d heard Keo call him Rohm. He was scary as shit. Taller than Keo, Rohm was the exact opposite of Bellis. The male was polar bear white, with long white hair and clear blue eyes that looked like two ice cubes in his head. Sam shivered.

  “Why is the prisoner not restrained?”

  Keo open
ed his mouth but nothing came out.

  “Secure her!” Rohm held up a pair of cuffs. He looked at Jenny. “Is she cleared from medical?”

  Jenny looked at Sam then glanced at her now-covered side before turning her gaze to Rohm. “Yeah. Yeah, she is. Her vitals are normal and her wound is… Hey!” Jenny snapped, when Rohm ignored her. He didn’t wait for Keo. Instead, he grabbed Sam’s hand and slapped on one cuff and then the other before frowning at his fellow Keeper. “I’d like to get back to my mate. We’re moving this traitor to her cell, now!”

  “Wait!” Jenny followed behind as Rohm pulled Sam from the med bed. “I was hoping to run some tests. She’s got some unique qualities that need to be addressed, tested, studied!”

  “Sorry, Doc!” Rohm kept walking, hauling Sam along beside him. “Fatal thanks you all for your service and assistance.” He stopped to look at her over his shoulder. “But he wants all Skin Walkers gone from his nest in the next thirty minutes. That includes you.”

  “Really?” Jenny crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. “Does that include Nyree, too?”

  Rohm’s expression darkened. “Nyree isn’t a Walker. She’s mine.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes. “I wanna speak to Fatal.”

  “He’s busy,” Rohm clipped out, and turned to continue walking.

  Jenny watched him disappear with Sam, and when Keo made to follow, she caught the Keeper’s arm. “I need a meeting with Fatal.”

  Keo watched Rohm and Sam disappear too before turning to Jenny. He studied her a moment before nodding. “I’ll see what I can do. Wait here.”

  “Keo!” Jenny’s tone turned imploring. “She was dead ten minutes ago. I want her back in this infirmary. Just because she seems fine now,” she shook her head. “I see the way you look at her.”

  Keo tore his gaze from Jenny’s to look at where Rohm and Sam had disappeared. “She saved my Soul Sentry.”

  Jenny nodded and offered a smile. “Good. That’s good. I need her back here. Do you understand?”