Levi pulled me into his arms screaming, “She’s been bit. Four, no… fuck! There’s eight!”
“Levi, I can’t breathe,” I wheezed as he rocked me back and forth.
Christian could have easily taken out each Chitah, but that would have distracted his attention from guarding me. He wandered down the hall, scoping out the bedroom where the window was broken in. I also felt a little honor system going on with him allowing each man to have his own fight.
Leo and Logan were in full swing with the Chitah in the hall, but when Logan heard Levi screaming, he rushed to my side.
“Silver,” he said urgently.
In the background, Leo shoved the attacker’s head against the wall and knocked him out.
“Let me go, Levi, or so help me I’m going to put a thousand volts into you,” I complained.
“I’d do what she says,” Christian said, tearing a wrapper off a flat red sucker and popping it into his mouth. “Or maybe as another torture technique, she’ll sing you a song. I have to admit that my Vampire hearing is a curse; have you ever had to endure her singing those shower songs? Jaysus.”
“Shut up, Vampire!” Leo bellowed, pacing across the room to study the scene.
Levi finally loosened his grip and I crawled away from him. “Give a girl some space, will ya?” I rubbed at my neck, smearing away some of the blood.
Logan’s face was as white as a ghost—as if he were in the midst of reliving the memory of my first bite. “You’re—”
“I’m okay,” I said with a look of reassurance. “I’m immune. When we raided the lab, Slater injected me with Chitah venom. Probably a whole lot more than what you put out in a bite, but I didn’t have any kind of adverse reaction. Page thinks that I have antibodies or something, like when you get vaccinated. She thinks my genetics play a factor.”
Logan looked at my face with awe and bewilderment. “Impossible,” he breathed.
“Believe it,” Christian replied from his comfortable spot on the end of the sofa.
“You know, Christian, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were beginning to enjoy watching me get bit.”
He twirled the candy around in his mouth. “Someone needs to call your people and collect the dirty laundry on the floor,” he muttered, kicking one of the bodies at his feet.
Logan ignored him. “There is no immunity. Have you ever heard of anything like this, Leo?”
Leo shook his head and crossed his thick arms. “Then again, you picked a pretty unique girlfriend. I wouldn’t put anything past Silver, including figuring a way out of her own death.”
I sniffed out a laugh as Levi rose to his feet and looked like he wanted to vomit. He was green and sweating profusely. “I’ll check on Lucian and make sure he didn’t have a heart attack in there. Did we get it on video?”
“Yeah, brother,” Leo replied. “We started recording when we set up the room; it was Lucian’s idea to keep it running constantly. Sometimes things are missed in those first crucial seconds and these men will pay for attacking the Overlord’s guards. All of you sit tight while I check out the hall. Levi, call for a pickup,” he added, nodding at the pile of bodies. “I’ll see how many guards are left outside. I don’t think the Overlord will bump up security; we’ve already been granted six guards who should be watching him. The windows are broken, so we’re going to spend the rest of the night in your control room, Logan. I don’t like the exposure.”
Levi opened the coat closet in the hall and went inside the control room while Leo slipped into his jacket and headed out the door.
“Slater thinks because I’m half Chitah that the initial exposure activated the same antibodies that you guys have naturally.” I touched my fingers to my neck, wondering if the new bites would scar. I slipped my arms around Logan’s waist and tilted my head to the side, smiling wickedly. “Will you heal me, my love? With your tongue.”
He growled, going primal as his eyes rolled black and his bare chest flashed with magnificent spotted patterns.
Christian released a sigh and pushed off the couch. “Well, that’s my cue,” he murmured in a deep voice, dragging one of the bodies into the hallway while crunching on his sucker.
Logan’s warm tongue glided across the puncture wounds and he released his scent, the smell wild and dangerous like an oncoming storm. It was a subtle, natural cologne that sifted from his pores—just enough that I wrapped my arms even tighter around him, hopping on my left leg.
He immediately dropped his gaze. “What’s wrong with your foot?”
“Glass. No biggie,” I assured him.
Logan bent over and gripped my ankle, looking at the sole of my foot. I didn’t see any blood, but I also didn’t like the look on his face. He wrapped his arms around my lower back and lifted me up, walking a few steps until he set me down on the couch. He slowly pulled my sock off and examined the cut. By this time, the bright amber had returned in his eyes.
I had a knee-jerk reaction when his finger lightly brushed over it. Logan snatched my ankle and in a swift movement plucked the glass free.
I hissed through my teeth and he immediately put his mouth around my foot and rolled his tongue over my cut. I shuddered as it went from instant pain to something else entirely. The healing agent in a Chitah’s saliva worked immediately, sealing the cut and ending the pain.
Logan crawled up my body and ran his tongue over my neck—licking and sucking until I was writhing beneath him. My hands ran across his bare back, and his whiskers tickled my neck in the most delicious way. He growled, and I knew it was because I had accepted him as a Chitah. Who he was and what he could do.
Then he slid his hand secretively between my legs so the cameras couldn’t see. “Anywhere else you’re in need of my tongue, Little Raven?”
Chapter 37
Justus received a call from Logan early that morning, detailing the attack and stating they had everything under control. He had anticipated this kind of retaliation might occur and was relieved to know Silver was safe.
Page had reviewed every file in detail, focusing on the medical information he and Simon didn’t understand. She worked tirelessly, refusing to sleep or eat. She was the kind of woman who let her own needs take a backseat, and the signs of fatigue were starting to settle in.
When he walked in the study, she was asleep across the desk, papers scattered in front of her. Justus removed her glasses and she roused from her dreamy state with a complaining moan.
“This is enough,” he said.
“Just one more hour,” she groaned, putting the glasses back on.
“No. These papers are not going anywhere. Now come with me.”
She stood up and put her hand on the desk. “God.”
“What is it?” He may have been half-asleep before, but he was wide-awake when her color paled.
“You’re right; I need to take a break. I’m not feeling well.”
Justus locked his arm around her side and walked her to the door. “Stop pushing yourself so hard. If helping us means jeopardizing your health, then I will not have it. You are mortal.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” She tried to sound humored, but the closer they got to the door, the more she felt like a caged animal about to bolt.
“Let go,” she gasped and ran out of the room.
Justus found her over the toilet bowl. He flipped the phone out of his pocket and stepped into the hall to give her privacy.
“Novis, I will be in your debt if you can assist with a favor. Page La Croix has fallen ill. Is there anyone you trust enough to bring to my secure location? … No, I didn’t call a Relic to look at her when we found her. She slept off the drugs… She didn’t know. Injections of some kind. There were no symptoms, just fatigue. I need someone who can come on short notice, and let them know she recently recovered from the flu and her immune system was low… Because I trust her word… You have my gratitude.”
Justus paced outside the door, rubbing his jaw and wondering why he hadn’t gotten h
er medical attention in the first place. He knew little about drug withdrawals and the effects they had on the body. Would she become addicted to the morphine? Maybe the bug she had was coming back. And then an ugly seed planted in his thoughts. What if this were more than a virus, but a terminal illness? He knew of things like cancer and organs failing. He wrung his hands together, noticing that it grew quiet in the bathroom. What if they gave her a medication that if she didn’t continue with the injections, she would deteriorate?
Too many what ifs.
Justus shoved his phone in his back pocket and knocked on the half-closed door. “Is there something you need?”
“Give me just a minute.”
“Page, I’m coming in.”
He swung the door open and she quickly closed the lid. This time around, Justus knew what to do. He ran a towel under the cool water while Page wiped tears from her eyes.
“How do you feel?”
“Dizzy. It’s either the flu again, or the drugs coming out of my system. The only way to know is to do a few blood tests, but my equipment is at home. I’ve never had drug withdrawals, but I know the symptoms peak up to three days after quitting.”
“A Relic is on the way to examine you. I should have summoned one upon your return.” He dropped to one knee beside her. “Here,” he offered, holding the cool cloth against her forehead.
Justus touched her shoulder, coaxing her to turn around and scoot in front of him as he took a seat against the cabinet. “Lean back.”
Page moved around and relaxed against his chest. He held the towel over her forehead and touched her hand with the other.
With all the women he had been with, in every kind of situation, nothing had ever felt as intimate as sitting on the bathroom floor comforting this mortal. She turned her head to the side, drawing in a shaky breath and letting it go. He brushed her brown hair away from her eyes, never more aware of her mortality.
Of all women to become attached to, he’d chosen one who would die.
“I’ll see that you’re taken care of, mon ange. The Relic will know what to do.”
“I’m just tired, Justus. I haven’t slept, nor have I eaten much of anything. My body is just weak and I need to take it easy.”
“Good to hear you admit that for once.”
“Don’t press your luck,” she said with a soft chuckle. “I admit to nothing.”
Justus stood up and bent forward, lifting her into his arms. She was light as a feather, which troubled him, and he carried her into his bedroom.
“I really hate all the fuss. I’m—”
“If you say you’re fine one more time, I’m going to throw you outside in the snow.”
Page suddenly laughed at his dry humor and curled up on the bed as he pulled a thin sheet over her. It wasn’t enough. Justus had no need of such things, but they kept a stack of blankets in the closet for Silver. He selected two of the thickest ones and draped them over her body.
By the time he finished tucking them around her, she had fallen asleep.
He extinguished a few candles and placed a small wastebasket beside the bed. Justus quietly closed the door and stood in the hallway for what seemed like an eternity until the visual alarms went off, absent of sound. A flicker of red lights illuminated the main rooms.
He disabled the alarms and went outside to meet the Relic. Simon escorted an older woman down the road who was yelling at him the entire way. A blindfold covered her eyes and whenever he’d try to take her elbow to keep her from falling, she would clobber him with her oversized black bag.
“Bloody hell!” Simon exclaimed as she hit him in the shoulder. “Do I look like I want to shag you?”
“I don’t see what the big secret could possibly be,” she complained in a shrill voice. “Dragging me into the woods with a blindfold, like some kind of hostage. Be sure to tie my arms up before surgery.” She turned her head toward Justus. “I sense someone present is a Charmer.”
Simon rolled his eyes at Justus. “Novis gave me a ring to drive her over. What’s going on out here?”
“Page is ill.”
They walked inside and once downstairs, Simon removed her blindfold.
“Are you the patient?” She barked at Justus, scraping him with a womanly glare from head to toe. Her voice had a slight southern drawl but was loud with a sharp tone.
“No, I am not.”
“Well, what are you standing around for? Take me to the one who needs my help and get out of my way.”
She stood at a proud five foot three with short white hair and heavy glasses on her nose. The sort of woman you envisioned as the one the Big Bad Wolf had eaten. Justus grew skeptical that she could even see her own reflection.
The Relic stepped into the room. After one glance, she spun around and cut them off at the door. “Men, stay outside. When I’m done, I’ll summon you. But during the examination, neither of you will set one foot in this room nor disturb me. I have a low tolerance for pestering. Do you understand, Mage?”
Justus nodded as she slammed the door in his face.
Simon merely leaned against the wall with his arms folded. “If I ever need a Relic, Justus, and that woman is called, you have my full permission to bury me in cement.”
***
“Lucian, are the guards still outside?” Leo kept his voice just above a whisper.
I lay on a mattress half-asleep in the safety of the control room, secretly listening as I peeked through my eyelashes. After ending a call with Justus, Logan stood in the middle of the room, folding a stick of mint gum and placing it on his tongue.
Lucian glanced over his shoulder from a leather office chair. “Yeah, the guards are still milling about. The Overlord sent two replacements and these guys are much bigger. They’re scaring the shit out of the residents leaving the building,” he said with a laugh. “Do you want to view the tapes again before we make a backup?”
“Not necessary,” Logan murmured. “Keep your voices down; Silver is still asleep.”
“Why didn’t you bring a mattress in here for me?” he teased.
“You’re the smart one, Lucian. Can you not figure it out?”
Leo crossed his arms and all I could see was his back. “Where’s the Vampire?”
Lucian glanced over the monitors. “There. You can see the edge of his coat outside the doors. He hasn’t moved in hours. Literally.”
“Lucian,” Logan warned. “Keep quiet.”
“I’m going to go make a call, see if the Overlord has made any public statements,” Leo whispered as he left the room.
Lucian spun around in his chair, looking at me like a bug beneath a microscope. I blinked my eye shut, although my hair obscured most of my face so they wouldn’t be able to tell I was eavesdropping. Lucian spoke his mind and didn’t seem to have a firm grasp on tact. I could see why Logan worried about that getting him into trouble. He saw life from a practical standpoint, not an emotional one, so he often made inappropriate remarks.
“So, she’s the one, huh?”
“Never doubt it, brother,” Logan said softly.
“Yeah, but she’s a Mage.”
Logan’s voice rose to a low growl. “You’re young, Lucian, and full of questions. But tread carefully when you speak of my mate.”
“I’m only saying we’ve never been on good terms with her kind. You have no idea what you’re getting into and what kind of trouble this will bring. And what if a female Chitah comes along who—”
“First of all,” Logan interrupted, making an effort to lower his voice. “It’s time for a change. True, a Mage has always been our mortal enemy. But what good can come of holding these prejudices decade after decade? We hang on to them as if they mean something. They don’t, Lucian. You’re a smart guy, but life is more complicated than facts and figures. And secondly, no Chitah female can hold a candle to that beautiful creature stretched across my bed. She’s the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever known, and someday, Lucian, she’ll be your sister.”
My heart soared. Logan didn’t know I was listening, so it meant a lot to hear him say those things about me.
“Will you two keep it down,” Levi complained. “People are trying to sleep.”
That’s when I noticed Levi was in the bed with me. My legs were bent at the knee and my feet were on his warm, bare chest. Levi made a snoring sound and nuzzled his face into the sheet.
My God, I loved the guy, but I was starting to think that maybe I was spending more time in bed with Levi than the man I was sleeping with.
A few quiet moments passed as I listened to the squeaky sound coming from Lucian’s chair as he spun in a semicircle.
“Do you think more will come after you?” Lucian whispered.
“Not if the Overlord keeps his word. There will always be enemies in life, and sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. The life I once lived was fueled with pain and hate. If I can give you two pieces of advice, it would be to not live in fear or anger, and to find the love of a good woman who accepts you for your faults, and because of her, you aspire to be a noble man who is worthy of love.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that years ago, Logan?” Levi chuckled softly. “Might have saved me from hooking up with the wrong person.” Levi’s hand curled around a cold spot on my feet.
“Looks to me like you’ve already found someone, Levi.” Lucian laughed darkly. “Better be careful, Logan might get jealous and tear out your throat like he did to Tarek.”
“If I were straight, he might have something to worry about. I don’t give a shit about race and public opinion. As it stands, I have no choice about the matter.”
“Sure you do.”
“No, Lucian,” Logan said disapprovingly. “When it comes to the heart, there is no choice. It’s like surfers catching the perfect wave. That’s when you know you found the one; all you can do is ride the current and follow its flow. You have no choice about the direction, you only know with absolute certainty that you’re caught in it.”
“He’ll figure it out one day, Lo. Just wait till he has a little chest hair on him. Maybe you need to get your nose out of those books, boy, and see about a girl.”
Gravity (Mageri Series: Book 4) Page 35