Smith, Faith V. - Presidential Heat [Vampire Government Protectors] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Faith V. Smith

  Sounds came at Kira, shouts from Malachi, arms tugging at her as she sat down amidst smoldering debris, Gareth’s head cradled in her lap. Blood from his wound turned her dress into a slick-coated mess.

  She ignored the slight ache of her arms and legs from the ember burns. She had only one goal. To keep Gareth alive.

  “Kira, we have to go.” Malachi’s voice sounded disembodied, but his anguish and shock came through.

  She fought at the hands grabbing her. “I’m not leaving him.”

  “Neither am I, but his wounds are fatal. We need to turn him, and we can’t do it here.”

  “We can’t do it at all, Malachi. He hasn’t made a decision.” Kira’s heart shattered with that knowledge. Gareth would die, and there was nothing she could do.

  “Kira! He’s the president, not just your husband. We have to do what’s good for the country.” Malachi reached down to take Gareth. “I called for another limo with one of our GVPs as a driver. We’ll take him back to the White House, to the basement.”

  “Don’t touch him. You can’t go against his wishes. You know the rules. We can’t turn a mortal unless he’s willing.”

  Malachi dropped to the ground by Kira. As she watched, his eyes filled with tears. “I know, but dammit, he’s like a brother to me. I don’t want to lose him.”

  Kira reached out a blood-covered hand and grasped Malachi’s arm. “It’s killing me too. I don’t think I can live without him.”

  “Kira?”

  Kira jerked her gaze to Gareth’s. His eyes were open.

  “Gareth…” She didn’t know what to say.

  “God, I hurt.” His confused and pain-filled gaze struck her heart.

  “I know, darling, I know. Try to rest.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish…” His eyes held the knowledge he was dying. Regret darkened the green orbs staring up at her.”

  “Gareth, please, you’re the air I breathe. I can’t live without you. It may be too late, but I beg you to let me try to change you. I don’t want to bury you. I won’t, unless they put me beside you.”

  “Gareth, we need your permission. If you die now, without a vice president to take over, it’ll cause major panic. We can’t let that happen.” Malachi’s voice trembled with emotion.

  “Please, Gareth, let us change you. I beg you.”

  “Kira, please don’t cry…” Her husband’s eyes closed.

  “Gareth!” A faint rise and fall of his chest reassured her he lived, but for how long? Minutes? Seconds?

  As she held her breath, praying for more time with him, Gareth’s fingers touched her hand. His eyes opened once more.

  “Do it. Change me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  After that, time sped up. The limo arrived, and she and Malachi carried Gareth out of the alley and laid him gently on the elongated seat. Kira crawled up beside him and pulled his head into her lap.

  Minutes, too many precious minutes, were gone.

  They had to hurry if they were to change him before it was too late. Malachi said something to the driver, and then they raced through the streets of DC.

  With a cell phone to his ear, her boss directed White House staff to issue a statement. “Neither President Hayes nor the First Lady were in the limo at the time of the explosion. More details will be forthcoming.”

  One paragraph issued to appease the public that their president was safe. Kira prayed they could make it true.

  The limo slowed down and stopped. Malachi jumped out the door and back in again in a moment. A couple of men she didn’t recognized held a stretcher.

  “Kira, this is Jake and Robert. They were with James, our new driver, when I called for the limo. We’ll get Gareth inside and up to his room.”

  “How? Won’t someone see us?”

  For the first time in what seemed like a century, Malachi smiled. “Let me worry about that.”

  Kira wondered why they didn’t just teleport him to the private quarters. For that matter, why hadn’t they just teleported him to the White House?

  “I couldn’t. The dissolution of his molecular cells, with him as weak as he is, could kill him instantly.”

  Once inside the tunnel, she walked beside Gareth’s stretcher. Blood oozed from around the fragment in his chest. The flow of fluid, much slower now than even a few minutes earlier, indicated how low his blood pressure had dropped. How much blood remained in his body? Would they be too late to save him?

  The questions kept coming at Kira, chipping away at what little sanity she held on to.

  The end of the tunnel loomed straight ahead, but Malachi directed the agents carrying the stretcher to stop. “Kira, give me a hand.”

  She moved to the side of the tunnel where Malachi stood, moving aside wooden boxes and old furniture left behind by long-gone presidents. As she grabbed a headboard, she tamped down on the panic seeping deeper into her bones.

  Once they finished, Malachi opened a door that had been hidden behind years of accumulation. “Through here.”

  Kira waited until the stretcher was through the doorway before resuming her place at Gareth’s side. Her vampire vision inside the darker section of the basement kicked in, and she focused on her husband’s breathing. Shallow, way too shallow.

  “Malachi, maybe we should do the change now. He’s barely breathing.”

  “Hang in there. We’re almost there.”

  Malachi kept walking, and Kira prayed he was right. They were passing through what looked to have been a furnace and storage room ages ago. A few steps more and their little caravan halted again.

  A rattle of keys and then light poured into the room. Beyond the threshold lay their bedroom. She didn’t know how Malachi knew about this secret passage, or why he’d hadn’t shared that bit of information, but she was grateful he did.

  The men held the stretcher at the edge of the mattress, while Kira and Malachi gently removed Gareth, placing him on the bed.

  “Thanks, you two. Now, if you’d teleport yourselves out of here, I’ll speak with you later.”

  “Good luck,” both Robert and Jake expressed before following Malachi’s orders.

  “Now what?” Her question came out as a trembling, anxiety-filled plea.

  “Now we pull out that damn piece of shrapnel and wait on Gareth to die.”

  His words were too matter-of-fact for Kira to believe them.

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes, once he takes his last breath, we start giving him blood. We’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way, since time is of the essence.”

  “Okay, so let’s do it.”

  “Crawl up and hold his chest down. Even at the point of death, the pain will be horrendous. I wouldn’t put it past Gareth to regain consciousness. If he does, you’ll have to hold him still. I don’t want this piece of metal doing more damage. It’ll just mean more healing time before he can be up and around.”

  Kira did as he asked, braced her hands on Gareth’s shoulders, and then nodded to Malachi.

  “On the count of three. One, two, three.”

  The extraction of the dagger-size weapon made a gushing sound as Malachi pulled it straight out. Gareth’s body bucked once, and then twice, before he lay motionless.

  Kira checked his chest for movement. His chest rose and fell, thank God. Oh Lord, what was she saying? He had to die before he could live.

  Blood begin to trickle out faster and faster until a continuous crimson flow soaked the bedcovers. As it did, Gareth’s breathing would stall and then start back. It wouldn’t be much longer. She just prayed with all her might the turning would work.

  An awful death rattle came from Gareth’s throat. A second later, he lay dead.

  “Now, Kira, we have to act fast.”

  Malachi pulled a switchblade from his back pocket and held it out to Kira. She took it, sliced a diagonal cut across her wrist, and then held her hand to Gareth’s lips. Her blood dripped, then trickled into Gareth’s mouth. She knew he’d watched Malachi g
ive her blood the same way after her throat was cut, but this was her first time participating in anything of the sort.

  After she encouraged the blood down his throat, Gareth’s lips closed onto her wrist. The suction as he begin to suckle her blood, although slow, made her knees weak with relief. Hopefully, this was a sign they would be successful.

  “Good, now, in a few moments, we’ll give him my blood. I’m going to call Claude and have him bring in some blood from one of the hospitals. When Gareth wakes up, he’s going to be hungry, even with the serum.”

  While Malachi made his call, Kira returned her attention to Gareth. His eyes were closed, and his lids carried the blue tinge of death. His lips, now stained with blood, continued to suckle from her wrist.

  “Okay, let’s change. Claude is teleporting to one of the area blood banks. It’ll be less populated with the holiday than a hospital.”

  Kira eased off the mattress as Malachi took over. She felt surprisingly bereft without her connection to Gareth. Stories from her parents about the bonding drifted through her mind. What she felt was natural, and when the turning was complete, she would always feel a sharp loneliness whenever she was separated from her mate.

  Moments crawled by. She and Malachi changed places several times before Claude teleported into the room. He placed the IV pole at the head of the bed, hooking up a bag of whole blood. The line of tubing that would connect the fluid to Gareth’s arm was not inserted.

  “We’ll wait until he wakes up before hooking him up. Where do you keep your serum, Kira?” Claude asked.

  “It’s in a lockbox in the closet. The key’s in the jewelry box on the dresser.”

  Kira pulled her wrist away from Gareth’s lips for the third or fourth time, she wasn’t sure.

  “I think that’s enough, Kira. Watch his chest. You should start to see some movement soon.” Malachi’s words were manna to her ears.

  “How many turnings have you done?”

  “A few in my time, but I think this is the most traumatic one.” Malachi’s features carried the fear, concern, and stress of the last several hours.

  “I don’t know how to thank you…”

  “No need. I care for you both. I just wished it could have been prevented. The limo garage tape showed nothing out of the ordinary. Of course, this is the first time this particular limo’s been used in a few weeks.”

  Malachi must have popped into the security office during the few times he’d left the room.

  “Malachi, there’s no way you could have known. I assume all the cars are serviced and checked before they’re used.”

  “Yes, and this one was given a preliminary look since it was serviced after its last use.” Malachi dropped into the armchair by the bed as Claude retrieved the lockbox with the serum, took the key, and opened it.

  “You have two vials left, Kira. When’s your next injection due?”

  “Not for about a week. If I have to go longer, I can.”

  “No need, I have a couple of extra in my room. I’ll get them if we need them.” Malachi closed his eyes and rested against the chair’s back.

  Kira turned back to watch Gareth. As she did, she noticed just a speck of movement. The motion began to grow stronger. She let out a sigh.

  “Malachi, he’s breathing on his own.” Her words propelled Malachi to sit straight up in the chair and then lean forward. “Good, good. This is what we want. Now, the next part is going to get dicey.”

  “What? I thought we were over the worst part.”

  Malachi patted the hand she rested on Gareth’s chest. “We are, but he still has to go through the process of having his organs reconstructed into immortal status. It’s painful, or so I’ve witnessed. Gareth’s body will fight the change until it’s finished. Our job is to prevent him from hurting himself and keep him from losing his mind.”

  “What do you mean, lose his mind?” Kira’s previous exultation disappeared. The hand not touching Gareth gripped the coverlet.

  “Some, and I’m not saying Gareth will be one of them, turned vampires are not strong enough to handle the pain. Their mind shuts down completely, and they never recover their senses. They are locked inside their minds, trapped forever.”

  “Well, that’s not going to happen to Gareth. I won’t let it.”

  Her determination brought a smile to Malachi and Claude’s lips.

  “That’s my girl. When it starts, talk to him, keep him grounded. Tell him how much you love him and need him.”

  “Count on it. I’m not letting him slip away now.”

  * * * *

  Kira woke from the light doze she’d fallen into after stretching out next to Gareth on the bed. Gareth mumbled, but the words were more like guttural sounds of pain. She jumped up when his arms and legs began to flail.

  “Malachi!”

  The older vampire resumed his position, leaning over Gareth. “It’s started. Now, if God is with us, in a few hours, it’ll be finished.”

  “Should we hold him down?” Kira dodged a fist that came close to her face.

  “No, for right now, scoot back out of his way and talk to him.”

  Kira did and then sat cross-legged on the bed.

  “Hi, darling, you gave me quite a scare. I thought I’d lost you forever. Just hang in there a bit longer, and all of this will be over.” Kira swiped at the tears rolling down her face.

  “I know this isn’t truly what you wanted—you had no choice, really—but you’re the other half of my heart. Don’t you ever forget it. Now, I want you to fight like you never have before to come back to me completely, body and mind intact.”

  Kira didn’t know how long she talked to Gareth. Her voice became raspy with use, and both the male vampires had come and gone several times before she gradually noticed a decrease in Gareth’s writhing.

  “How is he?” Malachi teleported back into the room with a tray in his hands.

  “I think he’s somewhat better.” Kira didn’t want to voice her hope for fear she was wrong.

  “It’s about time. It’s close to dawn, and the changing should be almost finished. I’ll keep an eye on him while you eat something and get a shower. You don’t want the first thing he sees when he awakes is a tearstained-faced, blood-soaked, weak wife.”

  Kira almost laughed. Malachi was right. Gareth would have a fit if he thought she wasn’t taking care of herself.

  “Okay, you win. I’m starved.”

  “Good, I ate downstairs. This is all yours.”

  Kira crammed bites of barbeque into her mouth and chased them with sips of tea. She devoured the delicious offering in under a minute.

  “Okay, gonna hit the shower. Please let me know if he wakes up.” She scrambled off the bed and set the tray on a table.

  “Will do, and Kira…”

  Kira turned back before reaching the bathroom door.

  “You did good. I’m proud of you, and Gareth will be too.”

  “Thanks, Malachi.” She retraced her steps to the bed, leaned down, and placed a kiss on Malachi’s forehead before heading once again toward the allure of soap and water. She snagged a pair of jeans, a casual top, and undies before entering the bathroom.

  Ten minutes later, scrubbed and dressed, Kira tossed the bloodstained clothes in a garbage bag and tied it closed. She’d teleport it to a biohazard dump later.

  She reentered the bedroom and found Malachi and Gareth just as she’d left them, although the frenzied movements of his limbs had slowed considerably.

  “How’s he doing?”

  “Better, much better. It looked like he tried to open his eyes for a moment, but it’s still early.”

  “How much longer, any idea?” Kira held her breath.

  “Not long if he follows the pattern of other changings.”

  “Whew, that’s good. I never realized what this involved when I begged him to allow me to change him.”

  “Don’t stress over it. As it is, it looks like a higher power was involved in this decision. I th
ink God has more in store for your husband down the road.”

  “He’s truly remarkable, isn’t he? I mean, against all odds, threats, and more, he’s stood his ground. Never wavering against what he believes is best for our country. Oh, and before I forget it, as if I could, is there any news on Aron?”

  “How did you know?”

  “I read Gareth’s mind.”

  “Guess you didn’t tell him you did it.”

  Kira giggled. “No. Now, any news?”

  “No. There’s been a few sightings that turned out false. No telling where he is.”

  “I’ll be glad when he’s caught. One more loose end to tie up.” Kira settled on the bed. She noticed the linens had been changed and the hole in Gareth’s chest was beginning to close up.

  “Who changed the bed?”

  “Claude and I did. Figured you probably didn’t want to sit in blood since you showered.” Malachi’s face turned a light pink.

  “Malachi, I can’t tell you how much you mean to me and how I appreciate what you’ve done to save Gareth. Thank you.” Kira’s words ended on a tear-choked sigh.

  “Just doing my job, as you would say. Seriously, truth be known, Gareth is and has been more than a job to me over the years. You know, I didn’t have any siblings, so when I met him, having a friend like him was a whole new experience for me. We were into the same things, had the same values. The man is as dear to me as you are, darling, and that’s saying a lot.”

  Before Kira could reply, a hand grasped hers. She looked down into Gareth’s confused gaze.

  “Gareth, can you talk?”

  “Yes, what happened?” His voice a mere whisper.

  Kira hoped he remembered some of the events. It would make it easier on him.

  “Do you recall anything?”

  Gareth’s grip tightened as Malachi laid a hand on his other arm. “I remember getting hit in the chest. It felt like my insides were on fire.”

  “You took a piece of shrapnel from the exploding limo. Anything else?” Kira held her breath again.

  “I remember you talking to me as if from a distance, then being carried. I must have lost it for a while. The next thing I recall is a horrible pain again in my chest and then drinking something. After that, my insides ached and burned.”