“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Blaze vowed, his hand stilling her shaking one.
Katrina slowly pulled her hand away and picked up the money she had won. “It’s not me I’m worried about. My father won’t stop until he has what he wants.” Katrina glanced out the door then finally up at him. “And he obviously has more connections than even I realized.”
“I’m not taking the money, Katrina,” he said when she tried to place it in his hand.
She wouldn’t even look at him, just wadded the money up and fled the room. His eyes darkened. Even he felt her pain that ran deep, and it angered him more than anything ever had. She deserved much more than life had given her, and he was determined to make sure her life from here on out was easier, even if it meant taking her father down.
******
Katrina was happy when Blaze didn’t follow her. She really needed a minute. Once out the door, she noticed that everyone was gone, other than Sloan, who stood staring out the door. He turned when he heard her.
“I’m sorry,” Katrina said, her eyes leaving the door to look at him. “I really didn’t realize who he was the first time or I would have said something.”
Sloan nodded, then frowned. “I know you’re not like your father, Katrina.”
Lifting her chin, she bobbed her head, trying to keep her tears in check; she knew if she spoke, he would hear the tears in her voice. His words meant the world to her. She respected Sloan Murphy and cared what he thought about her.
With a hard swallow, she cleared her throat. “Thank you,” she finally managed to say before turning to leave. She had to get out fast before she lost it.
Finally making it to her room, she rushed in and shut the door. Sager had gone with Pam earlier so Daniel could play with him, and she was glad. She needed a minute with no one seeing her weakness, not even her dog. Noticing she still carried the money, she cursed and tossed it on her dresser. Crawling up on her bed, she lay on her stomach and gave in to the feelings rushing through her body.
Once the tears started, they wouldn’t stop. Sobs racked her body as she buried her face into the pillow. How many times in her life had she done this very same thing and all because of one reason, but not the reason most girls her age did it? Not because her favorite pair of jeans didn’t fit anymore or because the cute guy in school didn’t like her. No, it was deeper than that. She hated her father, feared her father, her family… watched her mother murdered and hated herself because she couldn’t do anything to stop it. Now she was here and putting people in danger because one thing she knew and knew well was her father and how he operated. He would run through anyone to get what he wanted, and he wanted her back, but not because he loved his daughter. No. It was to make a point to everyone that nobody fucked over the Iron Drakes. And more than that, no one fucked over Samuel Drake, especially his blood.
Her mind focused on Daniel, and fear shook her body. If anything happened to that little boy because of her, it would devastate her. How could she stay, knowing she was putting them all in danger? Her father would wait. It may not be until years down the road that he got his revenge. He was uncommonly patient and could wait to make his strike.
She felt the bed shift and without looking, knew Blaze lay beside her, but she kept her face in the pillow. His arms wrapped around her as he pulled her to him, crushing her face into his chest.
“Why?” Blaze whispered in her hair.
Katrina hated to appear weak; it wasn’t in her to show weakness in front of others. Blaze was different though. It felt natural to be able to turn to him for comfort, and that scared her. If her father knew, he would do everything in his power to remove Blaze from her life, just like he had done with her mother.
She shook her head with a sniff. “Just having a moment.” Her voice, muffled from his chest, cracked as more tears fell.
When Blaze didn’t say anything else but simply held her, she was relieved beyond words. She didn’t know how he did it, but his body heated, offering her comfort, and he held her tight, his hand rubbing slow circles on her lower back.
“I wish I was someone else.” She realized she’d said that thought out loud when he stiffened.
He pulled away from her, lifting her face to his. “I hope you did not just say what I think you said.”
“I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” she muttered, then sat up away from him. “But that’s all anyone will see me as. MC trash.”
“Not everyone.” Blaze sat up next to her. “And I promise to rid the world of those who think it.”
Katrina’s face scrunched up in a heartfelt cry, a true ugly cry. “Why?” Katrina couldn’t even look at him. “Why me, when I know for a fact you could have any woman? Why me?”
Blaze was quiet for a long moment until she turned to look at him with her ravaged face. “Because….” He paused uncomfortably.
Katrina held up her hand. “You know, never mind. I shouldn’t have asked that.” She was a little hurt when she saw the relief on his face.
“Well, thank fuck for that.” Steve’s voice sounded in the room.
Katrina jumped with a gasp when Steve appeared, looking sheepish.
“I really didn’t want to hear the big badass Blaze getting all flowery with his words and shit.” Steve backed toward the door when Blaze growled.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing in here?” Blaze bellowed.
“Whoa! Whoa!” Steve held out his hands, looking legit scared to death. “Hold on, it’s not what it looks like.”
“It better not be!” Blaze rose slowly, his hands fisting at his sides.
“No, listen.” Steve reached behind him, trying to find the door. “I swear I was just coming to check on her and was going to leave right away, and then you came in, shutting the door. So then I was stuck because if I had opened the door, then you would have known I was in here, and I really don’t want to die.”
“I know now and am debating on whether you live at this very moment.” Blaze growled, taking a step.
“WHOA!” Steve frantically tried to open the door without turning around. “Blaze, man, I swear I wasn’t here to make a move or spy on her. If any clothes started leaving her body, my ass would have been outta here. I swear it! I mean, I know she had a thing for me…. No, I mean… I just felt it was my duty to… you know.”
“No, I don’t fucking know.” Blaze took another step.
“Jesus, why the fuck won’t this door open?” Steve finally turned around, yanking on the knob, then squealed when Blaze slammed a hand beside his head.
“If I ever find you in this room again, nothing will save you,” Blaze warned as he pushed Steve out of the way and opened the door with ease.
“Hey, how the hell did you do—” Steve’s voice was cut off as Blaze slammed the door in Steve’s face.
Katrina felt a tremble in her chin, and it wasn’t a cry tremble, but a grin threatening to spread across her face. She looked from the door to see Blaze, who didn’t look angry anymore. He openly stared at her.
“Ah, hey, Blaze… we cool, man?” Steve’s voice carried through the door.
Blaze gave her a wink before swinging his arm back and slamming his fist against the wood. Steve’s yelp was the only thing they heard before footsteps took off quickly down the hallway.
“He probably won’t ever come in my room again,” Katrina said, looking from the door to Blaze, a small grin on her face.
A different kind of grin lit Blaze’s. “Good.”
Chapter 13
Katrina sat with Jill, waiting for training to begin. She was anxious to get started, knowing that the others were further ahead than she was since her setback.
“Has Slade said anything about Jenny?” Katrina asked, hoping that the girl got help and stayed clean.
Jill glanced toward where Sloan stood with Jax and Blaze. “He’s pretty tight-lipped about the doctor-patient stuff.” Jill smiled proudly. “But I do know he took her to rehab, and I heard him talking to them toda
y, so she’s still there.”
“Good.” Katrina nodded, really meaning it. She wished she could have done more than leave Jenny there when she’d left, but she’d had no choice.
“Hey, you good?” Jill leaned back, relaxing on her elbows.
Katrina shrugged. “A little nervous since everyone is further along than I am.”
“These guys have nothing on you.” Jill snorted, glancing around at the men stretching, punching bags, and grunting. “We may not have dicks, but we kick ass.”
Katrina shrugged, looking around at all the groups of guys talking. It was definitely intimidating being the only female in the new group.
“Anyone here able to control animals?” Jill cocked her eyebrow at her.
“No,” Katrina acknowledged with a shake of her head.
“Exactly. See that big muscle head over there?” Jill gestured with a chin lift.
Katrina looked and saw one of the trainees who usually had something negative and sexist to say to her. “Yeah.”
“With the flip of my wrist, I could send him sailing through the wall.” Jill’s grin was a little evil. “All that strutting around he’s doing and those muscles mean nothing.”
“Do it,” Katrina urged with a laugh. “Please do it. He’s an asshole.”
Before Jill could respond, the muscle head glanced their way to see them smiling at him. He flexed his biceps a few times, grinning back at Jill, then her.
Katrina didn’t smile back. Actually, she frowned as he made his way toward them, strutting just like Jill had said.
“Hello, ladies.” He stood over them, flexing his muscles hard enough that his face scrunched, making it look like he had to poop.
“Hey.” Jill sat up even more, then tilted her head. “What’s wrong with your face?”
Steve walked up at that moment, looking at the guy. “Yeah, dude.” Steve’s eyes narrowed. “Looks like you need to take a shit or something.”
Katrina tried to smother her laugh, but failed miserably. She didn’t feel bad either. This guy, Rob, was always saying something about her and it was great seeing him uncomfortable, just like he had made her feel.
Steve looked down at her, dismissing the guy. “Hey, is Blaze still pissed at me?”
“I don’t think so,” Katrina replied, not really knowing the answer.
“What the hell did you do now?” Jill snorted with an exaggerated eye roll.
“Nothing.”
Jill laughed, because Steve’s tone clearly indicated he’d done something. “What did he do, Katrina?”
Katrina ignored Steve’s warning look. “He showed up in my room invisible and didn’t make himself known while Blaze was there.”
With eyes and mouth open wide, Jill gasped a laugh. “Dude, you’re going to get yourself killed.”
“So, you’re letting the trainer in your room?” Rob looked at her, surprised, as he knelt down like he was part of the group. Everyone stared, but no one said a word. He then decided to make the biggest mistake of his life.
“Well, how about I come to your room later. I like tough girls.” He turned his attention to Jill as he reached out to touch her face. Before his fingers could make contact, he was lifted off the ground.
“Oh, shit!” Steve stood quickly, shaking his head. He looked around at the audience now watching their fellow trainee being held in the air by one pissed-off vampire Warrior. “Well, for those of you who didn’t know before, you do now. Jill belongs to Slade.”
Everyone nodded their understanding with wide eyes, but no one said a word.
“So, my advice to you all is to steer clear unless you want the Slade Train to land on your face.” Steve gave his head a sad shake as he looked at Rob, who was gasping.
“Why were you about to touch my mate?” Slade hissed in Rob’s face.
When Rob didn’t answer, Steve stepped closer. “Ah, Doc, I don’t think he can talk with your humongous hand wrapped around his throat.” Steve pointed at said hand.
Slade’s head snapped toward Steve, who backed away quickly.
“Just sayin’,” Steve replied, then flipped his hand a couple of times. “Continue.”
“If I even see you look at my mate, I will kill you,” Slade warned, his voice deep and hard as his attention turned back toward the man hanging from his hand.
“He’s a doctor, so he knows how to….” When Slade glared at him again, Steve nodded quickly. “Shutting the fuck up. Got it.”
Katrina watched with a fascination that was probably a little crazy, but when she glanced toward Jill, she swore she saw sexual hunger in her golden eyes as she watched her man protect her. Katrina wondered how that would actually feel and secretly hoped that one day Blaze might protect her like that—and wasn’t that just sad and a little needy.
“Slade, I think he got the point.” Blaze clapped him on the shoulder.
“I’d say shitting his pants is a pretty good indication he got the point.” Steve snorted, then when both Slade and Blaze glared at him, he walked away, disappearing in the crowd of trainees.
Once Slade put the man back on his feet with a few warnings of dying an ugly, painful death, Blaze turned toward the group. “You are here to train and nothing more. Any female who walks onto these mats is to be respected, not treated like a piece of fucking meat for your enjoyment. This is the only warning you will get.”
The trainees nodded with a loud, “Yes, sir!”
“And as you found out by this dumb fuck’s mistake, the women may be mated to one of the Warriors, and believe me, that is something that will definitely get you killed,” Blaze added.
“Amen!” Steve’s voice carried, but he couldn’t be seen. Blaze just shook his head.
Katrina had to turn away because she was smiling. Steve could do that to her, make her laugh when she shouldn’t be laughing, dammit. She didn’t want the trainees to think she was laughing at them.
“You find me funny?” Blaze said from behind her.
Turning, Katrina looked up and found nothing funny as he stared down at her. “No.” She licked her dry lips. “But Steve….”
“Is an idiot,” Blaze finished her sentence.
“I was going to say funny,” Katrina countered with a small smile.
A small grin tipped the corner of his full lips. Then it was gone. “Get going on your laps.”
Katrina noticed that everyone else had started running. Her eyes caught Jill, who wagged her eyebrows. Without saying a word, Katrina fell in step with her.
“Blaze is a fine specimen,” Jill leaned over, whispering.
“That he is.” Steve ran past them with a goofy grin. “He makes me all fluttery inside.” Steve fanned himself as he passed.
“I’ll be sure to let him know your true feelings,” Jill called out after him.
“Shit!” Steve cursed, smacking himself on the side of the head.
Embarrassment heated Katrina’s body, but she laughed then stumbled when her eyes met Blaze’s dead-on. Yes, Jill and Steve were right. He was definitely one hell of a fine specimen.
******
“How’s she doing?” Slade asked, moving next to Blaze.
“You’re the doc, you tell me,” Blaze responded, watching as the trainees worked on weapon disarming.
“Wish I could, but she hasn’t come back to see me.”
“Was she supposed to?” This time Blaze looked over at him.
Slade nodded. “She had Steve tell me she couldn’t make it.”
“For what?” Blaze asked, concerned. He’d thought she was doing fine; maybe he was wrong.
“Since she wasn’t healing the way she should have been, I need to find out if there are other things that may be going on with her, like is she still having menstrual periods or—”
“Hey!” Blaze threw his hands up, stepping away from the information he wasn’t comfortable getting. “Got it!”
Slade actually grinned.
Damn, what the fuck? He didn’t need to know this shit abou
t Katrina, but found himself asking. “So, what if she is, you know.”
“What, having her menstr—” Slade asked, the grin still in place.
“Yeah, that, fucker.” Blaze growled, not liking Slade giving him shit. This womanly function stuff was not something he was comfortable with.
Slade turned serious. “Well, it means she’s not a true full blood.”
Both Blaze and Slade were quiet, watching the trainees, Blaze paying more attention to Katrina.
Slade finally broke the silence. “I’m doing everything I can to find out what’s going on with these man-made concoctions people are making to turn humans, but I’ll be honest, and I fucking hate to admit that it’s almost impossible. There are so many out there, and when we’re lucky enough to find a vial of the shit, even the best—and I do have the best—who are working to decipher whatever we find are at a loss.”
“So even though I changed her from her half-breed state….” Blaze really didn’t even know what he was asking.
“If this is the case and she’s still having human functions such as menstrual cycles, it means that whatever she has been given is somehow keeping her in a human state,” Slade clarified, his tone dire. “We don’t know the long-term effects of the man-made shit. Only time will tell.”
“Can it kill her?” Blaze found himself asking, turning his head to watch Slade closely as he answered.
“I can’t say, but I will tell you I’ll do everything in my power to not let that happen.” Slade nodded toward her. “Make sure she comes to see me. And if you see anything unusual with her that shouldn’t be happening, such as not healing quickly, tiredness, and things that we as full bloods don’t experience, let me know right away.”
Blaze nodded. His stomach clenched as his eyes found her at the same time she glanced up. She gave him a small smile before getting back to work. Helplessness was not an emotion he was used to, and he didn’t fucking like it. He never felt helplessness because he controlled his surroundings, his emotions, his life, but now this tiny woman had walked into his world, and he didn’t know if he could keep her safe. Not only did that piss him off, but it scared him, another foreign emotion to him.
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