by Mary Abshire
I disliked that Drake had to tinker with her head, but given the situation, his action was appropriate.
"Alan is guarding the door outside," Drake said.
Regret swelled within me. The Alpha I kicked in the balls stood guard outside the door. I owed him a huge apology.
"Won't the nurse see him?" I asked.
"No, she doesn't see either of us. I have everything under control." He brushed the bangs away from my forehead. "You're safe with me now."
Why did I sense frustration in his tone?
"Do you blame Alan for what happened?" I asked.
"No, he could not have known what would happen," he replied, his tone deep and flat.
"Are you angry with him about something?"
He opened his mouth to reply, but he suddenly shifted his attention to the door. I leaned to the side, peering in the same direction. Alan walked into the room. His eyes met mine and a slight smile tugged at his lips.
"I wanted to check in," he said as he strolled up to the side of the bed, opposite Drake. "How are you feeling?" His hand touched my arm and small zing shot through me.
"I'm alive," I said, grinning. I looked at Drake. He crossed his arms and stared at Alan with a stony face.
"Yes, well, that might not have been the case if I had arrived any later to find you," Alan said, his tone dry.
My grin faded. "I'm sorry. I didn't—"
"What matters now is that you are safe." Alan lifted his eyes to Drake. "The sun will be up soon. I can stay and increase security—"
"I'm staying," Drake said. "I will draw the curtains together." His stiff posture and folded arms were visible signs of his dissatisfaction.
"But the light will still bother you," I said.
"I can handle minor pain and flesh discoloration to protect you. Besides, I need to give you more of my blood. I don't trust the doctors or nurses here."
"Then I will stay too." Alan crossed his arms.
I looked from one to the other as they stood macho and proud. Both eyed each other as if they wanted to rip the other's throat out. The tension concerned me. I pressed my elbows into the bed and attempted to sit up. My effort came to an abrupt halt when pain shot through my chest. Wincing, I gave up trying to rise.
Drake lowered his arms and placed his hand over my heart. "Don't move. You still have an infection and the wound hasn't healed."
Oh, that explained the intense pain and breakout of sweat above my brow.
"Okay, I won't move. But someone needs to tell me what's going on."
"Nothing," Drake said. His flat tone didn't convince me. "Alan will stand guard while I find a source."
His failure to tell me the problem between him and Alan bothered me. Irritating me more was the fact that he had to go to another person to replenish his blood supply.
"Stay in here while I am gone. If someone other than the nurses from the desk show up, call my name. I'll take care of them," Drake said in a commanding voice.
Alan clenched his jaw, flexing the muscle on the side of his face. "All right."
Drake bent and kissed me gently. "I won't be gone long."
I took a deep breath as I watched him walk out of the room. More pain spread through my chest. My wound felt worse compared to the one I had received when the exotic dancer stabbed me in front of the VETOV months ago. Drake had shared his blood with me then too, but within a few short minutes of the incident. Maybe his prompt response at that time was the reason I hadn't felt a lingering pain.
The tautness in Alan's body slowly disappeared after Drake had left. He uncrossed his arms and let them fall to his sides. Something had happened between the Alpha and my vampire lover and I wanted to know what it was.
I reached up and gripped his hand. "Thank you for bringing me here."
He squeezed back. "I called 911 after I found you on the floor. You gave me quite a scare, Jessie." His stern eyes pressed the importance of his words upon me.
"I'm sorry, and I regret hurting you. Are you"—my eyes glanced down—"feeling okay?" Guilt pressed upon me for kneeing the Alpha's prized jewels in my rush to get away.
He chuckled. "I will be."
I slipped my hand from his grasp. "Why is Drake upset with you?"
His chest expanded as he inhaled. "He thinks I didn't do enough to keep you in the house."
"He told me he didn't blame you for what happened." Had Drake lied to me? Why would he do that?
"I don't believe he blames me, but he thinks I could have stopped you. Maybe he's right." Alan rubbed the side of his face, then scratched his chin. "Everything happened so fast. I hadn't expected you to knee me or knock Ryan out."
"Is he okay?" I'd almost forgotten about Ryan.
"He will be. After I watched them take you away in an ambulance, I ran back to the house and called a few men to help. I checked in forty minutes ago and he was awake."
I lowered my eyes as more guilt weighed me down. I owed Ryan a big apology for what I'd done to him. I hoped he would forgive me.
"You should get some rest. While I'm on guard, no one will hurt you," Alan said.
Between him and Drake, I doubted anyone would get close to harming me. Lord help the creature that tried, because they wouldn't live long. Wait one second…
Alan slowly stepped away from my bed.
"Alan," I said, stopping him near my feet.
He turned and faced me.
"Who stabbed me?"
"I don't know. I picked up traces of demons, but I didn't investigate. The moment I found you, my concern was to get medical attention for you."
"Demons? You smelled different scents?"
He gave a nod. "I'm pretty sure I found more than one, but I didn't stop to inspect."
Why would a demon want me dead? Nothing was making sense.
"For what it's worth, thank you again."
"Get some rest." He sat in the chair located in the corner. Cloth rubbed on vinyl as he stretched his legs, settling into the seat.
Questions popped in my head as I closed my eyes. First, had the person who had murdered the butcher and other innocent people tried to kill me too? We knew a demon was stealing souls. We suspected a second person could be involved. Was that other person a demon? Could the demon murdering people be the same one stealing souls? Assuming a demon had stabbed me, did he or she know I was a demon too? If so, they clearly didn't care who they killed. Or was it possible I'd shown up at the wrong place at the wrong time and someone put a knife in my back to stop me from seeing something? The list of questions continued to grow. Distracted by the soft beeps of the heart monitor not far from my head, I dozed off.
The sound of something swooshing brought me out of my slumber. Drake stood in front of the window. The curtains were drawn together, darkening the room.
"Sorry I woke you." He came to stand on the side of my bed. He wrapped his cool fingers around my hand. "You can go back to sleep."
I shook my head. "I don't want to sleep anymore. I want to go home."
Alan rose from the corner and walked to the other side of the bed. "Until the infection is gone, you need to stay still and rest."
I shifted my gaze to Drake. "Did you feed?" His pallid skin hadn't changed. Usually, when he filled up, his tone took a tinted color, less pasty.
"Yes, and my blood is flowing into you, but it will take time for you to heal. You lost a lot of blood and some of your internal organs were damaged. If I hadn't arrived in time and shared my blood with you…" Drake shook his head.
I swallowed hard. I could've ended up staying in the underworld. I hated to think what would've become of me.
Pushing the gloomy thought aside, I looked over my shoulder and saw the bag of blood hanging on a hook. Now I understood why the color of his skin hadn't changed. God love him, he’d fed and then drained his blood into a bag for me. The man was my personal angel and saint. As I inhaled a long breath, I noticed the ache in my chest had diminished.
"I think your mojo might be working." I squ
eezed Drake's hand and smiled. "Maybe we could leave in a few hours." The less time I spent in the hospital, the happier I would be. Not to mention, Dani was at the house. I wanted to see my best friend.
"It's best to wait until the infection is gone," Alan said.
I frowned at him. "But I feel better. Are you sure I still have one?"
He gave a nod. "I smell it." His gaze lifted to Drake. "Can you?"
"It's still there," Drake replied.
Under normal circumstances, I would appreciate a werewolf and vampire's sense of smell, but not at the moment. I would've preferred them telling me I had body odor. At least I could shower to wash the stench away.
"We will stay here until the infection is gone," Drake said.
My mood dove dampened and I sighed heavily.
"I guess you'll be stuck feeding from nurses and Alan will have to babysit me."
Drake and Alan turned their attention to the closed door. Drake slid his hand away from mine as he moved closer to my feet. Both men stared in silence.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Alan's body stiffened and he clenched his fists. "Someone is coming." He strode to the entrance, then leaned his back against the wall, near the door. Someone walking in would possibly hit him as they entered the room, but they wouldn't see him right away.
Drake moved in front of the bed. Tension claimed his body.
Alan held up two fingers. Drake gave him a nod. Two strangers coming to visit? Who would visit at such an early hour?
I patted the side of my bed, searching for the device to raise me up. The plastic clip on my finger clanked against the metal bar. Finding the remote, I pressed the button with the up arrow.
The bed hummed softly as it lifted. The door snapped as it opened. Conner strode into the room dressed in his police uniform. He saw Drake and came to a quick stop. Behind Conner, Ben—Gabe's uniformed friend—stepped into the room. He stopped next to Conner. Alan lunged at Ben. He grabbed Ben's arm, twisted it behind him, and gripped the back of Ben's neck. Holding Ben's arm against his back, Alan shoved Ben into the wall. Ben grunted and struggled, but Alan had him pinned.
The monitor near my head beeped faster, indicating the increase in my heart rate. Two werewolves growled at each other while a human policeman with transfixed eyes stared at a vampire. Could the situation get any worse?
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Stop, Drake!" I yelled.
He jerked his head toward me and his brown hair swept over his shoulder.
"That's Conner. He asked Paul and me for help with the murder investigation," I said as the bed reached an appropriate upright position for me to see well enough. "He's a good guy."
Ben growled. "I'm not going to hurt her. Troy gave specific instructions not to touch her."
Alan shoved the werewolf sideways, toward the chair in the corner. "Why are you here?"
Ben stumbled and landed in the seat lopsided, kicking his legs up slightly. He righted himself and rose fast with a heated expression.
Alan stepped in front of him. "I expect you to obey your leader. If you don't…"
The uniformed werewolf bared his teeth, trying to frighten or intimidate Alan. Of course, the Alpha didn't bat an eyelash.
"Why are you here?" Alan asked again.
Ben stared into Alan's tight gaze. "I heard about the incident at the gas station. When the description of the injured woman came across the radio, I suspected it might be the demon. Conner wanted to come and check on her."
"And you conveniently offered to join him," I said.
Ben glanced at Conner and Drake before he looked at me. "As I said before, Troy gave an order not to touch you."
He still hadn't explained why he tagged along. Regardless, his connection to Gabe made him untrustworthy in my book.
"I don't know what's going on here, but you better figure out something. You have a high-ranking police officer standing in your room," Ben said.
"Drake—" I said.
"He can't know we are here," he said. "No visitors are allowed and we are not leaving you."
Conner stood, unmoving and staring blindly ahead. The poor man didn't have a clue what was happening around him.
"Can you trick his mind into thinking he doesn't see you?" Although I disliked Drake manipulating human minds, at times like these, his little ability came in handy.
"Good idea," Alan said. "And if wolf boy says anything, it will only make him look like a fool."
Ben shot up from the recliner, then shoved his face in front of Alan. Again, the Alpha stood his ground. He didn't flinch or even blink.
Alan had a valid point. If Drake could influence Conner into thinking they were the only two in the room, then Ben had to play along with our game. Otherwise, Ben would look nuts.
Drake turned his gaze to me. The dark centers of his eyes were swollen.
"Do it," I said.
His looked at Conner. The two silently faced each other. In a matter of seconds, Drake stepped aside. "Now."
Conner blinked and looked around the room. His brows scrunched when he saw his partner. "Ben, what are you doing over there?"
Alan stepped to the side, but kept his eyes locked on Ben.
"I peeked out the window. Not much of a view from the third floor," Ben said.
Conner chuckled. "No, probably not."
"Conner," I said.
He turned to face me. "Jessie, you're awake. Good." His eyes lit up as he walked toward me. "How are you feeling, for a young woman who’s just been stabbed?" He stood at the side of my bed.
Ben came to stand next to him. He crossed his large arms and glared at me.
"I'm sore and tired." I scrubbed a hand across my forehead.
Conner smiled. "I'm sure you are."
Drake sat on the edge of the bed, near my feet. We exchanged quick glances.
"You are damn lucky to be alive. I heard on the radio the other person was dead at the scene," Conner said.
I pressed the back of my head into the pillow. Damn lucky to survive? No, I had Drake and an angel to thank for bringing me back. Luck never played a role in anything in my life.
Alan came to stand on the other side of my bed. He kept a steadfast gaze pointed at the werewolf.
"Another person died?" I asked, curiosity lacing in my tone.
"Someone stabbed the employee multiple times. The officers at the scene found his body behind the counter," Conner said.
"Do you think it was the same person you're investigating?"
"We're waiting on the report and some test results to come back," he said.
"How was the body found? What did it look like?" If the dead body had an open mouth and wide eyes like the others, I'd bet everything I owned that the demon I sought was the killer. And I had stumbled upon the scene.
Conner slid his hands into the pockets of his coat. "The information I've gathered from the men indicates similarities."
"What do you think?" I asked him.
"Between the three of us, I think it's the same perpetrator," he said.
Yeah, so did I. Only, the demon was killing more frequently. And why would the demon stab me only once? Why not try to take my soul? A small ache pricked at my head with the mounting questions.
"What brings you here at such a late hour?" I asked.
"I came to check on you," Conner replied. "I won't ask you any questions now, but soon I will need to get a statement."
Glancing at Ben, I frowned. Did I really want to see his face again?
"Since you're here, ask me now. I have nothing to hide," I said.
"I don't want to wear you out. I'm sure you must—"
"Ask me, please. I'm awake now. I might be asleep if you come back later."
A smile slowly spread across Conner's face. "If you insist…"
"I do." I grinned.
Conner turned to Ben, then back to me. "Oh, how rude of me. Jessie, this is Ben. He is going to help with the investigation, too. Actually, I think the entire department
has been reassigned."
I slid my hand under the covers to avoid contact with the werewolf. "So everyone is working to catch the murderer?"
Ben withdrew a small notepad from his front chest pocket. "For the time being, yes. Federal law enforcement is on their way to help. They should arrive in a couple of days."
The way he worded his response made me think he disliked his new assignment. I wondered why. I would've thought every uniformed officer would want to catch the killer.
Both Drake and Alan watched the two officers closely, mostly Ben. So far, Conner hadn't suspected or even sensed another presence in the room. Drake's mind game worked like a charm.
"Do you recall what you saw when you arrived at the gas station?" Conner said.
Ben took a pen from his pocket. He flipped open his small notepad, then prepared to write on the paper.
I inhaled a deep breath. "I didn't see anyone else around when I went inside the store. When I heard a noise in the back, I went to investigate. The next thing I knew, I felt a cold blade hit me in the back. Then I blacked out."
Ben scribbled in his notepad. "Were you alone?" His eyes stayed on the paper.
"Yes."
Ben glanced at Alan. "A call came into the station from a man. He reported a woman had been stabbed. Do you know who made the call?"
Alan had made the call, but I couldn't tell them. "No. Someone called and reported I had been stabbed?" I played dumb.
Ben's cold gaze fell upon me. "Yes. If someone hadn't made that call, you might not have been found in time."
My heartbeat accelerated, evidenced by the fast beeps coming from the heart monitor. Alan had saved my life. Had he not reached me in time and called for help, I would be a slave to the devil right now. On a side note, Ben no doubt suspected Alan had made the call, but I would never admit to it. Without any evidence, they couldn't pursue Alan.
I looked at Conner. "Guess you were right. I was lucky someone called.”
Conner had a blank expression. "Was there anyone with you when you went inside the convenience store?"
"No, I was alone."
"Is your car parked at the gas station?" Ben asked.
I stared into the werewolf's bold eyes and wondered what tricks he had up his sleeve. Was he trying to catch me in a lie? Well, he wouldn't. "No. I didn't drive."