by Julie Wetzel
He smiled as her words got more disjointed by the medication lulling her to sleep. The girl’s deep, even breathing told him when she was finally asleep. Tilting his head forwards, he kissed the crown of her head before relaxing back and enjoying the feel of a living body against his. It had been some time since someone had fallen asleep against him, and he schooled his heart and breathing to match hers so he could rest for a while. He hadn’t properly rested since Elliot had called him from the emergency room.
***
The nurse paused in the doorway and stared over the tray of food she was carrying at the pair sleeping in the bed. Rupert had pulled a few strings to make sure there was a wolf on duty in Vicky’s hospital, but he hadn’t warned them that Darien would be tending the girl himself. There was no question who the man holding her patient was. No one else would dare touch the injured woman like that.
The nurse was torn between leaving and letting them rest or waking them so Vicky could eat while her dinner was still hot. She was saved from the decision when Darien opened his eyes and looked at the intruder. “I’m Ruby,” she said, “and I have your lady’s dinner.” The nurse held out the tray for Darien to see.
He nodded. “Thank you,” he said as the woman came in and set the tray on the table.
Vicky stirred at the sound.
Darien loosened his grip on her as she stretched and snuggled deeper into his comforting presence. He let out a light laugh and patted her lightly so she would wake up. It would have been lovely to stay there with her cuddled in his arms for the rest of the evening, but she needed to eat, and so did he. “Wake up, Victoria.” He rolled them both onto their sides, so she was no longer resting on top of him. “Dinner’s here.”
Vicky moaned in protest as Darien pulled away from her slightly. Her eyes fluttered open, and it took them a moment to focus. When she woke up enough to fully comprehend that Darien was still wrapped around her in the hospital bed, the color that bloomed on her face would make tomatoes envious. “I’m sorry.” Vicky tried to push out of his arms.
Darien would not release her. “Don’t be.” He moved his hand to brush a few strands of wayward hair from her face.
Vicky’s breath caught at his gentle touch.
“But it’s time to wake up. Food’s here.” Darien finally released her and sat up in the bed. “I told you that you needed all the calories you could get.” He pulled the rolling table a little closer while Vicky shifted to a more upright position. After adding another of the cakes from the plastic bag to her tray, he moved off the bed and placed the table where Vicky could eat. He found his shoes and slipped into them as she pulled the top off the main dish and made a face at the hospital meatloaf.
“Thanks,” Vicky said begrudgingly. She would much rather have continued sleeping in Darien’s arms than try and choke down hospital food.
Darien laughed at her as he picked up the fork and placed it into her hand. “Make sure you eat all of it.” He patted her on the head, and she glared at him. Smiling back, he turned to the door. “I’ll be back shortly.”
Vicky nodded before she poked the mystery meat on her plate to see if it would crawl away.
Laughing again, he went to see about something for himself. He hadn’t realized when he laid down in the bed that mingling his essence with hers would be such a bad idea. A longing that he hadn’t known for some time had started to grow in him, and he was having a problem putting the feelings down. Closing his eyes, he could still feel the warmth from where she had snuggled into his chest.
Snapping his eyes open, Darien ripped himself back to reality before he turned around and went back in that room… and did things to Vicky he knew she wasn’t ready for. He hadn’t been home long enough to find the picture of his old love, so he was still not sure if these feelings were held over from her, or if Vicky inspired them herself.
Looking around, Darien found Ruby standing at the nurse’s station. He made a beeline for her. She would know where he could get something to calm the hunger in him. Solving that problem would go a long way towards allowing him to work on the other issues tangled up inside of him.
***
Vicky ate her meatloaf as she tried to sort out her feelings. She had just spent a fair amount of time curled up on her boss’s chest, asleep and probably drooling. As she thought about it, she wiped the corner of her mouth unconsciously. How was she supposed to feel about this development? Her mind had flatlined when he sat on the bed and held his hands out for her. Was she was more shocked that he’d climbed into her bed, or that she wasn’t against him being there?
Over the past few weeks, she had realized she was starting to have feelings for her handsome employer. Since he was her boss, Vicky had tried to push those feelings away, but Darien kept doing things that wormed himself deeper into her heart. Yes, he was a vampire and dangerous, but that didn’t stop her from seeing a kind and caring man. It also bothered her that everyone around them already saw her as his possession. The trip to the club and the flowers had been more than enough to prove that.
For a few minutes, Vicky entertained the idea of quitting her job and running back to her hometown and her mother. Would that solve her problems, or would this world be waiting for her there, too?
Vicky gasped and dropped her fork as a horrible thought hit her. Had anyone called her mother about the fire? The frantic woman hadn’t torn the hospital apart looking for her, so she assumed that no one had thought to notify her next of kin. Vicky didn’t know if this was because she had come in with someone or if Darien’s long reach was causing the oversight, but she was going to have to find a phone and let her mother know what had happened as soon as she could.
***
“Then the woman told me she was allergic to oxygen.” The nurses burst out laughing at the absurd statement. Ruby looked up from the surgical nurse’s story when her nose told her that a vampire was nearby. She wasn’t surprised that a member of that community was coming to visit Master Darien’s lady, but she was very surprised to see Michael and one of his flock stepping out of the elevator.
The vampire met the werewolf’s eyes for just a second before walking past her and down the hall.
As soon as he was out of sight, Ruby excused herself from the conversation and grabbed her cell phone. This development definitely warranted a phone call. With Master Darien off getting dinner, Rupert would know what to do.
The bed creaked as Vicky shifted around in it. Turning another page in Darien’s book, she tried to read what was written there, but her mind just would not focus on the words. She had attempted to call her mother from the hospital phone, but she couldn’t get a long-distance line. Informing her mother about the fire would have to wait until Darien got back with a cell phone—hers was in the messenger bag he had taken. Unable to concentrate, she dropped the book to the bed and turned her attention to the backpack.
In her search for something to do, she dug through the backpack and found something she hadn’t realized she was missing. Blushing as she pulled the clean underwear out, she gladly slipped into the soft, cotton bottoms. It had been two days since she’d had underwear on, and she was thrilled not to be exposed any more.
Vicky heard her door open and looked up, expecting to see Darien coming back from wherever he had run off to just before dinner. He had been gone for a long time now. She was surprised to see Marsha step through the open door. Marsha looked a little pale, but that could’ve been the heavy goth makeup she was wearing.
Marsha smiled at Vicky nervously. “Hello.”
Vicky squashed the bag down and sat up straighter in the bed. “Hey.” She greeted her guest warmly.
“Can I come in?” Marsha fidgeted with the doorknob.
Vicky could see that the woman was very nervous about something. “Please.” She waved her hand to the seat by her bed, and Marsha nearly ran to the chair to sit down. “Is everything okay?” Vicky asked as she studied the woman.
“I’m so sorry!” Marsha burst into tears.
Vicky had no idea why the girl was so upset.
“We ordered the flowers that came with the wolfsbane in them,” Marsha cried, “but we didn’t know that they were going to put those in the bouquet!”
Vicky moved to comfort the girl. “Hey, hey.” She pulled her into a hug. “There is no reason for that.” She patted Marsha on the back, and the goth girl clung to Vicky as if she were her only lifeline. “No harm, no foul,” she said soothingly.
Marsha sniffed hard and pulled back from Vicky. “Are you sure?” Marsha rubbed her eyes and smeared mascara all over her face.
Vicky pulled a tissue from the box on the table near the bed and handed it to the upset girl. “I’m sure,” Vicky reassured her. “I didn’t even know what the plant was when it was delivered. Mr. Ritter pointed it out to me.”
Marsha’s face darkened as if she were going to burst into tears again.
“No, no—” Vicky said, trying to head off more tears, “It was an honest mistake, right?”
Marsha nodded.
“Then, there’s no problem. Don’t worry about it.” Vicky soothed her.
“It was an honest mistake,” Marsha hiccupped. “We wanted to let you know that and apologize in person.”
Vicky cocked her head at the girl’s words. “We?”
Marsha nodded towards the door. “Master Michael is here to apologize, too.” She sniffed.
Vicky looked back over to the doorway and saw him standing there. Fear shot through her as she studied the man who had been plaguing her nightmares.
“May I come in?” Michael asked.
She paused for a moment before answering. He would surely leave if she said no, but that was no way to face her fears. Vicky swallowed hard and gathered up her courage.
“Yes,” she answered softly, dropping the bag to the floor and moving back to the middle of her bed.
Michael walked into the room and stopped a few feet from the end of the bed. He bowed deeply to her. “I would like to apologize for my previous actions. I was out of line and did not respect your wishes.”
His words sounded well rehearsed, but Vicky could hear the regret in them.
Michael looked up at her without rising from his bow. “I’ve brought you a peace offering in hopes that you will one day forgive me for my transgressions,” he said, setting a box on the foot of her bed. Standing up from his bow, Michael stepped back, putting more distance between himself and the anxious woman.
Vicky watched him warily for a moment before looking down at the box. She didn’t know what to say. Moving forwards, she pulled the box towards her and looked up again. She could see the anxiety in the man as she pulled the top off the gift.
A silver cloak pin glittered against the deep blue of a shawl. “It’s beautiful.” Vicky picked up the three-inch-round circle and admired the Celtic dolphin motif on the flat ends of the pin. There was a thin bar attached to the ring that would slip through the material before twisting to secure the shawl in place. Vicky ran her fingers over the heavy fibers of the shawl. The material was coarsely woven, but very soft. It would be very nice in the cooler days of the fall.
She looked up to the vampire holding his breath and considered him. “Thank you,” Vicky finally answered, accepting his gifts. She could see Michael was trying to make amends for his behavior. Although she wasn’t sure she was ready to forgive him yet, she knew it would do her no good to hold on to the grudge forever.
Michael let out an audible sigh of relief as the tension drained from his body. “These are both symbols of friendship.” He took a step closer to Vicky’s bed, so he could explain why he had picked these items as her gifts.
The door slammed open, and Michael jumped back as both Darien and Rupert burst into the room. Marsha squealed in fear and cowered in the corner as Vicky stared, openmouthed, at the sudden entrance. Even she could feel the otherworldly power rolling off the vampire and the alpha werewolf.
Darien’s eyes first caught Michael before jumping to the bed to make sure Vicky was okay.
Rupert growled deeply at the lesser vampire.
Seeing that Vicky was not harmed, Darien turned his attention back to Michael. “What are you doing here?” He glared at the unexpected man.
“I came to offer your lady my apology.” Michael held out his hand, indicating the gift in Vicky’s lap.
Darien stepped over to the bedside and looked down into the box. “Did you explain their meaning?” he asked as he examined the two items offered.
“I was just getting to that,” Michael said.
Vicky looked from the ruffled man standing over her to the werewolf glaring from the doorway, and then she looked at the man trying his best not to cower in the corner. She needed to do or say something before things blew up over a misunderstanding.
Darien looked down when he felt her gentle touch on his arm. The expression on her face spoke volumes—she was frightened, but okay. It only took him a heartbeat to understand that it was his energy and Rupert’s ferocity scaring her, not Michael. Darien took a deep breath and let go of the anger filling him. The power level in the room dropped drastically as he regained his self-control.
“I apologize for our sudden intrusion.” He spoke to both Vicky and Michael. “We were worried for Miss Westernly’s safety. Please, continue.”
Rupert huffed and closed the door. Dropping himself into a chair, he watched the younger vampire intently.
Now that she could breathe again, Vicky shifted over in the bed and patted the edge for Darien to sit next to her. She knew he wasn’t going to move from her side while Michael was visiting.
Darien took her offer and placed himself close enough to show his claim on her, but not close enough to make her want to move away.
Michael looked at the people settling in. He swallowed back his fear and stepped forwards to explain the gift to Vicky. “These are both symbols of friendship,” he said, beginning again. “Dolphins are a Celtic symbol of friendship and bringers of good fortune. A shawl represents warmth in a friendship, and the color blue symbolizes trust and peace.”
Vicky locked eyes with Michael as she considered the gift before her. She had accepted it before she knew its true meaning, so she thought about how this knowledge might have changed her decision. “I’m not sure how far I would trust you, but an offer of peace is something that I can accept,” Vicky answered. “Friendship is built on trust, so that will have to wait, but I’m not against that possibility.” She looked down at the gift again. “I will accept your apology.” She pulled the box a little closer.
Michael visibly relaxed.
Darien touched her back, and she looked over at him. His eyes showed his approval of her words. Then, they both looked back at Michael.
“Victoria may have accepted your apology, but if you ever do something like that again, you will have me to answer to,” Darien warned.
Michael swallowed hard. “You have my word that it will never happen again.” He bowed to the greater vampire and stood up.
Darien nodded his acceptance.
“I also spoke with the florist responsible for the flower arrangement.” Michael split his attention between Darien and Rupert. “The tall stocks were supposed to be hollyhocks, but her supplier sent the wrong plants, so she used the ‘lovely purple flowers’ sent in error. She was unaware they were offensive to anyone.”
Michael turned to face the alpha werewolf directly. “I apologize for any disrespect this error may have caused. I assure you it was unintentional.”
Rupert glared at the man for a moment before nodding his acceptance of the apology. Since Michael had made the effort to clear up the misunderstanding, it was the least he could do to forgive the unintentional offense.
“If you will excuse me,” Michael looked back at Darien and Vicky as he continued, “Marsha and I will take our leave for the evening.” He held his hand out for his minion, and Marsha nearly bolted to his side.
Michael wrapped his arm protectively around the ter
rified girl. “Have a pleasant night.” He turned and led her out of the room.
“Good night,” Vicky called to Marsha as they left the room. When the door clicked closed, she looked back down at her new shawl. “Well, that was interesting.”
Darien chuckled at her comment and leaned back against the bed behind her, letting out a deep sigh of relief.
“He’s still an ass,” Rupert grumped, shifting to look into the box. “Of course it would be silver,” he grumbled as he looked at the cloak pin with a scowl. “Still, it’s a pretty piece of junk.”
“Just because you can’t wear it does not mean it’s junk,” Darien reprimanded the wolf. He shifted so he was supported on his elbow and looked past Vicky at the alpha. “I think it is a very appropriate gift for this situation. He obviously put some thought into it.”
Darien reached down into the box and picked up the pin to look at it more closely. “These aren’t easy to come by in this day and age.” He flipped the pin over to inspect the craftsmanship. “This had to be something he’s been working on since that night.” Setting the pin back in the box with the shawl, he added, “And, I rather like the color.”
“It doesn’t matter if you like the color,” Rupert jabbed. “Does she like the gift?”
The two men looked at Vicky expectantly.
“Um…” She felt awkward under their eyes. “It’s very nice,” she admitted. Vicky picked up the pin and played with it for a moment. “I’ve always liked old, Irish things,” she said absentmindedly.
Amusement lit Darien’s face as he watched her investigate the gifts. She had no idea what she had just said and how it applied to him. He thought about reminding her that he was an “old, Irish thing,” but decided that he would just leave it for the moment. They had company, and it wouldn’t do to embarrass her in front of the werewolf.
“Well.” Rupert broke the silence that had fallen in the room as he pushed himself up from the chair. “Now that that’s over, I need to get back to what I was doing.” Facing the bed, he addressed them both. “Darien. Miss Westernly.” He nodded his head in farewell before turning to the door.