She squeezed him in a tight hug and it was all he could do not to haul her off this bike and screw her like an animal in the parking lot until the fire he felt was quenched. But he'd never do that to her. He wasn't an animal and she was…
There were no words to describe her. She was infuriating, stubborn.
And wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
Touching her hands with his, he gave a light squeeze before he took the handlebars. 'Hold tight.'
'Will do, Achimou.'
He laughed and cringed simultaneously at the Greek endearment of his name. Since the true pronunciation was Ack-uh-rahn the shortened form of it was Ack-ee-moo. Something he'd always feared someone using. So he'd learned to Anglicize his name to Asheron and then later to Ash to keep anyone from doing what she'd just done.
Yet, for reasons that were totally beyond him, he didn't mind her doing it.
Amazed by that, he headed out of the parking lot, back toward her side of town. They hadn't gone far when he felt a weird sensation go down his spine…
They were being followed.
Looking around, he saw a gray sedan closing in on them while the car in front of them was slowing down. Ash wanted to pass the car ahead, but there was too much traffic in the other lane.
Suddenly the car in front of him stopped.
He slammed on brakes at the same time a man sat up in the back seat of the car in front of them with a gun and opened fire. 'Hold on!' he roared as the bullets slammed into him. Had he been human, he'd be dead. As it was, he put a shield around them to keep Tory from being hit and him from taking any more damage.
Gearing the bike down, he gunned it full throttle and shot around the car to the right, onto the sidewalk to get away from them.
Tory was terrified as she clung to Ash with everything she had. She wasn't sure how the gunshots had missed them, but she was grateful they had.
Now she saw the two cars racing behind them.
Ash took a corner so low to the ground he was amazed Tory stayed with him even with the shield around her. She hadn't been kidding. She had to be an experienced rider to take the corner and not fall off.
He considered using his powers to get them out of this, but that would tip her off big time that he wasn't human and she would lose her mind over the fact that they literally popped back into her yard. No, he was a god. He could surely outrun them.
At least until a third car cut them off. He swung to the left at the same time a fourth car drove straight for them. That car clipped his back tire.
Cursing, he felt the bike slipping out from under him. Before he could react, they went flying off the bike. Making sure to keep Tory shielded as she slid, Ash hit the ground hard as he skidded on the road.
He was about to teleport them out of this right when the car that had hit them ran him over. Ash bellowed in pain as the front then rear tires crushed his legs. Unable to focus on anything but the agony, he dropped the shield around Tory at the same time she went slamming into a set of garbage cans that were lined around a pole.
Tears of pain filled his eyes as he struggled to breathe. He replaced the shield around Tory to protect her from any more harm and to knock her out as he rose to his feet.
Pain hit him hard. He might be a god, but he wasn't immune to damage. It wouldn't kill him. It just hurt like hell.
The men opened fire on him.
Ash slung his hand out and turned the bullets back on them. Fury rode him hard as he killed them as mercilessly as they'd tried to kill Tory.
All except one…
A small, wiry man, he was cowering beside the brown Audi sedan that had run him over.
'Who the fuck are you?' Ash snarled angrily.
The man didn't answer.
Ash grabbed him up by his throat and slammed him against the trunk of the car. 'Answer me!'
But then he didn't have to… In that instant, Ash saw everything about him and the organization he served.
He heard the voices from the man's past. Voices of people who'd begged for their lives and this prick had killed them without caring.
So be it.
Ash crushed his windpipe and left him sprawled dead on the trunk of the car not caring who saw what he was doing. Still not satisfied, he looked at Tory who lay unmoving.
As he started toward her, he realized his legs were torn open and most of his body was covered with road rash because she'd been wearing his protective jacket. But none of that mattered as he knelt down on the ground beside her. Carefully, he pulled her helmet off to see the bruises on the side of her pale face and the blood on her lips.
He threw his own helmet aside. Fear and grief racked him as he felt for her pulse. She had to be okay. She had to be… His stomach knotted until he touched the faint beat.
He wanted to cry in relief. She was still alive, but she was weak from internal injuries.
Ash held his hand out for his backpack which flashed into his grip. Slinging it over his back, he picked Tory up and teleported them to Tulane Hospital. He cradled her against him as he limped painfully into the emergency room entrance.
Luckily it was someone he knew, Wanda, at the front desk.
A heavyset African-American woman, she gaped as she saw him walking toward her. His leg buckled from the pain and he almost fell. But he wouldn't do that. Not while he held Tory. He had to get her help.
'Oh my God, Ash! What happened?'
He couldn't speak as he felt Tory expel one last shallow breath before she died in his arms.
CHAPTER TEN
Ash sank to his knees in the middle of the ER as the pain from his injuries and an overwhelming, unbelievable wave of grief and anger assailed him. He didn't understand why, but he couldn't even breathe at the thought of Tory not being here.
'Tory,' he snarled, holding her against his shoulder as he cupped her cold face in his hand and gently shook her body. 'Don't you dare fucking die on me. Tory!'
Wanda was there with a doctor and orderlies. Standing behind him, she took his shoulders as the doctor pulled Tory out of his arms.
Ash wanted to fight them and yet he knew he couldn't. They had to save her.
Wanda's touch was gentle, but it wasn't the touch he wanted to feel. 'Ash?' she said, her voice breaking.
He couldn't respond as he heard them calling for a Code Blue. They ripped Tory out of his arms and put her on a gurney before they whisked her away.
Ash knelt there on the floor, his bloodied coat fanned out, watching them run with her through the hallway while his soul screamed out for vengeance against those who'd hurt her.
'I think he's in shock.'
Someone touched him. Ash growled, shoving the intern back as he came to his feet and stood there with his legs wide apart. 'I'm not in shock. I'm fine.'
The intern passed a wide-eyed stare to Wanda.
'Sweetie,' Wanda said, touching him lightly on the arm. 'You're not all right.' Her gaze skimmed down his ravaged body. 'You are very hurt and you need to let the nice doctor look at you.'
Ash wiped at something warm that was running down his face. Thinking it was sweat, he glanced down to see
