“When is that bed going to get here?” Connor asked someone in the hall and waited for an answer. “Put a rush on it if you want the shifter to calm down. If we don’t get him closer to her soon, he’ll be an even bigger problem.”
The jumpy doctor was standing in the farthest corner of the room, eying the door and obviously considering the best way to escape if Zane lost it. Under normal circumstances, Zane might be amused by how nervous he made the man, but he was too worried about Lexi to enjoy the doctor’s reaction.
“Are you going to answer me, or just try to figure out if you can outrun me?” Zane asked with one raised eyebrow. “Just so you know, I don’t think you can outrun me, even if you could make it past me to the door.”
“Knock it off, Zane,” Connor barked in that no-nonsense tone that reminded Zane of his own father’s. Some people were just natural leaders, and it was probably a good thing Connor was here when Zane was this close to the edge. He needed someone more dominant than him to talk him down.
“I’m just worried.” Zane let out a sigh of frustration.
“We gave her something to help her sleep,” the doctor explained, still sounding nervous. “When you were asked to leave the room, she started to panic, and we were worried she’d hurt herself. At this point, we don’t have enough information about the medication she’s been given to guess how she’ll react when the drug leaves her system. It might be painful or even make her more agitated. Our plan is to keep her sedated for the next two days. We’re also giving her something to get the medication out of her system faster.”
Zane did his best to suppress the growl that wanted to escape his lips.
“They’re doing everything they can,” Connor assured him, still using the authoritative tone which Zane needed more than a comforting one. “Get out in the hallway, so the doctor can examine her without fearing for his life.”
Zane nodded and reluctantly followed Connor into the hallway.
They’d been at the hospital for hours, and Connor hadn’t left his side, presumably because he didn’t trust Zane to behave. Since Zane had a history of misbehaving, he could hardly take offense at Connor’s presence. Zane knew he should feel guilty about keeping Connor here so long when Connor probably had important work to do, but he’d feel guiltier if Connor wasn’t here and he ended up getting kicked out of the hospital when his mate needed him. If he’d had any doubt she needed him before, her reaction to him leaving the room wiped out that thought. Still, Zane knew he should try not to be such a burden on Connor after everything the vampire was doing for Lexi.
“I’ll behave if you have somewhere else you need to be,” Zane offered.
Connor let out a quick bark of laughter before responding. “I seriously doubt that. You’re right about me having other things to do. That’s why I have Mark and Danny coming to watch you.”
“I’m under guard?” Zane asked.
“That pretty much sums it up,” Connor stated simply.
Before he had a chance to complain, Zane saw Mark and Danny moving down the hallway toward them. Zane had become good friends with Danny after Danny had been changed into a vampire against his will. Danny was also Zane’s cousin’s mate, so they were family now. Mark was a human who’d been Danny’s friend for years, and Zane really liked him. They were both a few inches taller than him and attractive males in different ways. Danny had dark red hair and green eyes. Danny also stayed pale no matter how much time he spent outside. That contrasted with Mark’s dark skin and long dreadlocks. Mark’s hair had fascinated Zane at first, so Mark had explained how he’d spent many months getting his hair to lock in place. Mark’s thick lashes, surrounding his hazel eyes, gave him an exotic, sexy look. Zane normally flirted with both males, but today, he just didn’t have it in him.
“Hey, pussy cat,” Mark greeted him. It was a nickname he’d settled on when Zane had called him human. He might have taken offense if he didn’t know Mark had started calling Ian ‘moody bloodsucker’ for the same offense. Mark didn’t really like being called human, which was one of the reasons Zane did it.
“Hey there, human,” he shot back at Mark, but his voice didn’t hold its usual teasing quality.
“What’s this I hear about you pulling a strange woman out of the creek?” were the first words out of Danny’s mouth.
Zane just shrugged. He’d reached the point of being too stressed out to joke around. Obviously, Danny noticed he was acting off because he frowned.
“Is she going to be okay?” Danny asked.
“She’ll be fine,” Connor replied.
Raven was approaching them, looking like a wood nymph on a mission. “The bed is being brought up now.”
“Bed?” Mark looked confused. “Don’t the rooms have beds?”
“We’re putting a bigger bed in the room so Zane can sleep with her,” Connor explained before adding, “It was Raven’s idea.”
“Zane’s mood will improve if he’s close to her,” Raven explained. “The other option is for him to make the hospital staff crazy for the next two days, or until he gets thrown out of here.”
“Two days?” Danny looked concerned.
“Is she that sick?” Mark had moved closer to put a comforting hand on Zane’s shoulder. That was one of the reasons he liked Mark. The human understood his need for touch when he was upset.
“No, there are just some strange drugs they need to get out of her system,” Connor explained. “After the bed is set up, I just need you to keep an eye on Zane until I send someone to relieve you.” Then he turned his attention back to Zane. “As for you, clothing or fur unless you’re using the shower.”
Zane opened his mouth to argue, but Connor held up a hand to stop him. “Agreeing that you can be close to your woman in lynx form is my only concession, Zane. I am not about to let you roam the halls naked and make the staff and patients uncomfortable.”
With a nod, Zane decided not to push his luck on the clothing issue. Besides, the bed would be here soon, and he’d be close to his female. That was all that mattered.
Chapter Thirteen
Cam was pretty sure Claire was going to fall out of the jeep if she scooted any further away from him. He wasn’t even sure how she’d managed to move so far in these restrictive seatbelts. Seriously, he was having trouble not ripping the belt off and jumping out of the jeep. After spending most of the day in the jeep, he was edgy. That, combined with Claire’s obvious desire to be far from him, had him more than a little irritable.
“I’m not going to attack you in the fucking jeep!” Cam finally snapped at her.
“And they say I’m moody,” Ian drawled from the driver seat.
Claire glared at Cam for a moment before her face softened, and she looked more concerned than annoyed by his outburst. Her body relaxed, and she reached over to place her hand on top of his, which was resting on his thigh. “Just take some deep breaths,” she soothed. “We won’t be stuck in the jeep much longer.”
Cam couldn’t mask his shock at her touch. Claire usually did everything to avoid touching him, no matter how much her body’s reaction proved she wanted him. Now, she was touching him to offer comfort, and it warmed him. It also soothed him because he was no longer fighting his natural instinct to have her close. “I didn’t realize it would be so hard being stuck in the jeep this long,” he admitted, and that was mostly true. Since he had trouble traveling short distances in a jeep, he’d suspected this would be hard, but he’d do anything to be close to Claire.
“Claire’s right. We’ll stop soon,” Ian assured him, sounding much nicer than usual. “Since we broke off from the council, we have to travel a different route to avoid passing through any of the more hostile territories. We’re still on friendly terms with most since they want access to the goods that come through our trade port. Still, there are some that view our break from the council as a threat to everyone’s safety, and we can’t risk traveling through their lands, even if they decide to allow it. Unfortunately, that means lon
ger days stuck in the jeep.”
Claire squeezed his hand. “Hang in there. I’m getting hungry, and I can’t have you panicking before you feed me.”
There was no missing the nervous tremor in her voice when she talked about him feeding her. When he’d offered earlier, she’d opted to use the bags of human blood in the cooler. Cam had already been told that this settlement would provide bagged blood, so he’d been sure Claire was going to use that as an excuse to avoid the intimacy of taking his blood. He’d never fed his mate, and he longed to have her fangs pierce his skin.
She must have seen the confusion on his face because she let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, I was planning to avoid taking your blood this trip, but I think you need this more than I do right now, and I want to help you. I’m not making any sense, am I?”
Cam placed his other hand on top of hers. “You’re making perfect sense, sweetheart. Even though you don’t like it, you feel the bond between us. I feel the same about meeting your needs. This is how things are between mates.”
She snorted. “You’ve been following me around for months, so I’m just getting used to you being around all the time. That doesn’t mean you’re my mate.”
Cam was quiet until she finally glared at him. “Fine, I might feel a bond between us, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to have your teeth in my throat.”
“How about if we start with your teeth in my throat?” Cam practically purred.
“I’m not sure one won’t lead to the other,” she admitted quietly.
“I promise to behave while you feed,” he assured her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Unless you tell me not to behave,” he added with a grin that said he knew just how much he was affecting her.
Chapter Fourteen
Being met by probably thirty armed vampires was not the greeting Claire had expected at this vampire settlement. She’d been told they’d be offered blood and lodgings, but Claire was pretty sure they were going to be turned away. If Ian’s cocky smirk was anything to go by, he wasn’t the least bit concerned about their welcome.
“I’ve been driving for nine hours with only two stops, so either put an arrow in my heart or get the fuck out of my way,” Ian drawled.
A woman close to Ian’s height stepped forward and glared at him. Her curly dark brown hair was cut short, and she had a crossbow aimed at Ian’s heart. In Claire’s opinion, that was a bad time to tell someone to shoot you with an arrow.
“I’m surprised Connor hasn’t put an arrow in your heart by now, you moody son a bitch,” the woman shot back, flashing him a grin and handing the crossbow to the vampire to her left.
Ian laughed. “You always did know how to sweet talk me, Marie Therese. Let me introduce you to everyone.” Ian slipped an arm around Kyleigh’s waist. “This is Kyleigh, the woman with the patience to put up with me.”
“Hell, Ian,” Marie Therese said with a shake of her head. “I’d heard rumors, but I didn’t believe them. Glad you finally pulled your head out of your ass and moved on with your life. Who are the other two?” she asked, studying Cam and Claire like they were exotic creatures. Most couldn’t have picked up on what they were, but something told Claire that Marie Therese knew they were different.
“I’m Claire,” she introduced herself before pointing to Cam. “This is Cam. We’re just along for back up.”
“Huh,” Marie Therese huffed doubtfully. “We’ll talk more about what you are later. For now, you need blood.”
She motioned them to follow her.
“We’re covered for now, but Claire will need blood later this evening,” Ian told Marie Therese. “She has to feed more frequently. Can you also spare some bags for us when we leave?”
Marie Therese looked over her shoulder at Ian. “Of course, I’ve already got some stocked up for the trip. In case you’ve forgotten, we don’t do bags here for vampires your age. Has Connor cleared you to feed on humans, or are you still on the ‘no bite’ list?”
Ian let out a bark of laughter. “The topic hasn’t come up,” he admitted.
“Then bagged blood for you,” Marie Therese told him. “We had your house stocked up with solids since we knew you were bringing two non-vamps with you. As for Claire, she can have nice warm blood from one of our donor humans.”
Claire turned to glare at Cam, who was honest to god growling.
“Knock off the macho posturing,” Marie Therese snapped at Cam, and it was enough to shock him into silence. He blinked and smiled sheepishly. “You should have warned this one up front about pulling that shit in my territory,” she told Ian.
“Nah,” Ian said. “I was looking forward to watching you put him in his place.”
“I’ll also use bagged blood while I’m here—except when I feed from Cam,” Claire added, because something deep inside of her rebelled at the idea of doing anything to upset Cam.
Marie Therese stared at her like she was out of her mind. “You’re really going to pass on a warm meal because some guy doesn’t like your fangs in anyone’s throat?”
“Cam is a shapeshifter,” Kyleigh explained, and the expression on Marie Therese’s face was comical.
“Yeah, he can change into a lynx,” Ian told her.
“No, I am a lynx,” Cam clarified.
“The lynx is part of who Cam is, not merely something he can appear to be,” Claire added, and this time, she almost laughed at Cam’s shocked expression. Yes, she understood more about Cam than she usually let on.
Since they’d stepped out of the jeep, Cam had been doing his best to give her space, something she knew was difficult for him. Now, he slid one hand around the back of her neck, and moved close enough that she felt the heat from his body. “How can you say we don’t belong together when you get me like this? None of your kind understands this about me, but you do without having me tell you.”
Claire tried to look down, but Cam’s fingers tightened ever so slightly on the back of her neck, holding her in place, and she got the impression he had no intention of releasing her until she answered. With a shuddering breath, his hand dropped to his side as he stepped back. “We’d better talk about this later.”
“Now that your little moment is over, I gotta ask if I can watch this shape-shifting thing happen,” Marie Therese threw out. “Everyone has heard the stories of shapeshifters since those vampires complained to the council about you picking on them. I figured it had to be bullshit they were spewing to get the council to sympathize with them. So, will you change into a lynx for me while you’re here?”
“Depends on how you feel about seeing me with no clothes on. I can only shift when I’m naked,” Cam replied. “Otherwise, I get caught up in my clothes.”
Marie Therese’s gaze moved along his body, and her full lips curled into a grin. “I don’t think I’d mind seeing you naked,” she assured him.
Claire experienced the strangest of all emotions at the thought of Marie Therese seeing Cam naked. Not jealousy. She had no problem with anyone seeing Cam naked, and no matter how much she tried to deny it, she loved seeing him naked. What she experienced was a strange sense of pride in the knowledge that Cam was such an attractive man, and he was hers. Then she quickly stopped that train of thought. It was dangerous to start thinking of Cam as hers.
“I’ll change for you after I feed Claire,” Cam agreed as he took Claire’s hand to tug her along. Good thing, too, because her mind was definitely turning to mush around Cam.
“I’ll have someone show you where you’ll be staying,” Marie Therese offered. “After you get settled in and fed, we need to talk.”
“Can it wait until morning?” Ian asked, looking at Kyleigh with obvious concern.
“No,” Marie Therese said with a shake of her head. “Your territory is in for some serious trouble from the council in Fangri La. Fuck, the whole council is in trouble at the moment, and I have no idea who can be trusted there.”
Ian let out a weary sigh. “Yeah, we expected some p
roblems eventually. Give us an hour.”
Marie Therese nodded and looked over her shoulder at two of her vampires. “You two, show them where they’re staying, and then pick them up in an hour.”
That gave Claire an hour to feed from Cam. She didn’t need an hour. In fact, an hour was very bad, since it gave her more time to give in to temptation and beg Cam to fuck her senseless.
Cam squeezed her hand. “Don’t look so worried, sweetheart. I’m not going to jump you before we meet with Marie Therese.”
Ugh! Why was she more frustrated than reassured by his promise?
Chapter Fifteen
It was amazing how quickly this new government had strayed from its original purpose. Talon had learned much about the vampire council in his short time with them, and he saw such potential for devastation. Were it not for Arawn’s daughter, he might be tempted to shift his focus to creating complete anarchy—perhaps even facilitate a civil war. Entering the room where the council was meeting, Talon breathed in deeply, as if he could smell the tension in the air. In truth, he felt it, and it was invigorating.
The twelve main council members sat near the front of the room, while he took his seat near Carmen and the other lower-level council members. Originally, the council had been established to make sure all territories were represented by the central government. Each of the original twelve members had come from one of the first territories to be established. In theory, it was a good plan. The problem was that it hadn’t taken many of those council members long to forget their obligation to be a voice for their territory. Many became greedy and addicted to power. There were assassinations, and new council members were appointed with little regard for the territories. Now, territories were formed and given no voice. Then lower council members had been added for reasons he didn’t fully understand. While many of them were happy with their status, there were just as many who were ambitious and longed for more power. They plotted and schemed to move up the ranks, and since the only way to do that was to kill off a higher-ranking council member, guards accompanied the twelve main members everywhere. There was also a group who were considered trusted advisors. Talon had yet to meet any of the advisors who sat in the front row of the meetings they chose to attend.
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