Thane half-smiled. “Never get tired of people doing that.”
She closed her mouth and swallowed. His voice was low, but clear. Pleasantly deep. “What’s with the sudden need to make noise?”
“This is worth the headache.”
“Headache?”
“Yeah. I spent a long time as a prisoner. Don’t remember how long, don’t remember who had me, but I do remember that I wasn’t allowed to speak.” He picked a pine needle off the branch hanging over their heads. “When I broke that rule, I paid for it with pain and blood first, and starvation after. We can’t starve to death in case you’re wondering.”
She was staring at him in horror, but he continued. “It’s so engrained, to expect punishment for talking, that I kind of give myself migraines when I do. No one’s figured out how to stop them yet. So fair warning: I’ll probably be pretty sick for a day or two.”
“Just stop talking before it gets that bad then.”
Thane shook his head. “This is important. I want you to know that I don’t care about your past.”
“What about having Cal’s sloppy seconds?” Oh, fuck me, why did I just ask him that?
When it earned a scowl from him, Morgan flinched, but Thane said, “Don’t talk about yourself like that. You’re not used goods.”
“That’s exactly what I...”
“No, you’re not. Not to me.”
She was afraid to ask, but did anyway. “What am I to you?”
“Beautiful.”
“I never dreamed that when you finally decided to talk to me, you’d be so full of shit.”
He laughed. “You need to learn to take a compliment.”
“You need glasses.”
“All I need to know is that you’re not going to take off. And you didn’t. I hope you didn’t because of me.”
Morgan nodded. “I was going to New York when I ran out the back door. This is how far I made it, before I thought of you. Been sitting here since.”
Thane smiled. “Then we’re good. Ready to head home?”
Home. I’ll be damned if that’s not the best word in the world right now. “Answer one question first.”
“Sure.”
“Our first night, was any of that a lie?”
Thane slowly shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on hers. “No.”
Morgan wasn’t expecting the hot flush of satisfaction his answer caused. She noticed the skin tightening around his eyes, and that he looked slightly paler. “Okay. Let’s go home, but maybe I should drive.”
“Good plan.” He pulled the keys free of his pocket and handed them to her. For once, she was the one offering him help to rise. “Thanks.”
“You close your mouth now.” Morgan pulled his arm over her shoulders. “We should’ve parked back here.”
“Yeah.”
“I said shut up. Just lean on me and walk.” Being a Were, she was stronger now, and in spite of his size, kept him moving until they reached the front corner of the building. Jerome spotted them and jogged over.
“Thane, my man, you gotta stop running your mouth so much.” He took over holding up the were-liger. “You got the keys?” When Morgan nodded, he said, “Go get the truck. I’ll get him in and call ahead so someone meets you to help get him downstairs. Make sure the radio’s off.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She hurried off, torn between worry and a level of relief she’d never felt. We’re good. That’s what he said. We are good.
Finding the SUV, she unlocked it and climbed in behind the steering wheel. After adjusting the seat position—Damn, Thane has long legs—Morgan started the vehicle and drove over to pick him up. Jerome lifted him into the seat then worked the controls to recline it before buckling Thane’s seatbelt. “You buckle up too. They’ll be expecting you, but don’t drive crazy.”
“I’ll take care of him.”
Jerome flashed a smile. “I’m sure you will.”
He shut the door as quietly as possible and Morgan buckled in before patting Thane’s thigh. She whispered, “Just rest. I’ll get us home.”
Eyes squeezed shut, he still managed a faint smile.
Cal stayed in his suite long after Thane left to find Morgan, mulling over his actions since first spotting her, and wondering if Thane were right. Am I losing my touch?
The consensus was clear: he’d handled things badly with her. She thought he’d used her, Thane thought he’d coerced her, and he himself thought he’d screwed up. Yet, the results weren’t all bad. Morgan was attached to Thane, and the were-liger to her. He’s far better suited to dealing with her.
And Morgan... Cal smiled, remembering her display of understanding Thane down at the bar. Three weeks, and she could do that without hesitation. Seems to indicate she and Thane belong together.
Jake burst into the suite. “We have a problem.”
“What?”
“They didn’t make it back to base. Thane and Morgan.”
Cal jumped to his feet. “Did anyone see them leave?”
“Jerome helped put him in the truck. He said Thane was out of it.”
Fuck. Had Morgan decided to leave, and taken Thane with her? Sliding a hand over his head, Cal nodded. “Let’s go. We’ll check the road.”
Chapter Eighteen
The surface under her was hard and unyielding. Morgan opened her eyes, only to immediately reclose them as pain lanced through her head. At first, she couldn’t remember what had happened to leave her lying in such pain, but as it slowed to a dull throb, she tried to piece together the images whirling in her mind.
She’d left a club. No, the club: Chanteloup. Why is it so hard to think, and what the hell is that noise?
Morgan risked cracking one eye open. There wasn’t much light, and the only thing visible was a dirty concrete wall maybe two feet away. She was lying on her side. The sounds were coming from behind her. Soft slurping and sucking noises. Oh, someone’s getting a blow job.
She closed her eye, only to slowly open both. Who’d be getting their rocks off in a place like this? And how the hell had she ended up wherever here was?
Why do I hurt so much?
Though she was expecting one, another stab of pain didn’t occur. Just the dull throbbing. That was better. Okay, she’d been driving away from Chanteloup after an ugly scene with Calhoun. She hadn’t been in her car, but something larger.
Wasn’t someone with me? Morgan frowned at the wall. Yes... oh shit. Thane.
He’d been with her, and really sick. They were returning to the base, going home. But what happened?
She closed her eyes, trying to recall more of her scattered memories now that a few had been put in their proper places. It had been dark. Then there were bright lights and loud noises. Her stomach lurched.
Someone hit us.
It became much easier to piece things together. She remembered the impact, hearing herself scream, and the SUV rolling over and over. The airbag had scraped her face raw at some point, and the last thing Morgan was able to recall was hanging from her seatbelt before everything went black.
Now I’m here, wherever here is. But where is Thane?
Caution urged that she move slowly. Morgan tested each of her limbs with tiny stretches, confirming that yes, everything fucking hurt like hell. But she could move, and did, rolling carefully onto her back before turning her head toward the sounds.
A large figure resolved into two after a few blinks. Thane’s head was held at an uncomfortable angle, but his eyes were closed, his face slack. He was unconscious. The second figure was crouched beside him, one hand fisted in the were-liger’s short hair, and had its face buried against Thane’s neck.
It took Morgan a full minute to comprehend what she saw: a vampire feeding on Thane.
Heart or head. Those were the only two targets that resulted in a truly dead vampire. Lance, her hand-to-hand combat instructor, had impressed that upon her during their first session. He’d said to remove one or the other as quickly as possible, and that it
wouldn’t be easy, because vampires were fast.
I have to get up. Morgan closed her eyes again, unable to bear the sight. Have to get up and kill that cocksucker, get him off Thane.
Her body didn’t cooperate with her thoughts. Morgan opened her eyes to look around as much as she could. Were there more vampires? Strong as they were, it would’ve been difficult to carry two limp bodies, especially with one being as large as Thane. How had the vampire gotten them here?
He may have removed them from the wreckage one at a time. But if he were the one who’d hit them, his vehicle surely had to have been totaled too. I need information before I act. Another fact Lance had impressed upon her. Since she couldn’t see anyone else, Morgan closed her eyes and used her nose.
She could smell Thane, blood, mildew, dirt, water, and of course, vampire. The musty vampire odor was stronger than the others. Either there was another vampire hiding in the shadows, or at least out of her viewing range, or the one feasting had been living here for a while.
Morgan opened and narrowed her eyes for a better look. Thane was propped against a metal support column, and she couldn’t see one of his arms, because of the vampire, and not all of his other. He was tied or chained to the column. Well, fuck.
Even if he weren’t restrained and unconscious, Thane wouldn’t be in any condition to help. And I’m too new at this shit to figure out what to do. Think, think, think!
She couldn’t move well, because of the pain. That meant there was a lot of damage, and she’d need time to heal. Small wounds healed practically instantaneously, but more serious damage didn’t. Weres healed far faster than humans, but time was still necessary.
A quick attack wasn’t in the cards, and she needed to know if the vampire were alone. The fastest way to do that was... make the vampire come to her. Morgan scowled, feeling dried blood crack and the flakes skitter off her face. I’m not tied up. I can go for the heart once he’s close enough.
Even if it weren’t alone, that’d be one less vampire to contend with later. The only question was whether or not she could move fast enough to carry out the plan, being badly injured.
I have to. Blood loss wouldn’t kill a Were, but it did make them weak. Vampires constantly fed from captive Weres to keep them under physical control. We’re the perfect meals, Lance had said. Our bodies don’t stop making blood or healing unless we’re truly dead. The only sure method to put us permanently down is fire.
What about Calhoun? Morgan remembered asking, and Lance’s head shake of response. Fire can’t kill the First. Only one thing can.
But he’d changed the subject before she could ask what that one thing was. Calhoun had said the exact same thing. Bitch, you’re stalling while that cocksucker’s eating Thane. Get busy.
Morgan closed her eyes and focused on her right hand. Her left side was facing the vampire and Thane, so her body would conceal it until the vampire was right on top of her. All she needed to do was make claws, and she’d been able to do that since her second week of training classes. Just a small push, and the ends of her fingers changed. Good. Now what?
Noise would get the vampire’s attention. She closed her eyes, tried to relax, and released a low moan of pain. The slurping and sucking stopped. She moaned again, louder, and twitched her left hand. I need to pretend to be weaker than I am.
Which was pretty damn weak at the moment. Stealthy footsteps approached, and Morgan fluttered her eyes open and closed to see how close the vampire had come. He was standing beside her, looking down at her face. His lips and chin were stained with Thane’s blood. She repeated the action, and whispered, “Help.”
“Poor thing. Never been hurt this badly before? You’ll heal, little bitch, not that it’ll do you much good.”
Opening her eyes halfway, Morgan pretended to have trouble focusing on him. The vampire crouched down. Oh, fuck. It’s him.
He was the one who’d jumped her, the one she’d tried to convince herself was just a drug-crazed Goth. She forced herself to be still and whimper when he stroked her forehead, baring his gory fangs in a smile. “Do you recognize me, or is your brain too addled?”
I don’t have a clear shot. The vampire’s leg and arm were in her way.
“I’m going to take now what I wanted that night. I suppose it’s good you were able to escape. Otherwise, you’d probably have died, and my master would’ve been displeased. I was starving that night, and you hadn’t yet Awakened.” He smiled again. “That nasty cut you left me with required the lives of two humans to heal.”
Morgan closed her eyes as a whisper of guilt crossed her mind, but opened them when he prodded her shoulder. “Don’t faint, little bitch. I like my prey awake when I feed, and we don’t have much time to enjoy each other’s company. They’ll arrive soon.”
They? Who is he talking about?
“Don’t worry, they have no intention of killing you either. My master has contacts, and certain agreements, among the humans. It seems you stole something from one of his business partners, a bag of money? You’ll be payment for a service my master requires.”
Stealing that goddamned bag had been the worst decision she’d ever made. But what about Thane? What was their plan for him? Morgan licked her lips and muttered, “Thane.”
“What’s that, little bitch? Oh, your friend? He’ll be leaving with you, but I doubt you’ll share a cage for long. Your Fount took him from someone who wants him back, and there’s quite a list of people who want a touch of revenge on him before he’s out of reach. Under Calhoun’s tutelage, he’s killed a number of us.” The vampire slid his hand behind her neck. “Feeding as much as I can before turning you two over is part of my reward.”
He lifted her into a recline, turning his body more toward hers while doing so. Pain shrieked through Morgan. “Ahh.”
“Poor little bitch,” the vampire murmured, and she moved, driving her transformed fingers into his chest, his skin parting like paper. His grip on her neck turned to steel, but Morgan gritted her teeth. Bones peeled skin away from her fingers and hand, and then she found what she needed and yanked her arm back.
His heart was black. It smoked and disintegrated into ashes. So did the vampire, leaving her to fall back onto the concrete floor with a jarring thump. No yells, no response at all. Morgan lay there for a few seconds. I did it. I killed that son of a bitch.
He’d said others were coming, which meant she needed to get her ass in gear to free Thane and clear out. Morgan rolled onto her left side and levered herself up until she was on her hands and knees. Dizziness struck; swaying, she closed her eyes and rode it out. I can’t fall, can’t pass out.
The second the vertigo passed, she opened her eyes and focused on Thane’s slumped figure. It felt like forever until she’d crawled to his side. Please be rope. Please be rope.
Luck was with her, because the vampire had used rope to tie Thane’s arms. She hadn’t changed her hand back to full human, and used her claws to tear through the fibers rather than fight with the knots. As the last strand parted under her onslaught, Morgan frowned and lifted her hand for a closer look.
The claws jutting from her fingertips weren’t right. Hers were normally straight and blunt at the tips, angling slightly downward. These were sharply curved, the tips needled into points. What the hell?
Maybe they’d formed wrong because of her injuries and current weak state? That had to be it, and she didn’t have time to wonder longer, because Thane fell over without the rope’s support. Crawling around, Morgan patted his cheek. “Thane, you’ve got to wake up. We have to get out of here.”
No response. She leaned down to put her ear to his chest, and was rewarded with a single, faint beat of his heart. Alive, but definitely in no condition to do a damn thing. It was going to be all up to her.
Morgan hoped she could meet the challenge.
Chapter Nineteen
The poor, young bastard who’d been behind the wheel of the heavy duty pickup hadn’t survived the crash. Cal changed hi
s forefinger and slid his claw into the first of the larger fang marks on the dead boy’s neck. After dragging it through skin and meat, as well as through the corresponding smaller fang mark, he repeated the action to disguise the remaining fang marks.
He wiped his finger clean on his jeans while surveying his handiwork, and decided the gouges he’d made matched the rest of the damage to the kid’s neck and face well enough. The body would have to be released to the boy’s family at some point. Satisfied with the minor cover up, Cal stood and walked over to where Jerome was kneeling, peering into the cab of the crumpled SUV. “Well?”
“Belts were cut. Not a lot of blood. There’s one set of footprints, no drag marks. Vamp carried them away.” The black man rose, his expression as grim as Cal’s mood. “Probably had a second vehicle waiting.”
Which meant Morgan and Thane could be anywhere, captives of at least one vampire—two if there’d been a driver. Cal nodded. “He has a two-hour head start on us.”
“He has to go to ground before sunrise, and he’ll need time to secure them.” Jerome scowled, his teeth clenched. “Thane was in bad shape. Barely conscious. I should’ve...”
“Stop.” Cal put his hand on the other’s shoulder. “This was not your fault. Shit happens.”
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Jerome nodded. “Right. Shit happens. But this shit means Morgan’s on her own, with Thane down.”
“I know.” And she only had a few brief weeks of training under her belt. “But it’s Morgan. She’s smart and she’s tough.”
A reluctant grin spread across Jerome’s face. “Yeah.”
They both knew a new, barely trained Were was seldom a match for one vampire, much less two. Cal didn’t want to dwell on that. Dropping his hand from the other’s shoulder, he turned as Lucas approached them.
“I have one extremely pissed highway patrol officer up there. He is not happy we’re keeping him away from the scene, boss.”
The ambush had occurred three miles from the base, close enough for Lucas to discover the wrecked vehicles first, and secure the scene before they’d arrived. Cal sighed. “My badge is in our truck. I’ll go wave it at him, send him on his way. Arrange to clean this up. We’ve got all we need from it.”
The Wolf Fount Page 14