His voice was etched with tiredness, and I raised an eyebrow. “The wound was obviously worse than I’d thought.”
He took his feet off the dresser and walked carefully over. The bed creaked as he sat down. “Worse is an understatement.”
He picked up my hand and held it to his chest, just over his heart. The steady beat reverberated through my fingers, and I knew, without his saying a word, just how close I’d come to leaving this life
“Don’t ever try and die on me again, you hear? It’s not allowed. Ever.”
Tears touched my eyes, and I blinked them away. “But it was just an arrow—”
“An arrow made of silver,” he cut in. “With barbs that had been designed to break off in your flesh and travel through your system. You were being poisoned, inside and out.”
Horror recoiled through me. No wonder I’d burned. I swallowed, but it didn’t seem to ease the dryness in my throat. “But why would they do that if they were after the same thing from me as they were from you?”
He shrugged. “Jack’s theory is that a woman is born with all the eggs she’ll ever have, whereas a man keeps on producing sperm. Maybe those eggs were all they really wanted.”
They were bastards. Whoever they were, they were bastards. And crazy ones at that. “So how did you get the barbs out?”
“With an experimental medical scanner Jack borrowed from the Directorate. One barb had reached your shoulder, the other two had headed down your arm.” He hesitated. “You were delirious by that time. It wasn’t easy.”
His tone suggested something had happened, and it wasn’t hard to guess what. Once the silver had been removed, my natural instincts would have taken control, whether or not I was delirious. I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Whom did I attack?”
He grimaced. “Quinn. Savaged his arm pretty badly before we gained control again.”
Attacking the man I wanted to seduce was not the brightest thing I’d ever done. “Has he wolf in his background?”
“No.”
At least that was one good thing—we didn’t have to keep an eye on him the night of the full moon. “So how long was I out?”
“Twenty-four hours. It’s Tuesday, and four in the afternoon.”
“I hope you let Jack know I’m not going to make it to work.”
He smiled. “Jack knows. He’s still downstairs.”
I yawned, then asked, “Why?”
“Because another attempt was made on his life. Until we know what’s going on, this shed is our temporary headquarters.”
“I’m sure the owners will be pleased about that.”
“The owners are currently overseas and not expected back for another two weeks. We’re as safe here as we would be anywhere.”
“Only problem with that is the fact we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
“That means squat in this day and age.” He grinned, kissed my fingers, and rose. “You feel ready for something to eat?”
“I suppose.” I paused. “What about the moon? We can’t avoid what it does to us, and out here, it’s going to prove a problem.”
His smile faded, and he scrubbed a hand through his short hair. “I know. Liander’s here, but given what you said on the phone about Talon, I didn’t think you’d want him close.”
“I don’t.”
“Then Quinn is a possible solution for you. His behavior over the last twenty-four hours certainly suggests he’s interested.”
I grinned. “I know for a fact he’s more than a little interested in some werewolf action.”
A smile touched his lips, but his eyes sparkled with worry. “Be careful with him, sis.”
My earlier wariness of Quinn came back in a rush. “Are you two actually friends?”
“Yes, and that’s why I’m giving you the warning. I think he’s the type you could fall for. Just… don’t.”
“He’s not a wolf, so he hardly qualifies for the type I’d fall for.” I paused, then added, “So why the warning?”
“Because a wolf almost destroyed him, and he’s sworn never to get involved with another one.”
“He’s already given me that speech. What did that wolf do?”
“I don’t know the details. I just know he will never again trust another wolf.”
“He trusts you.”
“Only up to a point.” He shrugged, as if it didn’t matter, and didn’t hurt, when I knew it did. Like me, Rhoan didn’t have all that many good friends. “Just take the sex if it’s offered and walk away when it’s over. Trust me, it’s all you’ll get anyway.”
“It’s all I want, so it should be no problem.”
He studied me for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “I’ll get you something to eat. You stay here and rest.”
I caught his arm before he could move away. “Any word from Kelly?”
He hesitated, then shook his head. “They’re still looking, though.”
I closed my eyes, but no matter how much I tried to stop it, fear still rose. Though I guess no news was good news inasmuch as that it still allowed hope. I had to cling to that. Had to
He placed his hand over mine and squeezed lightly. “She’ll be okay, sis.”
I nodded and released his arm. He walked away, still looking like a cowboy who’d spent too many days in the saddle. I took a breath and let it out slowly, then lifted the sheet and took stock. My left arm was bandaged from shoulder to fingers, and my right wrist and both ankles were also bandaged. I could move my bandaged fingers, even though it hurt, so once again I’d been lucky. But how much longer would my luck hold? Sooner or later, those bastards would get me—unless we got them first
Of course, to get them, I had to become part of Jack’s team. Had to take yet another step to giving him what he wanted—me, as a guardian
“Everything is still there, if that’s what you’re checking.”
Amusement played in the depths of Quinn’s warm voice, and I looked up with a smile. “A girl likes to see these things for herself.”
The smile teasing the corners of his luscious mouth warmed his dark eyes, and both did strange things to my pulse rate. The moon might not have risen yet, but the fever was beginning to burn through my veins, thanks to his presence
He grabbed the chair Rhoan had vacated and pulled it close to the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” I replied politely. “How are you feeling?”
The smile grew. He brushed a finger down my cheek, his touch lingering near my mouth. “At least your skin no longer burns.”
He wasn’t feeling it from
The bump under his sweater suggested I’d done a good job—his left arm appeared to be bandaged as much as mine
He shrugged. “A vampire heals almost as fast as a wolf. I’ll be fine in a day or so.”
“I’m sorry I attacked you.” I smiled slightly, and added, “Both times.”
His fingers drifted down my neck, trailing heat across my skin. His expression was distracted—a look that had nothing to do with blood hunger, and everything to do with a man being confronted by a naked woman. “Both events were instinctive. There’s nothing to forgive.”
His touch reached my shoulder and skimmed the bandages. Goose bumps fled across my skin, a sensation that owed nothing to fear or pain
“But there’s something we need to talk about.”
His gaze came back to me. Fires burned in the black depths, a heat I could feel through every fiber. “I want you.”
It appears werewolves weren’t the only ones up front when it comes to sex. “Good.”
