A Mate for Lance (The Program Book 5)

by Charlene Hartnady

Amber lay back down, feeling a bit dizzy.

  “Are you okay? Should I call the doctor?” His brows were raised and he touched her arm.

  She shook her head. “I think I’m going to be okay. Tell me…my fingers are swollen and my mouth feels funny.” She looked at him. “Is it bad?”

  He chuckled. “You shouldn’t be worried about stupid, unimportant things.”

  She ran a hand over her face. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” Using the same hand, she raked her fingers through the rat’s nest that used to be her hair.

  “Honestly…you look beautiful.” He looked like he meant it.

  “I didn’t take you for a liar.” She’d seen herself after having a reaction. It wasn’t pretty. Not at all.

  “Who me?” He touched a hand to his chest. “Not a chance. You have nothing to worry about, Amber.” He continued to look at her like he actually meant it. Then his eyes narrowed on hers.

  What was he up to? Amber didn’t say anything.

  He half smiled.

  “What?” She frowned.

  “You said I was pretty. You were telling everyone that would listen.” He chuckled. The bastard.

  She felt her cheeks heat. “I was out of it.”

  “I think that you really do find me attractive although you used the word pretty. The drugs and lack of oxygen was making you honest.” He bit down on his lip. “But you don’t want to admit it.”

  Amber gave a small shake of the head. “So what if I think you’re pretty. I’m obviously attracted to you or I wouldn’t…have sex with you.” She whispered the last under her breath.

  “Just so you know, you tried to have sex with me last night. You were begging for it.” He looked deadly serious.

  Amber gasped. “I did not.” She could believe it. Hypoxia affected her like being drunk.

  “You did, but don’t worry…” He tensed up. His jaw actually locked for a few seconds. “I threatened those guards with death and I meant it. I figured you wouldn’t want everyone to know that you were all over me.”

  She shook her head. Somehow, right now and in this moment, it didn’t bug her as much as it should. Why was he being so nice to her?

  A woman stuck her head around the jamb. She had shoulder length curly hair and was holding a file. Her expression was stern. It turned hard when she eyed Lance. “I need a moment with my patient.”

  Then she turned to Amber. “I’m Becky, your doctor. We met last night but somehow, based on the way you are looking at me, I don’t think you remember.” She flashed a smile before turning serious. Becky walked into the room, she picked up a shirt and tossed it to Lance.

  He frowned but caught the garment.

  “You don’t have to leave,” Amber whispered, her eyes on Lance. He’d seen her naked before and had stayed the night, in the same bed. What harm could it do?

  “Yes, he does.” Becky opened the file and paged through it.

  “No, really, I don’t mind.”

  Lance pulled the shirt over his head and sat on the edge of the bed so that he could put his socks on. His jaw was clenched. The frown even more pronounced. He didn’t look like he wanted to leave.

  The doctor did a strange thing, she sniffed the air in much the same way she’d seen the vampires sometimes do. “You could seriously do with a shower.”

  What was this woman smoking? Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t legal, which was a bit worrying since she was Amber’s doctor. “He smells fine.” There was definite edge to her voice. “You’re probably smelling me. I had a bit of a session with the toilet bowl.”

  Becky looked confused for a moment. She looked from Lance to Amber and back again. Then she glanced at her watch. “Go and take a shower. Give us fifteen minutes.” The way she said it left no room for arguments.

  Lance gave a nod. “I’ll be back in just a few minutes.” He kissed her on the temple. There was nothing sexual about it, yet, it also wasn’t something that a friend would do. In fact, she would go so far as to say it was pretty darned intimate. She had to stop herself from sighing or biting her lip.

  What the hell was wrong with her? She liked it better when he was being rude. The lines had become blurred.

  No! The kiss didn’t mean anything. Lance had been worried about her. He felt responsible for what had happened. She shouldn’t read into this.

  She refused.

  The door closed behind him with a soft click.

  “Right.” Becky moved towards her. She was wearing the standard white coat. “Can you sit up? The IV line is plenty long enough.”

  Amber nodded. She swung her legs over the side of the bed.

  “Good. You can lean forward on your thighs. How are you feeling?”

  Amber squeezed her eyes shut for a second. “I’m tired and a bit dizzy. I also have a headache. Overall, I’m doing okay.”

  “Let me finish my examination and I’ll get you something for that.”

  “Thank you.”

  Becky checked her eyes, her throat. She ran her hands from her ears down the sides of her neck. Then she removed the stethoscope from around her neck and plugged in the ear thingies. Becky listened to her heart and then did the same to her lungs moving the disc across both her chest and back.

  “Another breath for me,” Becky said.

  Amber did as she asked.

  She wrote something on the chart. “Thankfully your lungs are back to normal. We had to nebulize you. You’re on an adrenaline drip.” She touched Amber’s cheek. “You’re still suffering from a bit of angioedema. Nothing too serious. It might take a day or two for the puffiness to go down fully.” The doctor’s gaze was focused on her lips. Amber knew they were swollen. “You’ve also got some urticarial but it’s acute and limited to your throat and upper arms. I can prescribe a cortisone cream but I think that a good antihistamine should be sufficient.”

  Amber glanced down at the tops of her arms and sure as nuts, they were covered in a red rash. Arghh! “I think I’ll be okay.” So she did look as bad as she thought. Maybe even worse. Sucky!

  Becky nodded. She wrote something down in the file. “We can always prescribe some later if need be.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Amber said, hoping her parents hadn’t been called. She had listed them on her emergency contact list.

  “How long have you been seeing Lance?”

  How was this relevant? “Um…last night was our first date.”

  Becky raised her brows. She looked at Amber like she had just grown two horns or something. “Okay… I’m your doctor, which means that this is strictly confidential. How long have you been seeing him?” she repeated, and in a way that indicated last night wasn’t the first time with Lance.

  She swallowed hard, eying Becky. “I’m not sure how this pertains to my allergic reaction.”

  She folded her arms and cocked her head. “You can’t have sex for the next twenty-four hours.”

  Amber cleared her throat. “That’s fine.”

  “No really. I don’t want you getting an elevated heart rate or to exert yourself in any way. You had a really bad reaction, Amber. If it weren’t for the auto injector you might have died.” She sighed. “You do realize that you can have another reaction at any time?”

  “I’m allergic to shellfish, tree nuts and bee stings. I’ve been through this a couple of times before. I have my medication with me at all times.”

  “You can’t be alone. If something were to happen…”

  “Um… I will ask…” Shit! Who could she ask? Bethany? The other woman was more than likely with Joshua. Maybe one of the women vampires?

  “Lance has already said that he’ll stay at your side. In fact, he insisted.” Becky smiled. “Look, your relationship with him is none of my business.” Then she shut her eyes for a few beats. She seemed to be contemplating something. “You do realize that he sees you as his mate don’t you?”

  This woman was definitely on drugs. Amber shook her head. “No. It’s not like that between us.” She could feel that she
was gaping.

  “I thought you said you were dating.” Becky’s eyes narrowed and she folded her arms.

  “I thought you said that it was none of your business,” she returned, sounding snippy.

  Becky looked her straight in the eye. “I’ve decided to make it my business. You are my patient.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Irritated and snippy.

  “Lance is unstable. He went completely off the rails about a year ago. I’m not a phycologist but I believe he suffered from a mental breakdown, or a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. It coincided with a major incident in his life. I can’t say this for sure but everything points in that direction. He’s behavior became erratic, irrational and downright violent.”

  Amber swallowed hard, she felt her heart rate pick up.

  “I don’t want to get into it with you. It’s not my story to tell.” Becky gave a shake of the head, she sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “He told me that he lost his mate,” Amber said, slowly. “He mentioned that he kind of lost it, that he did bad things.”

  Becky nodded. “Putting it rather mildly. It wasn’t losing his mate that caused the problem. He blamed it on that but he was wrong. He suffered a meltdown.” She held a breath inside her lungs for a few seconds. “He has developed coping mechanisms. I’ve seen him gradually improve, particularly over the last few months. I didn’t know him before all this happened.”

  “Okay… I’m still not sure what this has to do with me…with us.” It felt weird referring to them as a couple.

  “Lance sees you as his mate. I can see the signs.”

  “No!” Amber blurted, a little too harshly. “You’re very wrong about that. I’ll admit…” She sighed. “Will this stay between us?”

  Becky nodded. “Yes, I’m your doctor. Anything said between us right now is privileged information.”

  “You’re right. Last night wasn’t our first date…well that’s not true, it was our first date but…” She let the sentence die. Amber wanted to talk about this but at the same time she didn’t know how to.

  “You’ve been having sex.” Becky smiled. “You do know that anyone seeing the two of you together would be able to pick that up from a mile away? The way you look at each other. The small touches.”

  Oh…no. Really? No way! What?

  Becky gave a little laugh. “Sorry…you look like you’re freaking out. I don’t think anyone knows but me and the two guards on duty last night. I would’ve heard the rumors otherwise.” She shook her head and gave a little sort. “Neither of the guards will be talking either, that’s for sure. Not after Lance scared the living shit out of them. That’s the thing, he’s protective over you. He was afraid last night. He kept on growling and shouting and wouldn’t let anyone else touch you or carry you. He looked at you with such affection. I don’t think I would believe it unless I saw it with my own eyes. Lance cares. He’s crazy about you.”

  Amber shook her head. She wanted to put her fingers into her ears and block out the doctor’s voice. “No. You’re wrong. We don’t like each other, at least, I don’t like him, not at all.”

  Becky snorted and patted Amber’s knee “You keep telling yourself that.”

  “No… I’m attracted to him…very much so.”

  “Well the feeling is definitely mutual.”

  “We fuck,” Amber blurted. “A lot…at least…we were. It’s sexual. You’re right, he’s in love but not with me, he’s in love with my vagina.”

  Becky burst out laughing. “He’s in love alright and I don’t doubt that he loves your vagina but it’s not all he’s in love with.” The doctor looked at her like she felt sorry for her. “He went into protective mode snarling at anyone who came near you. He even snarled at me when I put the IV needle in your arm. He insisted on sleeping with you so that he could keep an eye on you; only, he didn’t sleep. Not one little wink. I checked on you every hour and he was awake…don’t get creeped out…he was staring at you. Stroking your hair. He spent every minute of every hour making sure you were okay. That’s not normal behavior. He did not want to leave just now either.”

  “He didn’t put up much of a fight.”

  Becky gave a humorless smile. “His hands were fisted, his jaw clenched, everything in him was tense. Lance had to force himself to go and”—she glanced at her watch— “we only have a few minutes before he’s back. Trust me on that. He’ll stay away the fifteen minutes and not a second more. He can’t, because his instincts are riding him hard.”

  “What instincts are those?” Her voice was a mere whisper.

  “His instincts to protect his mate.”

  Amber gasped. No. It wasn’t true. She shook her head.

  “Yes. You both may not have wanted it to happen but it has. You both seem to be in major denial and that’s not healthy. Not with a male like Lance.” She chewed her bottom lip, her frown was deep. “You said that you had your first date last night but you also said that your interaction is purely sexual. Are you exploring a relationship?”

  Amber shook her head. “We aren’t planning on pursuing any type of real relationship. It’s not like that. It’s stupid of me but I didn’t want everyone to know that we’re…that, well…” She couldn’t seem to spit it out.

  “That you’re fuck buddies?”

  Amber winced. “Yeah, except we aren’t really even buddies, we just…” She couldn’t say it.

  “Fuck.” Becky looked amused.

  Amber nodded. Her cheeks felt so red that she was sure she was about to self-combust at any minute.

  Becky made a humming noise. “Yeah…it may have started out that way but things have changed. Lance may not even realize it but he sees you as way more. Which leaves you with a decision to make.” She paused. “Either you feel the same way, in which case you need to tell him. You’ll probably scare the crap out of him but he’ll come around…eventually…or you need to leave him the hell alone. This whole just fucking thing, it has to stop.”

  “I still think you’re mistaken.” The woman had to be. There was just no way.

  Becky stood up. “Use it, don’t use it. Lance has been through a lot. He’s just starting to come out of the hole he was in and I don’t want to see him fall back in. Moreover, I don’t want to see you or anyone else hurt when he goes over the edge again. This time, there might not be any coming back.”

  She had to be over-exaggerating.

  Becky glanced at her watch. “Right on time.” She tapped her watch face and gave a knowing smile.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Come in.” Becky rolled her eyes.

  Lance walked in. His shoulders were tense and his jaw clenched. His stare softened the moment it landed on her. Amber felt something inside her shift. It couldn’t be but there it was. She’d seen his demeanor visibly change. She was reading too much into this. As was Becky.

  “Like I was saying…” Becky pulled on some latex gloves. “Take it very easy for the next twenty-four hours. Don’t hesitate to call me if you are concerned about anything.” She looked pointedly at Lance.

  Becky moved to her arm, the one that was still hooked to the IV. She carefully pried the tape from the needle and slipped it free, holding a wad of cotton wool to the small bleeding spot.

  Lance’s top lip pulled away as he flashed a fang. He looked angry, his gaze was on her arm. His hands were fisted at his side. Becky was wrong. She had to be. He felt responsible. That was it.

  “Push down on this.” She gestured for Amber to take over the pressure on the cotton wool.

  “By take it easy, I mean no sex.” Again she looked pointedly at Lance, whose face was an unreadable mask. “Your medication is in here.” She looked at Amber but handed Lance the paper bag. “A new auto injector and an antihistamine prescription. Everything is labeled. I’ll see you again tomorrow for a follow up.” She returned with a small piece of tape which she put over the cotton wool ball. “Call me if you are worried about anythin
g. I’ll organize a wheelchair.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Lance’s voice was deep. “I’ll carry Amber.”

  “You don’t—”

  “I insist,” he said, cutting her off and it was final. “Also, she will be staying with me in my suite.”

  She noticed how Becky chewed on her lower lip to try and hide a smile. Amber locked eyes with Lance. “My room is fine, I—”

  “No!” he asserted, gruff and clipped. “My room is closer to medical. It’s not a discussion. You are staying with me until you get a one hundred percent clean bill of health.”

  Becky shrugged, casually. “He has a point. You could have another episode. It’s been known to happen days later.”

  Amber gave her doctor a hard stare down. “It’s never happened to me before.”

  “It could happen though,” Becky insisted, she raised her brows.

  “I doubt it,” Amber insisted. “I have my EpiPen so I’m sure I’ll be just fine.”

  Lance clenched his jaw so tight that she could actually hear his teeth grind together. “Amber.” He growled her name in such a way that it had the hairs on her arms rising and her heart sped up. It was a ‘do not fuck with me’ type of tone to his voice that made her want to instantly obey.

  “Okay. Fine.” She held up a hand. “You win.”

  “I’ve organized to take the next few days off.”

  “You don’t have—”

  “It’s done.” He glowered at her, his eyes boring into hers. Then, just like that, they softened. “This is all my fault so I have to do what’s right.” He threw her a half smile.

  “My job here is done. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Becky winked at Amber. Winked. She also gave her a knowing smile. With a tiny shake of the head, she picked up the file. “See you tomorrow. And Lance?” Her whole expression was humor-filled. “Stop being so possessive and overbearing. Amber is going to be fine.”

  He offered a surly glare. “Hardly. Amber is my female…” His eyes darted to the floor and then back to Becky. “We are dating and exclusive. I am permitted to react in this way. The human nearly died. You weren’t there when she was losing consciousness.”

  Becky gave a shrug. “You have a point… I guess.” Then she strode from the room.