“How long were you feeding me energy before I woke up?”
“No more than two minutes, if that.”
Huh. “I’ve only required extensive healing a couple of times, and it definitely took longer than this. You’re right, though. I feel a whole lot better than I should so soon.”
“Whatever the reason, I’m glad.” Kerry stepped back. “Let’s let that settle for a bit, and then tell me if you need more. I don’t want to overload your system.”
“That should be plenty for now. I’m hoping to get out of here tomorrow morning, mainly because it will raise questions if I heal too quickly. The doctor is already suspicious that my injuries aren’t as severe as initially reported.”
“At the rate you’re healing, by morning the bruises will have faded almost completely.” Kerry worried her lower lip with her teeth. “Maybe I should have waited until you came home to give you the high octane stuff.”
“Nonetheless, I appreciate it.” He pushed himself up higher in the bed. “Do you have enough left to share with Piper? I tried to send her home, but she wouldn’t leave me.”
Kerry immediately walked to the other side of the bed. She hesitated briefly, as if considering the best place to touch her assistant. She settled on Piper’s hand, trying not to disturb her sleep.
The weary tension on Piper’s pretty face immediately faded as Kerry fed her a quick boost of energy. Grey watched in silence. Kerry’s strength was amazing, surpassing even Judith’s ability to replenish her Talion warriors.
After a short time, Kerry eased away from Piper. He’d been about to suggest it was time for her to stop, knowing Kerry needed to keep enough energy to get home safely. Piper slept on, blissfully unaware of the Dame’s visit.
Kerry brushed a lock of hair back off Piper’s forehead. “Tell her I said to take tomorrow off. And that it’s an order, not a suggestion. The next day, too, if she needs it. She’s missed class today because of all of this and may need time to catch up.”
Kerry turned her attention back to Grey. “Give me your hand.”
He kept them firmly under the covers. “No, you’ve already given me enough.”
Despite her diminutive size, the aura of power that surrounded her made her a force to be reckoned with. “Don’t argue. That’s only keeping me from my bed that much longer. Give me your hand.”
“All right. But if you collapse, make sure that Ranulf knows I did this under protest.” He smiled slightly to let her know he was teasing. Mostly, anyway.
She closed her eyes as infused him with another small dose of energy, then opened them again. “There, that should get you through the night.”
Her dark eyes, alight with flames of gold, held his gaze. “Let me know when you’re back at your hotel so I can come by to give you more. I need my Chief Talion in top fighting form as quickly as possible.”
He knew why. Their enemy had yet to reveal himself, but his intentions were clear. The attacks would escalate until somebody died. Grey placed his hand over the brand on his chest, the one that tied him to the Dame and their people.
“Our enemy will be destroyed and our people kept safe. This I vow.”
This time, Kerry bowed to him and then walked away.
Chapter 6
The next morning, Piper hurried through the front door of the hospital, hoping Grey was ready to be discharged. There was no way he could risk another day in the hospital. The longer he stayed, the more likely it was that someone would notice how fast he was healing.
How many patients were admitted near death one day and walked out the next? Not many, she bet. Somehow she doubted he’d want to play lab rat for the local medical school. If necessary, she’d grab him and run like hell. Although she had to admit the image of Gray running on one of those rodent wheels was pretty funny.
She’d snuck out just before dawn to pick up some clothes from Grey’s hotel. After she showed the manager the article in the morning paper and explained that Grey was in the hospital, he had accompanied her into Grey’s room so she could pick up his sweats and shaving kit.
The hospital’s early morning routine was coming to life. Piper headed toward Grey’s room, wending her way between food carts and flocks of doctors out on rounds. She stopped outside Grey’s door to listen. He wasn’t alone.
Rather than barge in, she called out, “Grey? Can I come in?”
“Please do.” He didn’t sound particularly happy, but then when did he?
Piper poked her head through the door to find him surrounded by a herd of doctors, most likely a specialist and his entourage of interns. The older man in the middle of the crowd was clearly in charge, and right now he looked none too happy with his patient. It appeared to be a standoff between two very stubborn men.
The Talion had his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the doctor, who glared right back. This was going to get ugly fast. She sighed and did an end run around the lab coats, pushing her way to the head of the bed.
“Sorry I took so long, Grey. Is there a problem?” She set the bag of clothes down and put her hand on Grey’s shoulder.
He continued to glower at the doctor, but surprised her by putting his hand on top of hers and giving it a quick squeeze.
“There wouldn’t be a problem if Dr. Keane here would simply sign my discharge papers. You wouldn’t think that would be difficult to do. Presumably if he graduated from medical school, he knows how to write his own name, even if no one can read it.”
A couple of the younger interns tried not to snicker as the doctor in question flushed red.
He turned toward Piper. “It wouldn’t be a problem if your fiancé here would be reasonable. According to the emergency room report, Mr. Danby was admitted with multiple contusions, a severe concussion, and various fractures. And now he’s refusing to let me examine him, which makes it difficult to assess his condition.”
“Oh, I assure you I’m more than ready to get the hell out of here, so just sign the bloody release.” Grey used his snootiest British accent.
But before he had a chance to say more, Piper interceded. “Doctor, Grey and I both appreciate your concern. We’ve already scheduled a follow-up appointment for this morning with his regular physician. I promise to make sure he gets checked and then goes right home to rest.”
The doctor looked only slightly mollified. “Very well, but I will be noting on his chart that the patient was uncooperative and is leaving against my advice.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” She gave him a sympathetic smile as she squeezed Grey’s shoulder. “I don’t know why it’s so hard for some men to admit when they’re hurting.”
Grey quit staring at the doctors long enough to give her a look that promised retribution.
The doctor rolled his eyes, but at least he started for the door. “I’ll dictate your discharge orders, Mr. Danby. The nurses will be in shortly to go over them with you. I’ll include a prescription for pain medication. Don’t be an idiot about it. Take it before the pain gets too bad.”
When the last intern had filed out of the room, Piper shut the door. “I picked up some of your things from the hotel. In case you’re wondering, the manager was with me the whole time.”
Grey threw back the covers, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and sat up. “I wouldn’t have cared if he’d marched a parade through the bloody room if it got me out of here any faster.”
She watched for signs that he was hurting more than he was letting on. “Have you been up out of bed yet?”
“The nurse helped me up after she disconnected me from all the machines. I can manage.”
He slowly eased himself onto his feet. To Piper’s eyes, he still looked a bit rickety. She carried his bag over to the bathroom and set it down inside. He walked slowly but surely across the room, more in control with each step. She remained within grabbing range anyway, trying desperately to ignore the way his hospital gown didn’t quite close in the back.
Oh, yeah, like that was going to happen. No female
with a pulse would have been able to resist at least a peek at that prime backside and well-sculpted back. Yum.
Too bad he caught her leering. “See something you like?”
She ignored both her blush and his question, asking one of her own instead. “Do you want to take a shower?”
He smirked as he shook his head. “I will, after you drop me off at the hotel. I’ll want to change into more appropriate clothing before returning to the Dame’s house.”
Oh, brother. Would the man not cut himself any slack at all? “I doubt that Kerry expects you to work today, Grey.”
“Maybe not, but I’ll be there anyway. On the other hand, she told me to tell you to take the day off. Tomorrow, too, if you need the time to get caught up at school.”
“If you’re working, so am I. I wasn’t the one who spent the night in the hospital.”
Grey contradicted her. “Of course you did. At least I slept in an actual bed and not that nightmare of a chair. By the way, Kerry said it was an order.”
Before he disappeared inside the bathroom, he looked back at her. “And on the way to the hotel, you can explain how we came to be engaged. The concussion must have wiped out all memory of our courtship. I assume it’s a love match.”
Smart-ass! He was jerking her chain, and they both knew it. She actually had been surprised when the hospital staff gave in to her lie. Of course, they really hadn’t seen Piper and Grey in their usual attire.
She smiled at the image—she with her taste for funk and Grey in his tailored suit as they walked arm in arm. Would he see the humor in it? Probably not, but there was the occasional glimmer of amusement in those blue eyes that made her wonder. He was compelling enough when he was doing his job. If he ever let down his guard long enough to play, he’d be irresistible.
When the door handle turned, she stepped back to give him some space. When Grey appeared, her lungs stopped working. Oh, man, he looked far better in the navy sweats than he had in the gown, especially because he hadn’t bothered to shave. Scruffy looked good on him.
Realizing she was staring again, she tried to put more distance between them. “I’ll go see what’s keeping the nurse.”
“Thanks. I’d really like to get out of here before that detective shows up. We need to find out what Kerry and the others already told the cops.”
She’d almost forgotten about having to talk to the police. Suddenly she wasn’t in such a hurry to leave the relatively safe hospital. Back out in the real world, an attack could come from any direction at anytime. She reached out to the Chief Talion.
“Grey? I’m scared.”
He didn’t hesitate. He gathered Piper in his arms and tucked her in against his chest. The embrace was supposed to offer her comfort, but it felt pretty damn good to him too. No surprise there. After all, he’d come awfully close to being compost for the Dame’s rose garden. Lovely image, that.
He’d wondered how long it would be before her brave face would start to crack. Last night, it had slipped some when that young doctor was in the room, but otherwise she’d been fiercely protective of Grey, her emotions locked down tight.
The small room, with its uncomfortable bed and noisy machines, had at least offered some respite from the very real danger outside the hospital walls. It was hard to fight a threat that had no name, no face, and no logic. Grey had his suspicions about who was behind the attacks but no proof. Yet. Once he found it, he’d go after the bastard and drain him dry.
Meanwhile, he held Piper as she quietly cried, small compensation for the way she’d been there for him. He still had a number of questions about her background and too few answers, but a lot could be learned from how someone handled a crisis. She’d shown herself to be resilient and resourceful. He liked that about her.
He also liked the way her body fit against his. And if he didn’t put some space between them soon, she might discover the hard evidence of that. He was starting to like her. And he definitely wanted her. Moving slowly, he put a few inches of room between them.
He studied her face. It was blotchy and stained with black drips of mascara under her eyes. Using his thumbs to gently wipe her tears, he showed her the streaks of black. “Better wash your face before we leave.”
She sniffled as she rubbed her face with the palms of her hands and gave him a shaky smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall apart. It’s just that yesterday you weren’t moving and no one would tell me anything and it could have been me but you didn’t let that happen.” Her words came pouring out with not even a hint of breath between syllables.
The sheen of new tears made her eyes glisten as her smile melted away. “You almost died.”
As she spoke, she touched his face, as if needing to verify that he was indeed alive. He closed his eyes and savored the powerful connection created when her fingertips brushed against his skin. He breathed deeply to draw in her scent, pulled her closer, and then captured her lips with his.
He’d almost died in the explosion, but that was nothing compared to the near total meltdown that kissing Piper Ryan started. Her lips were soft as they opened in invitation. There were probably a thousand reasons why this wasn’t a good idea, but at the moment he couldn’t think of a single one. He wanted this, wanted her, and had ever since he first saw her in his office.
Was there a lock on the hospital room door? Probably not, and it was a damn shame. Right now he craved nothing more than to strip them both down to the skin and see how far this kiss would take them. He wanted to bury himself deep in her slick heat, pushing them both until they raced screaming over the edge.
He didn’t think she’d mind, not from the way her hands were wandering, testing the strength of his muscles as she murmured her approval and snuggled tightly against his rock hard cock. He cupped the curve of her ass, wishing they were someplace a lot more private.
Then all hell broke loose. “Hey, Grey, you ready to fly the coop? Oops! Sorry!”
Grey vaguely recognized Sandor Kearn’s voice as the other Talion muttered something that sounded like an apology and said that he’d be out in the hall. Way, way out in the hall. Piper had heard him, too, because she instantly went from pliable to rigid, while Grey’s body did the exact opposite.
Bloody hell.
He leaned his forehead against hers as he fought the very real urge to ignore the interruption. “Are you all right?”
Piper nodded. “I’ll go wash my face while you talk to Sandor.”
“Good idea,” he said quietly, although he hated her washing away the moment they’d shared. Her cheeks were bright pink. It could be whisker burn, but more likely she was embarrassed at being caught out. Time to face the music.
He spotted Sandor standing a short distance down the hall.
Grey waved him in. “You can come back now, Kearn.”
While he waited for the Talion, he checked the room one last time for any of his belongings. Good thing he did. His leather jacket had been stuffed into one of the drawers in the bedside table. Not that it mattered. No amount of mending would restore it to its original condition. He shoved it in his bag.
Sandor hesitated in the doorway. “Sorry, Grey. I hadn’t realized Piper was still here.”
Grey ignored both the comment and the unspoken question in Sandor’s expression. “How is everything at the house?”
“Fine. Hughes feels guilty because you took the damage instead of him. Ranulf had a long talk with him about it, though, and reminded him what tough bastards we Talions are.”
“Good. I’m not sure getting blown up is in any of our job descriptions, but it’s definitely not in Hughes’s usual list of duties.”
The bathroom door opened and Piper stepped out into the room, looking far more in control of her emotions, thanks in part to a new application of mascara and lipstick.
“Hi, Sandor.” She sounded a bit shy, not her usual confident self. “Is everyone all right?”
“I was just telling Grey that Hughes took it hard but he’s okay physically
. Kerry went to bed late, but she was up and about by the time I left to come here. They decided to keep all three kids home today, figuring we all need time to regroup. I wanted to make sure Grey had a way back to his hotel.”
Grey couldn’t help but notice that Piper kept her eyes firmly on Sandor and not on him as they spoke.
“I was going to drop him off on my way to return your car. Maybe it would better if he just drove himself though. That way he can pick up his car at Kerry’s. In fact, I’ll just take the bus.”
She tossed Sandor the keys and was out the door before either Grey or Sandor could stop her.
What had she been thinking? Making out with Greyhill Danby had to be the dumbest thing she’d done since—no, she couldn’t think of a single instance of greater stupidity in her life. And to get caught by Sandor was the icing on the cake. Did men gossip? If so, both Kerry and Ranulf would soon know all about it. Great.
There was nothing she could do about it now except pretend it hadn’t happened. Oh, yeah, like that was going to work. Especially with those footsteps pounding down the hall behind her. The only question was if it was Grey or Sandor charging after her. At the moment, she wasn’t particularly thrilled with the prospect of facing either one of them.
“Piper, wait!” Sandor.
She didn’t want to, but he could outrun her despite her headstart. She stopped beside a vending machine and started digging for change, which, of course, she didn’t have. Sandor, ever the gentleman, fished two dollars from his wallet and offered them to her. It would be churlish to refuse, so she didn’t bother trying.
When the soda rolled out of the machine, she unscrewed the cap and took a healthy swig. It burned its way down her throat, and she forced herself to face her patient companion.
“Thanks. Was there something you wanted?”
“Just to give you these.” He dangled the keys in front of her face. “Did you really think we’d drive off and leave you waiting for the bus?”
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