William grabbed the door, wrenched the bashed in piece of metal off its hinges, and tossed it away.
“Evan!” He felt her throat for a pulse. It was faint. The scent of blood slapped him and made his fangs ache.
He turned her head to face him. Her nose was bloodied, and she had a gash above her eye.
“Evan! Evan?” He shook her but she was limp as a rag doll. He grabbed the seatbelt and yanked it free. She slid forward and he caught her, dragging her onto the grass.
In the glow of his headlights, she was unusually pale. He spotted her left leg wrapped in the now-red dress shirt he’d given her. He unwrapped it. Blood poured from a large gash in her leg.
“Shit.” He wrapped it back up, but the damage was done. He hopped to his feet and raced to his SUV, grabbed the medic kit from the back, and then headed to her side.
He pulled it open, and then scanned for something to use. His mind raced, recognizing everything in turn, but suddenly unable to remember what any of it was for.
“Think, William.” He took a cleansing breath. She needed a sterile bandage, but to take off the shirt again could be catastrophic. Her pulse was already thready and she’d lost too much blood. What the hell had happened to her?
He closed his eyes and swore. There was only one thing to do. The one thing he didn’t want to do and the one thing she wouldn’t want him to do. His gaze traveled back to her pallid face and he cupped her cheek with his palm. She was going to kill him for this.
His limbs shook as he pulled her half-naked body onto his lap and rolled up his sleeve. He’d never fed someone before. He tried to remember what Danika had done when she’d fed him.
He bit into his wrist and placed it over Evan’s mouth. Blood dripped from the shallow wound onto her face. He pried her mouth open and the blood dribbled in. He pumped his fist several times in an effort to get the blood to flow better. It continued to trickle.
“Dammit.” He bit into his wrist again, this time hitting his mark. Blood flowed freely into her mouth. She coughed and gagged. “Swallow, PITA.”
Her eyelids fluttered but didn’t open. She swallowed once and then twice. He pulled his wrist away and licked it shut, unsure of how much would be too much. She sucked in a deep breath and moaned.
“William,” she whispered.
He stared at her, unable to move. Had she really said his name? He brushed it off. She was only saying it because he was there with her. There was no time to think on it though. He had to move her somewhere safe and cleaner.
He picked up the medic kit, threw it in the car, and tossed all his supplies into the trunk. Then came back and scooped Evan into his arms. Her warm arms pebbled at the contact with his cool skin. Her breasts heaved up and down, barely covered by the light pink, lacy bra. He laid her on the backseat and covered her with his UV blanket and his overcoat.
Jumping into the front seat, he closed the door. He glanced in the backseat where she lay motionless, pulled up the GPS, and located the nearest town. There wasn’t much, but hopefully he could at least find a clean motel to dress her wounds.
He pulled away from the crash, praying she’d be okay.
* * * *
A motel flashing a large arrow with a vacancy sign appeared at his right. Probably one of the last small businesses left in an outskirt town.
He stopped the SUV outside the lobby and hopped out. An old vamp greeted him and took the cash without so much as a question to William’s name. He simply nodded and handed William a key.
William didn’t want to get noticed, but there was no way he was going to chance it at another deserted motel again. Even though this motel had only one vamp cashier and two other cars in the parking lot, he was pretty sure anyone looking for an easy mark would go elsewhere.
Hefting his bag over his shoulder, he then reached in and grabbed Evan, still wrapped in a blanket. He cradled her against his chest, her temperature now cool on his skin. Her head lolled to the side, revealing the fact that her skin color was no closer to normal than it had been on the ground. Dammit.
He unlocked the room and pulled the key from the door. Stepping inside, he then kicked it closed behind him. He lay Evan on the first of the two beds and set his bag on the second bed. Then he rushed into the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and wet it. The second one he ripped into strips. He located the lamp and flipped it before opening the medic kit and locating the small bottle of peroxide and a tube of antibiotic. It still amazed him how easy those simple things were to procure in vampire society. A brown bottle and a yellow tube. The two things that could have saved his mother’s life.
He set them on Evan’s bed and stared at her for a minute. He was going to have to strip her down to get the bloody pants off. He stared at the beautiful slender waist and her belly button that peeked out from over her waistband. The tips of several tiny silvery scars snaked down below the belt line.
Gently he unwrapped the two pieces of dress shirt from her leg. The gash was worse than he’d originally thought. Though the bleeding had slowed, it hadn’t stopped and the wound wasn’t healing. It should at least be closed from how much blood he’d given her. At least… he was pretty sure it should. Something wasn’t right.
He ripped the leg of her pants apart so he could get a better look at the wound. The edges of the fabric clung to the gash. He blew out a breath and grabbed the wet towel. Dabbing at the wound, he tried to wiggle the pieces of fabric loose.
Evan moaned and stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, and he continued to wipe at her leg.
“Where am I?” she croaked. She scanned the room and then locked glassy eyes on him. “Who the hell—” She sucked in a breath. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you as well.”
Panic traced her features. “Have you been following me this whole time?”
“You crashed the car.”
She looked down at her leg and threw her hands into her hair. “Crap! I passed out.” She probed her face with her fingers. “Great. I messed up my face. I liked my face.”
“Yeah, well I wouldn’t be so concerned with that right now as with this leg. What happened?”
She stared at him for a moment and bit her lip as if trying to decide something. “I got stabbed,” she finally said.
“By who?” He tried to keep his temper in check.
“Some stupid vampyr dick. I shot him.”
William stopped and looked up at her. “Well I hope you got him good.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have stopped there for gas.”
William blew out a breath. “Okay, look. You need help with this wound. It isn’t healing like it should.”
“Well it just happened a few hours ago. I don’t heal that fast.”
His gut clenched. “You should though.”
“Why?”
Telling her not to freak out wouldn’t get him far, so like a bandage, it was best to rip it off and deal with the consequences. “I gave you some of my blood?”
She opened and closed her mouth several times. He waited for her fury to rain down on him like venom.
“Well that won’t work on me,” she said simply.
Not what he’d expected at all. “Okay, and why is that?”
She licked her lips. “Because I was inoculated against it ten years ago.”
He stared at her, wide-eyed. “I’m sorry?”
“It was a test to see if we could become immune to the bite.”
His brain worked in overdrive. “And it worked?”
She shrugged. “For the most part. We can’t be bonded as slaves or turned, but the healing bit doesn’t work on us very well either. And we age slower and move faster and stronger but we have no bloodlust.”
“How?”
“Like all the immunizations. We were injected with dead Vampire cells. They bonded with ours and made us something else.”
“Daywalkers. Humans made you what Vampires failed to do with the V2000 virus.” So it was possible. Someone had done it.
“Yeah, well, whatever it did, it makes it impossible for your blood to help me.”
“Then we need to get you to a doctor.”
“No way. If we do that, they’ll figure out what was done to me for sure, and I’m not becoming some Vampire doctor’s guinea pig.”
“But your leg—”
“Do what you have to. I’m not going to a doctor.”
He blew out a heavy breath. “What about your people? The enclave you were going to. I can take you to them.”
She searched his face. “You think I’m gonna take you there? Wait a minute. How did you know where I was going?”
“We knew you’d try to escape.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You set me up.”
He nodded.
“Man, you’re a dick.”
“And you’re a pain in the ass that doesn’t listen. Are we even now? Unless you want this thing to get infected, we need to scrub it out.”
“Fine.”
“Take your pants off,” he ordered.
“Excuse me?”
“Your pants. They need to come off so I can get to the wound more easily.”
“Do you have a knife?”
He searched his pack and handed her a knife. She slit the pant leg in the back and ripped it off, revealing her entire silky leg.
“You already get to see my boobs. I’m not letting you catch a peek at the rest of me as well.” She flicked the knife closed and shoved it in her waistband.
“Really? After all this you still don’t trust me?”
She gave him a winning smile. “Nope.”
He shook his head. “You have issues.”
“You have no idea.”
For the next thirty minutes, he picked the pieces of fabric from the wound, making the bleeding begin afresh. She held back cries of pain, but the way her fingers dug into the bedspread, he knew she was in agony.
“It’s down to the bone,” he said. “You really need some stitches. I don’t know how to do that, so please let me take you somewhere.”
“Just tape me up and I’ll heal fine.”
“Evan—”
Her gaze iced over. “Tape. Me. Up,” she said through gritted teeth.
William sighed and shook his head. He poured the peroxide on her leg, though the warning label cautioned against it, and waited for the bubbles to settle before dabbing the wound with the wet towel once more. Then he put the antibiotic gel on a sterile pad and taped it to her leg, before covering it with the dry towel strips.
Anxiety shook his body. He didn’t know what else to do for her. If he took her to a hospital, they’d possibly find out about her blood anomaly, and she’d definitely be tested on. If that happened, they’d never find the enclave.
When he finished taping her up, he rinsed out the towel and came back. Her head still needed to be checked out.
He sat next to her and she scooted away.
“Let me clean your face,” he offered.
“No thanks.”
He glared at her. “Stop being such a PITA and just let me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. But this doesn’t mean I forgive you.”
“I didn’t expect you would.”
She scowled. “Really? JA?”
“JA?”
“Figure it out.”
He leaned in, his arm brushing her breasts as he dabbed her bloodied nose. Her eyes stayed fixed on his face, and he tried to concentrate on the task at hand instead of her perfect, half-naked body and the peachy swells of her breasts begging to be kissed.
* * * *
Confusion clashed inside Evan like a tidal wave. Her anger at being set up jabbed her pride. But she had to admit that if William hadn’t come along, she’d probably be dead.
He pressed the cloth lightly onto her forehead, sending a pain coursing through her temple. His gaze flicked to hers, but for the most part, he concentrated on what he was doing.
His handsome face and bright blue eyes made her stomach quiver. If he’d been a human, she probably would have kissed him as a thank you. She wrapped her arms around herself tight, trying to keep her stomach in check. There was no way she was falling for a vampyr. No matter how sexy his smile or how gentle his manners.
Dirt and blood smeared his blue dress shirt. She wondered what it would feel like to slide the rumpled cotton off his hard body and run her fingers over his chest. She closed her eyes and sucked in a sharp breath. She had to pull it together.
“Did I hurt you?”
She opened her eyes and he dropped his hand. She swallowed hard. It had been almost two years since she’d been with anyone. Why was it now suddenly becoming an issue?
“I think I’m done for tonight,” she said.
He nodded and pulled open the first aid kit. He grabbed a small bottle and opened it, pouring two pills into his palm. He handed her the pills and then a bottle of water.
“Take those. They’ll help with the pain.”
“I’m fine without them.”
His eyes grew serious and she reluctantly put the pills in her mouth and chugged them down with the entire bottle.
He scanned her face and then stood. “I’m going to need to rest, but if you’re gonna run, I’ll stay awake.”
“What are you going to do with me?” Fear crept into her voice. She crushed the water bottle in her hand, cursing herself for her weakness.
“I need to get to the humans. I told you before that we need their help. Or at least their weapons.”
“And I told you that I’m not taking you to them.”
“Then we have a problem.” He stood and unbuttoned his shirt.
“What are you doing?” Her heart thundered like a herd of elephants in a stampede.
He looked down. “Changing my shirt.” He removed the shirt, and she had to keep from moaning at the sight of his strong, lean muscles cut with precision down to his perfectly tailored suit pants. The lines of his sinewy muscles begged for her to touch them, while the dips between each defined ab called for her to run her tongue up and down them. Visions of him underneath her as she licked his salty skin filled her head. His hands tangled in her hair, calling her name.
She coughed and their eyes locked until her cheeks heated and she glanced away. He walked to his bag and pulled out a T-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms. She took the opportunity to survey his tight backside. Her fingers twitched with the desire to squeeze it.
Damn. She had to get her crap together before she did something she’d regret. Again.
She turned away before he could notice her staring and the sudden movement made her head feel like it’d been stuffed with cotton.
“I’m going to shower. Are you going to run?”
She should run. She should take off and get back to her people the moment he stepped into the bathroom. But her leg hurt and who knew how well it would hold. She was still hours from California and the only car available was most likely his. Which he would track. Plus whatever pain pills he’d give her were good enough to end her in another ditch if she tried to drive.
“No. Not yet anyway.”
He grabbed the car keys off the dresser and headed for the bathroom.
She hunkered down in the bed and rolled on her side. “What? You don’t trust me now?”
She yawned as a wave of fatigue engulfed her.
He smiled at her. “Never have.”
Chapter 7
William exited the shower thirty minutes later, clean but pent up.
“Are you hungry?” He scrubbed his hair with a towel.
Her eyelids fluttered open, but her eyes were like brilliant, blue glass. “I could go for a burger, fries, and soda.”
Good, the drugs were knocking her out. She needed to rest. To heal.
He walked to his duffel bag and unzipped it. Rummaging inside, he grabbed a protein bar and a bottle of water. He walked over, opened the cap on the water bottle, and ripped open the bar for her. He held them out for her to take.
“Wow, for me? Real
ly?” Her words were sarcastic but held none of her earlier venom.
“I don’t have time to go out. The sun will be up any minute. So this will have to do for now. I have more than a dozen bars in my bag. I’ll get you some real food later.”
She took the bar and bit into it. “So what am I supposed to do all day?”
William pulled the covers down on his bed and lay on the scratchy sheets. He stretched out and then relaxed onto the saggy mattress. Man, he missed his bed.
“I suggest you get some rest. You need to heal.” He closed his eyes and tried to let his mind wander. He thought about his bed at the coven house. His gut twisted and he wondered how Neeman was doing.
She yawned loudly. “I’m bored.”
He sighed. “Then go to sleep.”
She blew out a breath and tossed her wrapper unsuccessfully at the trashcan. “You’re a vampyr.”
“Guilty.”
“So you were human once.”
“Also guilty.”
“When were you turned?”
He sighed. “I’m pretty sure you’ve heard the story from all the other humans.”
“I want to hear it from you.”
He turned to face her. Her face held nothing but sincerity. He stared up at the ceiling again feeling his body sink deeper into the bed, willing him to go to sleep. He shouldn’t talk to her. He should shut up, roll over, and leave her to her boredom. He needed to rest and getting her to agree to guide him to her enclave was going to take all the energy he possessed when he woke up.
“I lived in an enclave in the mountains for years. Over a year ago, I went on a supply run with Mason and a group from our encampment. We hit a house we shouldn’t have. A group of slavers followed us. They attacked when we met up with others from our enclave that night. Several of us ran into the mountains in an effort to wait them out till dawn, but they caught up with us.”
“Is that the guy you stuck a knife into?”
“Yeah.”
“So what happened? You ended up in a slave auction?”
Vengeance of the Demons Page 5