She could take out a Ravager pack in her wolf form, but that wasn’t a trick she could rely on often. If anyone from the Coalition found out what she could do, she’d be back in a lab faster than she could say “immunity.”
Her status in the paranormal world provided them some safety, though. She had no association to the Revenant, rebels, or any other undesirables. As far as anyone at the hotel was concerned, she was just another Gemini brutalized by savage humans. They didn’t suspect her. They didn’t look at her as the enemy. As long as Cade didn’t do anything rash, that security extended to him as well.
“Then, let me protect us for a little while.” She pressed her palm to the side of his cheek and brushed her thumb across the shadow under his eye. “Trust me, Cade. You’ve taken such good care of me. Let me take care of you now.”
“I…” His eyelids fluttered, and he stumbled to the side.
“Cade!” Wrapping her arms around his waist, she managed to keep him upright as she helped him over to the foot of the king-sized bed. “Cade, open your eyes.”
“Just tired,” he slurred as he slumped back on the mattress. “I’m okay.”
He neither looked nor sounded okay, but she didn’t know how to help him. “What do you need? Tell me what to do.”
He didn’t answer for so long she worried he’d passed out. Then, he opened his eyes and looked up, his gaze filled with a whole world of pain and uncertainty.
“Call a medic.”
Chapter Fourteen
According to the medic, Cade had lost a lot of blood, a fact which Mackenna had already known. What she hadn’t realized was that the bite on his neck had become infected as well.
By the time the doctor—a shifter female with shrewd eyes and keen instincts—had arrived, he’d been feverish, exhausted, but still feeling well enough to argue against the IV drip. Naturally, he’d been overruled.
The doctor hadn’t asked how he’d sustained the injuries, and Mackenna hadn’t volunteered an explanation. They’d both known a common dog hadn’t left the wounds, and she wouldn’t insult either of them by trying to claim otherwise.
Thankfully, Cade hadn’t needed a blood transfusion in addition to the saline bag and the antibiotics. He had, however, required eight stitches to close one of the claw marks on his ribs.
Three days later, the dark circles had disappeared from beneath his eyes, he had more color in his cheeks, and he no longer tired so easily. Mackenna still worried for him. If they did have to face off against Raiders—or the goddess forbid, another pack of Ravagers—she wasn’t confident that he’d come out of it alive. Cade didn’t feel the same way. The better he felt, the more anxious he grew to leave the hotel and put Vegas behind them.
“Just one more night,” she argued.
“Mack, I feel fine. Another night isn’t going to change anything.”
Maybe not, but it would make her feel better. “Please? We can leave first thing in the morning.” Sighing, she moved closer to him on the bed and tried a different tactic. “It’s already dark. Let’s just enjoy our last night here. We can order room service, or we can try one of the hotel’s restaurants.”
Other than a short trip down the hall to the ice machine, neither of them had ventured out of the room since they’d arrived. She knew they couldn’t go explore the city, but dinner at one of the in-house restaurants posed minimal risk.
With a furrowed brow, Cade pushed himself upright and leaned back against the padded headboard. “Mack…do you like it here?”
“Well, I mean, I don’t hate it.”
Since arriving, she’d had access to a varied menu with generous servings of all of her favorite things. The deluxe, pillowtop mattress felt like sleeping on a cloud. She’d taken advantage of the deep soaking tub in the bathroom, as well as the high-end toiletries. The flat screen television included over a hundred channels, including all the ones that played premium movies.
She’d logged on to the internet for the first time in two years. As much as she’d wanted to check her emails and social media accounts, she’d refrained. It wouldn’t surprise her to find out her browsing history was being monitored. Instead, she’d watched hair tutorial videos and scrolled through cat memes. So, really, not much different.
Of course, all of those things were indulgences, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy them while they lasted.
Cade searched her face, then asked, “Do you want to stay? I don’t just mean until morning. Would you want to live here?”
It wasn’t something she’d expected him to ask, but the question itself was one she’d given significant thought to over the past few days. On the surface, the city had much to offer.
She appreciated everything the hotel staff had done for them. They had sent the doctor, no questions asked, when she had requested medical assistance. As promised, several articles of new, clean clothing had been delivered to their room, including the incredibly soft, pink sweater she currently wore. They had even called a technician to repair the broken passenger window on the SUV.
Not once had anyone asked her for payment. At first, she’d found it strange, until she had realized that no one paid for much of anything in Las Vegas. The people who lived there were compensated for their work with electronic credits, which they poured back into the city by spending them on things like
