by Jana Leigh
He pushed her hips back into Striker's hips and Striker ground his against her. She could clearly feel his arousal as she kept her eyes glued to Eric's. Then Eric pulled her forward and pressed their bodies together, she could feel his arousal for her as well. Both men wanted her as much as she wanted them. Now what? she thought.
Chapter Eleven
He sat back at his desk and grinned. He had them now. Since the idiots had lost them at the ferry landing in Portsmouth, he had been pissed. He had then sent men immediately to try to intercept the ferry as it dock in Caen, France. They had just phoned him to say they would arrive with time to spare.
This pleased him and he knew then he would have the advantage against his brother that he had wanted to have. Diavolo, even the mention of his name pissed him off. The man thought he could blackmail him into becoming involved in his schemes. Well, he refused. Virani had spent his time now trying to make amends for his family. They were pure evil and he wanted nothing to do with them. Diavolo is the only one who held to the thought he could somehow control him. Never.
Virani was a unique shifter, a side he tried hard to hide because he was so sought after. Getting involved with the Council would only hurt him in the end. He was ready to leave his past behind and move on, if the little prick would allow him to.
Now he needed to make a call and arrange for a stash house until his plans could be worked out. She wouldn't mind, he figured, if he could keep her safe as she traveled, he would be able to wash his hands of the whole mess. Briefly he thought of the men she traveled with, they would surly allow him to help them.
He picked up his phone and thought, first things first. He would make the arrangements. He had already given the orders for the men she was with to be spoken to first. Then they would be taken to a secure location until they were finally brought to him. His plan was simple, help them along the way, and plead his case to them. The woman would listen and he would finally have someone in the Council he could turn to in order to get the thing he most desired. Peace from his crazy family, of course Diavolo would be pissed but he was only his half-brother anyway. It wasn’t like he actually thought of them as family, no he wanted to use him. Fucker.
His men were a little rough around the edges but it was because they all had met up when they were at the lowest. In between the forces at war. They were neither good nor bad—they were what they were. Shifters who wanted to be accepted and create their little strange Pack.
His phone rang and once again, he was pissed. His brother had sent his men as well, and they were going to be caught in the middle. There was only one thing he could do, he ordered his men to watch and see what happened, only intervene if necessary. That son of a bitch didn’t know how to leave well enough alone.
Virani slammed the phone down and tried to think of a different way to get him and his men to safety before he was sucked into something he couldn’t get out of.
*****
Mia sagged in relief as she saw land in front of them. The men had taken pity on her and released her after a few more kisses from each. They enjoyed their drinks while they continued to watch the dolphins. The men kept it light and fun until they began to get closer to the land. Striker excused himself, saying he was going to the bathroom, but Mia watched him out of the corner of her eye and saw him duck around it. As she turned to ask Eric about it, Eric distracted her, pointing at one of the baby dolphins that were close to them.
As the land came closer and announcements were made over the loud speaker about disembarking, Eric steered her toward the car. Striker joined them as they went and the men flanked her on either side. When they reached the car, Striker began to scan the dock as it became closer and closer.
"Why are we not getting in the car?” Mia asked them as they stood beside the car together.
"We are just checking everything first. To make sure we are safe,” Eric assured her.
Striker looked at Eric. 'I sense several men waiting for us. This is going to get ugly.'
'What's the plan? I can help,’ Eric sent back.
'We need to make sure Mia is safe first. Let's get her in the car and act normal. We don't want to let them know we know they are there,’ Striker sent. 'I am going to get us a driver.'
Eric knew exactly what Striker was going to do so he helped Mia into the back seat and said, "We may have to duck down for a bit as we drive off onto the dock just to be safe."
Mia tensed. "Do you see something, someone?"
Eric took her face in her hands and she immediately felt calmer. "Mia, we need to be calm and keep out of sight. There may be men waiting for us. It's a fact. Another fact is Striker and I will keep you safe with our very lives, you know that right?” At her nod, he said, "Good. Now, are you ready?"
Mia was ready to kick some ass. She knew these two men would put their lives on the line for her and she would do the same for them. She couldn't hide any longer. "Yes, I'm ready."
Eric gave her a big smile and said, "Good, girl."
Just as they were settled in the car, the driver's door opened and a man got in. As Mia turned to Eric, Striker opened the side back door and got in on her other side. "This nice man is Daniel and he is going to drive us off the dock and into town. Isn't that great?” Striker explained.
Daniel turned and said happily, "Glad to do it."
Mia frowned as she watched Daniel's eyes. They seemed odd, like there was no one home inside. She went to ask Striker about it and Eric reached out to grab her hand. She turned to look at him and he shook his head, silently telling her to keep quiet.
A hard bump made her jerk around and Striker said, "Now we need to get down. Mia, you get in the middle. We will cover you."
It was very cramped as Mia knelt down on the floor of the back seat and the men knelt over her. Striker took a blanket out of the back and covered them over. The blanket was black, like the tint in the windows, so it appeared that no one was in the back. The SUV started and they began to move forward slowly. Mia held her breath, nervous and scared as to what could happen next. She felt Striker's hand take hers and then Eric took her other one. The men were telling her she wasn’t alone and she felt better.
The SUV made bumping sounds as it went off the dock onto the parking lot of the ferry. Then they felt the car slow down to a stop. There was a whirring noise of the front driver's window being lowered and they heard Daniel say, "Can I help you?"
Another voice answered, "We are just checking all cars for stowaways."
"As you can see, it's only me here,” Daniel said calmly.
There was silence for a couple of seconds and then, "Drive on. Have a nice day."
"Thank you, you too,” Daniel answered as he put the SUV back into gear.
Daniel drove them into the next town without incident. Mia was glad it was only fifteen minutes to the town or she feared she would never stand again. Her legs were beginning to cramp as she lay curled up on the floor. Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, the car slowed and pulled off to park.
Striker whispered, "Stay still.” Then he climbed out of the SUV and scanned the area. He felt no one around them who was a threat and he sent the information to Eric immediately. He saw Eric sit up in the back with Mia as he thanked Daniel and told him to forget everything. Then he climbed into the driver's seat and drove out.
"Where are we headed?” Mia asked.
"We are going to another town where we are meeting a plane that has been sent for us,” Striker told her.
Mia moaned as she tried to get comfortable on the seat, her legs were trying to cramp again. She reached out and started to rub them, trying to stop the cramps. Eric saw she was in pain and grabbed her legs, stretching them across his lap. He began to use his big, strong hands to massage them and she moaned in delight as the pain began to ease.
"Hey, what are you two doing back there?” Striker's amused voice came from the front.
"It seems our Mia is having some leg cramps. I am merely helping her loosen them
up,” Eric said mildly, winking at Mia.
Mia giggled at Eric and then moaned again as he started to deep massage her thighs. This time it wasn't from the pain lessening, it was from how good it felt to have his hands on her. They felt so good and she didn't want him to stop. She laid her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She was in heaven.
As she laid there thinking, she thought about Daniel and his vacant stare as well as leaving him at the stop they did. Granted, it was at a small rest stop, but he had no other form of transportation there. Would someone go and pick him up? Was he safe there? Why did he volunteer to drive them? Just as she opened her eyes to ask Striker some of her questions, she heard Striker yell for them to get down and then another car crashed into them from behind.
Mia screamed as the SUV swerved on the road and Eric grabbed her, shoving her to the floor again. He quickly covered her with the blanket and told her to stay down. Then she saw him reach into the back and come back with a gun in his hand. He handed another gun up front to Striker as they both turned this way and that to see who was coming after them.
"They are coming up on the right side,” Eric warned Striker as they sped along the road.
"Hold on!” Striker warned as the SUV was hit again, this time on the side. Again, the car swerved but Striker was able to straighten out. They were hit two more times on the side and then Striker yelled to Eric, "You need to shoot out their tires, they are not backing off."
Eric put down his window and began to aim at the other car's tires. He pulled the trigger and the sound was so deafening, Mia quickly covered her ears. She kept her eyes on Eric the whole time and saw his determination. Then the window above her head exploded and she couldn't help it, she screamed again. Eric turned and asked her if she was okay. As she nodded, there was another 'pop' and Mia saw Eric flinch.
She moved to Eric and he said, "No, stay down, Mia!"
Eric turned again and shot out of the window several times. Mia heard a screech of tires and then the horrible sound of a crash. "Got 'em!” Eric yelled to Striker.
"I don't see anyone else, do you?” Striker asked.
"No, no one else is behind us,” Eric said as he slumped back on the seat. Mia looked at Eric and saw that he had a large bloodstain on his left shoulder. Mia jumped up and reached into the back for a towel. She had seen a couple of them when they had packed the back. She pressed the towel into Eric's shoulder and he hissed.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!” Mia fretted.
Eric had his eyes closed and he opened them to look into hers. "It's okay, Mia. I'm okay."
"No you are not. You have been shot.” Mia seemed to be pissed off.
"Mia, calm down. You will upset Eric more.” Striker's firm voice came from the front.
Mia seemed to immediately calm down and kept pressure on Eric's shoulder. Her eyes filled with tears but she didn't say anything as they continued to drive down the road. Eric reached out with his good arm and caressed her cheek with his hand.
"I really will be fine just give me a minute,” Eric told her.
Mia opened her mouth to ask how that would be when she remembered they were wolves and could do that kind of thing. After a few minutes, Eric put his hand on hers at his shoulder.
"Mia, I need you to let go of the towel now,” Eric said calmly. When she lowered her hands, Eric removed the bloodied towel and threw it to the floor. He held up his other hand and it began to glow brightly. Mia watched fascinated as the blood on Eric's shirt disappeared and she saw the tension in his face disappear as well. His hand stopped glowing and he slumped back on the seat with his eyes closed.
"Are you okay?” she asked softly.
Eric held out his good arm and said, "Come cuddle with me."
Reluctantly, Mia sat beside him on the seat and didn't want to lean on him. Eric wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close. "I'm fine, Mia. Promise,” he said into her ear softly. "I need to rest now. Stay with me?"
Mia nodded in agreement and she laid her head on his chest. She laid there and listened to his heartbeat as his breathing slowed, telling her he fell asleep. She stayed where she was, trying to calm her nerves from the attack and after when Eric was wounded. She kept going over it in her mind, the whole day. Daniel's behavior was still bothering her, then the attack, then Eric and the strange light. It seemed he could heal himself.
She wondered if he could heal her like he did himself. She could feel the wetness sliding down her neck behind her ear but didn't want to disturb Eric. She figured it was a little cut from the flying glass earlier and head wounds always bled badly, she knew that. Besides, she suddenly felt very tired as well and wanted to close her eyes just for a bit.
Striker knew Eric had used his Fae powers to heal himself and they would need to explain all of that to Mia. He could see through the rearview mirror that they had both fallen asleep and was relieved. He, himself, didn't really need a lot of sleep in general. The old myth that vampires slept during the day and were up all night was a load of baloney. He thought it was hilarious how many myths were out there about his people.
Okay, so until Orfeo had mated, his people had only been able to walk in darkness but that was because of a curse. When Orfeo had broken it, all of his people had been gifted with the power to walk in the light again. It had been a glorious moment in his lifetime. However, they still did not need that much sleep. It was just like with food, they could eat, but it didn't sustain them. They needed blood. Speaking of blood, why was it he could still smell fresh blood if Eric had healed himself? Must be the towel on the floor, he thought.
He shrugged as he hurried to get them to the airport. The plane would arrive at first light and he wanted to make sure they were on it. Things were getting bad. He knew to expect company at the airport, however small it was. The Rogues were hell bent on getting to Mia no matter the cost. He wanted to get the layout of the small airport when they arrived so he knew how to keep her safe.
While the two slept in the back, he drove thinking of Mia and her reactions on the ferry. He was pleased with her actions when they had her between them. She had been as aroused as they were and that had pleased him. He knew Eric was pleased as well. They were definitely moving forward at a faster pace than he had hoped with Mia. She was opening up to them and seemed to feel their mating pull, which amazed him. He wanted to speak to Orfeo and Dante about it when they arrived at the Senate compound.
As he drove through yet another small town, he noted the sun was setting and it was getting past dinnertime. Both Eric and Mia seemed to still be sleeping; Striker didn't want to disturb them so he kept driving. He knew when they woke he would stop and get them something to eat. He had taken his fill on the ferry easily so he would not need to feed again for a few days.
As they began to get closer to the airport, Striker knew they would be in an isolated section of the county so he decided to stop for food. The two in the back seat stayed asleep the entire time he ran into the little grocery store and loaded up on food for them all. He also got several drinks, including water, which he knew Eric would need when he woke. Using his light power caused a Fae to become dehydrated quickly.
Striker kept driving and it was approaching late evening when he turned onto the small road heading to the airport. It was set out apart from the town and he liked that since he would be able to see anyone driving down the road. The road was over two miles long as he traveled down it slowly with his lights off. He could see clearly, as if it was daylight with his vampire eyesight, and it was the easiest way to see if someone was waiting on them.
Their people would have had the airport cleared of humans and left it empty. Now they just had to buckle down and wait it out until morning when the plane would arrive. He drove around the one large hanger on the property and saw there was one landing strip. He also noted one small tower at the other end of the runway. He pulled up to the doors of the hanger and parked. He silently got out of the SUV and entered the hanger to check it out, making sure it was
clear of any unwelcome visitors.
Slowly he drove around the entire hanger. There were two offices, a break room, a couple of bathrooms and then the open hanger. He thoroughly checked them all and then unloaded the groceries, storing them in the break room. He was concerned because not only had the two not woken up yet but he still smelled fresh blood—that had him really worried. He decided to get Eric out first and check him thoroughly, hopefully before Mia woke and freaked out.
He went to Eric's side of the SUV and slowly shook him awake. When Eric opened his eyes and looked at him, he put his finger to his lips, indicating the still sleeping Mia. Eric nodded and then Striker helped him out from under Mia, easing her to lay fully down on the back seat. Striker turned and saw Eric standing, looking around the hanger.
"I can't believe we are already here. I must have been really out of it,” Eric said softly.
"You both were. I picked up some groceries and stuff, put it in the break room,” Striker told him.
"Thanks. I could do with some water,” Eric said as Striker predicted.
"Plenty in the fridge. I put two bottle in the freezer to cool it faster,” Striker said. Eric turned to head into the break room and Striker reached out to stop him. "Eric, you are still hurt? I thought you healed yourself,” he said with a frown.
Eric looked confused. "No, I'm fine. I did heal."
Striker pointed to Eric's right sleeve and side, saying, "That's fresh blood. I knew I smelled fresh blood."
Eric looked down at his shirt and then looked back at Striker; his face had lost all color. "Striker, that's not my blood.” He turned back to hurry to the SUV.
"Holy shit, Mia!"
Chapter Twelve
Striker put on his preternatural speed and yanked the door almost off its hinges of the SUV. He gently slid his arm under Mia's neck, felt his arm slip in blood, and pulled her out, hooking his other arm under her knees. He turned and rushed her to the break room where there was a couch.
