She watched him run, arms and legs pumping, a prayer locked in her throat. But even as she sent her entreaty heavenward, hope making her heart throb, pain loomed like a promise at the end of a short trip. And J.?J. knew, without a shadow of doubt, Mr. Gorgeous would never catch her in time.
8
Venom sprinted down the corridor, chasing the idiot with the spider tattoo. Wick barely noticed. He was too busy hauling ass, all his focus on the female. Bad odds. Even less time. He ran like a motherfucker anyway, the slam-bang of his boots matching the chaotic rhythm of his heart. Lungs burning, legs and arms pumping, he bared his teeth and pushed hard. He needed to reach her, to stop the furious roll of the wheelchair before…
Jesus. He was so fucked. Still too far away. Twenty feet from his target and not closing fast enough. And as each second whirled past, victory slid in the wrong direction. God help him. Any moment now, the chair would destabilize, come apart and send her reeling into a fall. One that would reopen her wounds. Make her bleed. Inflict so much pain she would scream in agony.
None of which Wick could prevent from happening.
The tatted bastard was just that smart.
Azrad cast one hell of an encryption spell. Now Jamison sat wrapped in magic, surrounded by an invisible force field that propelled the wheelchair at breakneck speed. Reaching out with his mind, Wick tore at the enchantment. Powerful and complex, the energy shield whiplashed, holding firm, denying his will to control it. Her bio-energy flared. His concern for her spiked as he registered the extent of her fear. She was in full panic mode, so amped up he felt each painful throb of her heart, saw the flare of her aura and the dread inside her mind.
Her heartbeat drove his, making each breath saw against the back of his throat. Wick pushed past physical limits and hammered the shield again. The structure flexed. Spotting a weakness, his dragon half growled, and Wick sank deep, connecting to the source of his power. Magic exploded through his veins, taking up all the space inside his head. He held it close a moment, then wound up and let it go, hurling the decryption spell like a hardball pitch in a softball game.
Rubber tires whined, picking up speed.
The pitch and sway rocked Jamison in the seat. Her knuckles turned white against the dark padding of the armrest. As the steel frame shuddered with catalytic rage, the chair veered, hurtling toward a pair of double doors. Oh shit. Not good. The chair wasn’t holding up beneath the strain and—
Metal groaned, threatening to buckle at the joints.
Wide-eyed, Jamison met his gaze. Wick bared his teeth. Already taut muscles tightened over his bones, and fury gave his magic more strength. The cosmic web around the wheelchair shuddered. He hammered it again. The bastard’s hold trembled, then crumbled, dissipating like vapor in dry air.
Triumph roared through him.
Wick didn’t pause to admire his handiwork. Without breaking stride, he reached out with his mind and grabbed the chair. He issued a mental command. The velocity downgraded, slowing little by little. Almost there. A few more seconds, and he’d—
In a panic, she grasped one of the wheels.
“No, Jamison… don’t!”
His shout went unanswered as the wheelchair flipped, launching her out of the seat. She went up and over, dark hair flying as her head whiplashed. The sight made Wick snarl. Reality made him curse as he watched the IV tube stretch taut. The needle ripped from her arm. The scent of blood filled the air. Wick’s heart stalled, pausing mid-thump to hang inside his chest.
Fucking hell. Another wound. More pain. Just what he’d hoped to avoid.
But even as her life’s essence splattered across her hospital gown, he didn’t hesitate. Or stop running. He reacted instead. With a well-timed thought, he crushed the wheelchair mid-flip. Steel crumpled beneath the force. He hurled the compacted metal like a bowling ball, protecting the female from debris, aiming for the empty nurses’ station at the end of the hall. As steel slammed against the half wall, Jamison stopped going up and started to come down. Wick threw himself across the floor. Shitkickers leading the skid, he slid like a baseball player, arms extended, eyes locked on her, body prone to break her fall.
A major-league move. Wicked results.
Jamison landed with a solid bump against him. She whimpered in pain. His stomach clenched, but stayed true. Thank Jesus. He didn’t have time to freak out. Or puke. The whole aversion to being touched thing needed to stay where it belonged. On the back burner. Buried six feet under. In the passenger seat, not behind the wheel… whatever. Wick didn’t care how it happened, just as a long as he kept his shit together.
For his sake, sure. But honestly, right now it was all about her.
She needed him. And strange as it seemed, he wanted to provide whatever he could in the face of her agony.
Jamison trembled against him. Wick cursed and, still in a full-body skid, locked his arms around her, wrapping her up tight to protect her from further injury. Jeans skating across the hospital floor, boot heels digging in, his T-shirt and jacket rode up, exposing his lower back. Wonderful. Just what he didn’t need. Rug burn via a heavy-duty industrial floor.
Ignoring the pain, he hung onto his prize. The slip and slide slowed to a stop, leaving him sitting in the middle of the corridor. Breathing hard, shock wreaking havoc, he didn’t move. One second slipped into the next as he took stock. Bright lights overhead. Him on the floor. Her in his lap. He blinked. Holy shit, he’d done it. No hesitation. No balking. Just full-on commitment the moment she needed him. Now, she lay in his arms, a warm bundle curled against him, her head tucked beneath his chin.
Pride picked him up, then circled deep. Panic tried to edge it out, closing his throat.
Wick shoved it aside, along with his phobia. He didn’t have time for bullshit. She wasn’t out of the woods yet. And neither was he. He needed to get her the hell out of Swedish Medical. Down five floors to meet Forge and Mac. All while keeping her comfortable, so—
Voices sounded, coming around a blind corner. His gaze narrowed, Wick’s head snapped in that direction. Multiple footfalls, one heavier than the others. At least one male in the group.
“Shit,” he growled, knowing what it meant.
Humans. A bunch of them headed his way.
So much for his brilliant crush-the-wheelchair strategy. The crash-bang against the deserted nurses’ station had resulted in a ripple effect. Attention from a species known for their curiosity… and their ability to call the cops faster than an F-18 going Mach 1. So yeah. No time like the present. He needed to get the hell out of Dodge.
In a big fucking hurry.
Gathering his magic, Wick rolled to his feet. Jamison moaned. He adjusted his hold, gentling his touch, and conjured a cloaking spell. Leading the pack, a security guard entered the corridor with two nurses hot on his heels. Power snapped. Invisibility rippled, hiding Wick and Jamison behind a wall of no-can-see.
As they disappeared into thin air, the guard stopped short. “Good God, did you see that?”
“See what?” one of the nurses asked.
Cradling Jamison close, Wick took a big step backward. His shoulder blades collided with the corridor wall. Excellent plan. The best on every front, ’cause… yeah. Getting out of the way—giving the human trio plenty of room to walk past—seemed like a good idea.
“I thought I saw…” The human shook his head. His gaze swept the length of the hall, narrowing on the spot where Wick had disappeared. The guard opened his mouth, then closed it again. “It’s nothing, I just thought —”
“Holy cow.” Nurse number two stepped around the guard. A perplexed look on her face, she hustled toward the balled-up wheelchair. “Would you look at this?”
“What?” Boots squeaking, the guard strode past Wick to rendezvous with the nurse.
“Someone wrecked a wheelchair… like in a trash compactor or something.”
“Jesus.” The guard unclipped the walkie-talkie from his utility belt. “I gotta call this in.”
Wick snorted. Good luck with that. All hospital authorities would get was a load of crumpled steel and no
