Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  Jack threw his coat on the back of a chair in the kitchen and walked into the living room. Plopping down on the couch, he flicked on the TV with the remote. The ten o'clock news appeared on the screen.

  After a few random stories of crimes, the newswoman began a story about authorities searching for the person or persons wanted for the attempted murder of the woman in the woods. "Jane Doe," he whispered. She was commonly referred to as the woman in the woods.

  A composite sketch appeared in the top right corner of the screen. Her haunting green eyes stared back at him. The composite artist had gotten the color exactly right. Jack leaned up, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin against his hands. He found himself glued to the TV. "There has to be somebody out there that loves you, Jane," he whispered. "And I hope they find you."

  * * *

  Sebastian Alexander sat on the bed in the hotel room. The big screen television provided some background noise as he stared down at the map sprawled out in front of him. He took a red marker and began to X out the towns he had already searched the week prior. There seemed to be hundreds of Xs on the map.

  For weeks he had been searching for her. He had stayed in countless hotel rooms, spanning out twenty miles at a time trying to find some sliver of evidence that she was alive. She had disappeared out of the blue from his life a month ago, and he couldn't believe he hadn't found her yet. Someone had taken her from him. That is what his intuition told him, and his intuition was never wrong. There wasn't a second of the day that went by when he didn't think of her, when he didn't look for her. Moreover, he vowed he would never stop looking for her even if it took an eternity. Time was something he had a lot of, but she didn't. The clock was ticking, and he didn't know when the clock would stop running.

  He stared at one large black circle that intersected multiple other black circles. His finger lingered over the town he was presently in --- Bedford Valley. It had been a century or more since he had passed through the town. Coincidentally, he was staying in the same hotel as he had on his visit those many years ago. Something had drawn him there once again, and he always trusted his instincts.

  Sebastian stood and walked out of the French doors onto the balcony. A cold wind swept around him as he stared out over the resort grounds. "Where are you?" he asked the night air, his voice pleading for an answer.

  "Authorities are searching for the person or persons wanted for the attempted murder of the woman in the woods."

  Sebastian quickly walked back into the room, his eyes resting upon the TV as the newswoman spoke. A drawing of a woman's face appeared on the screen. He knew it was her instantly. His fingertips skimmed over her face on the television. Her green eyes stared back at him. "You're here," he breathed. His entire body trembled. He had finally found her.

  CHAPTER THREE

  THE HOSPITAL FLOOR was quiet at ten p.m. The incessant hissing of breathing machines and beeping of monitors filled the air as he made his way through the halls. The smell of her blood was leading him right to her.

  The nurses' station on the right was occupied by one nurse, an older woman with salt and pepper hair. She looked up as he approached. "Sir, visiting hours were over at eight o'clock."

  Sebastian sighed. He only liked to compel humans when absolutely necessary, but he knew she would alert security if he ignored her. Calmly, he leaned over the desk and stared into her brown eyes. "I need the chart on the woman everyone is calling Jane Doe."

  The nurse nodded slowly as her pupils dilated rapidly. She reached into a file cabinet and produced a folder.

  Sebastian flipped through the folder, and his eyes scanned the pages of her chart. "Multiple surgeries. Coma," he whispered, his throat tightening around the lump that was forming. He looked down at the nurse. "She hasn't been awake since she arrived?"

  The woman shook her head.

  He returned the folder to her. "You are going to go back to your work and not even remember seeing me or talking to me," he commanded. "Do you understand?"

  "Yes," she said as she sat down and continued with her task.

  Sebastian walked from the desk and to the end of the hall. At the doorway, the smell of her blood overwhelmed him. The taste of it still lingered in his mind. He closed his eyes and attempted to suppress his hunger. However, his hunger was quickly extinguished as he entered the room and his emotions took over at the sight of her --- battered and bruised, covered in bandages. She slept soundly, unmoving, breathing evenly. Sleeping Beauty came to his mind.

  A gasp escaped his lips as he stood over her. "What happened to you?" he asked aloud. He had expected to find her hurt, but not in this condition. He would have never dreamt of her being in so much pain. A single tear escaped his eye and cascaded down his cheek. Carefully, he grasped her hand and raised it to touch his lips. He tenderly kissed her fingertips. "I thought I had lost you forever," he whispered, anguished.

  Someone had taken her away from him and had tried to kill her. And if he ever found the person who hurt her, his or her fate would be a lot worse than lying in a hospital bed. Sebastian closed his eyes and took deep breaths to prevent his anger from overflowing out of every pore in his body. "I will find and kill whoever did this to you," he promised, looking down at her.

  He stood unmoving for a few minutes listening to her lungs expanding and contracting as she breathed, the blood moving through her veins and her heart beating. She was alive, and that was all that mattered at that moment. He would take care of everything else later.

  Realizing she may never regain consciousness again without his help, he bit into his index finger with a sharp fang and placed the wound over her parted lips. "Just a few drops," he whispered. "It will heal you, but not too quickly so that it will look suspicious." He watched as a few drops of his precious blood dropped underneath her tongue.

  Then Sebastian withdrew his finger and watched the bite mark heal instantaneously. He leaned over the bed and kissed her sweet lips. "I will come for you when I know it's safe." He stood back, not wanting to leave, but knowing that staying could bring her even more harm. "I love you. Now and forever," he said before turning from her and leaving the room.

  * * *

  After finishing his rounds for the night, Jack went to the nurses' station. "Anything new with Jane Doe?" he asked, expectantly.

  The nurse frowned. "No, I'm afraid not, Dr. Walker." She gave him Jane's chart.

  His face matched her expression as he flipped through the folder. "Figured as much," he muttered, disappointment lacing his voice. He caught a glimpse of a man walking past him. The man was tall with jet-black hair that fell into his intense blue eyes that glanced at Jack for a brief second as he passed by. He was dressed all in black and clearly not a hospital employee. "Who is that?" he asked the nurse.

  The nurse glanced up at the man. "I have no idea. Visiting hours were over at eight."

  "You didn't see him come in?"

  Her brow creased, and she said, "No."

  Jack watched the man standing in front of the elevators. As the door opened, the stranger glanced back at them. An eerie feeling came over Jack. He had a gut feeling that the man had something to do with Jane Doe.

  Swiftly, he ran down the hall to her room. As he reached the doorway, a feeling of relief swept over him as he saw she was safe. He glanced around the room seeing if anything was moved, but everything looked the same as it had the night before. Perhaps the man had been lost or visiting a different patient.

  His day had been long and strenuous, and so he planned to cut his visit with Jane shorter than usual. He was anxious to get home and climb into bed. He had an early morning once again, and his body was demanding sleep.

  Jack opened the folder and glanced over her chart. No changes once again. He sighed and walked to her bedside. Gently, he grasped her hand and squeezed it. "You need to wake up, so we can find your family," he whispered.

  Just as he started to pull his hand away, he felt her fingers move. He blinked and stared down at her
. Could it have been his imagination? He was exhausted, and his mind had been known to play tricks on him after a long day.

  He waited for another reaction with bated breath. Nothing happened. Then he said, "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

  Her fingers twitched. Then they moved, attempting to squeeze his hand. He gasped. That was the first reaction he had gotten out of her in a month. He knew deep down in his heart that she was trying to wake up.

  Quickly, he set the chart down and grabbed the penlight out of his pocket. He raised her right eyelid and shone the light into her eye. The pupil dilated normally.

  Jack pushed the call nurse button on the bedrail. Within a few seconds, the nurse's voice came over the speaker. "Can I help you?"

  "This is Dr. Walker. Our Jane Doe is coming back to us," he said with a big smile on his face.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  SHE SLOWLY OPENED her eyes. Her mouth felt like a desert, and she had a pounding headache. "Where am I?" she asked, her dry throat catching painfully.

  A man in a white coat walked over to her. "You're in Bedford Valley Hospital," he said.

  His voice sounded so familiar to her, and she quickly realized his voice had been in her dreams. "Hospital," she whispered. As she glanced around at her surroundings, a sense of alarm came over her.

  "Easy," he said, obviously sensing her apprehension. "You're safe here."

  She stared at him as he came into complete focus. He was tall with a medium build, and his blond hair was short and disheveled. He stared back at her with hazel eyes and a nice smile. "Who are you?" she asked.

  "My name is Jack Walker. I'm your treating physician."

  She closed her eyes and put her hands up to her pounding temples. Her fingertips touched the bandages wrapped around her head. She sucked in a sharp breath from the panic surging through her veins. "Have I been in an accident?" she asked, her voice strangled.

  He nodded slowly. "Yes. You were you in a coma for three weeks."

  She blinked, attempting to grasp what he was telling her. She glanced at the calendar on the wall. The date was December 22. "Three days before Christmas," she uttered.

  Jack followed her gaze to the calendar. "Yes. What's the last holiday you can remember?"

  As hard as she could, she concentrated on her last recollection of something, anything. However, there was nothing but a black hole of missing information in her head. All she could see was darkness. "I can't remember."

  He gave her a reassuring smile. "We will work on that. What I really want to ask is the million-dollar question that everyone wants to know. What is your name?"

  She opened her mouth, and then closed it. Her name. It was a simple question. What was her name? Her bottom lip trembled. "I-I don't know," she said in complete disbelief.

  A frown tugged at the corners of his lips. "It's okay. I'm sure it will come back to you," he said, even though she could hear the uncertainty in his voice. "The good news is you're recovering very nicely from the surgery and ---."

  "Surgery. I had surgery?"

  He cleared his throat. "The worst is over. We've weathered the storm."

  Confusion clouded her thoughts. Something bad had happened, and she couldn't remember what or why. She reached out and wrapped her trembling hand around his forearm. "What happened to me?" she asked, her eyes searching his for answers.

  His eyes glanced down at her hand. "Listen, Jane, you've had a ---." He stopped talking suddenly, and she could see the uneasiness in his eyes.

  "Jane? Is that my name?" she asked, her voice dripping with hopefulness.

  He sighed and said, "I'm sorry. You are Jane Doe for right now. I shouldn't have ---."

  "Jane Doe." Her vision clouded as tears pooled in her eyes. "So nobody knows who I am. Not even me," she said, her voice just above a whisper.

  "Listen," he said softly, taking her hands gently into his. "It's late. Why don't you get some sleep, and you and I can talk first thing in the morning? I will answer any questions you have then."

  She nodded slowly in agreement.

  "The nurses will be in to check on you. I will see you in the morning." He released her hands and left the room.

  She laid her head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "Jane Doe," she said aloud. The name sounded so strange, so forlorn, but it was the only thing she had to hold on to.

  * * *

  Jack walked out of the room. He felt such empathy for the poor girl. She was just as sweet and innocent as he had imagined she would be. The fact that she was awake and talking at all was a miracle. Her cognitive abilities were beyond his expectations, but time would tell the total effects from her injuries. So far, there was a memory issue to deal with, and he hoped that wasn't a long-term problem.

  He stopped at the nurses' station. He looked at Betty, an older nurse, who he had known since he started working at the hospital. "Betty, I'm going to get a quick nap in. I'll be on the second floor. Please let me know if anything changes with Jane Doe. Call my cell."

  "You should go home and get some proper sleep, Dr. Walker," she scolded.

  He smiled. Betty was like a second mother to him and always the mother hen to all of the staff. "I want to be here in case something happens. Besides, I'm used to no sleep."

  She shook her head in disapproval, but then said, "All right, Doc. Good night."

  "Night, Betty." He turned as he walked down the hall. "Remember to call me if anything changes."

  "Will do," Betty called after him.

  * * *

  The alarm sounded at four in the morning in the breast pocket of his white coat. His BlackBerry was telling him it was time to wake up. Sluggishly, he sat up and crushed the heels of his palms into his tired eyes.

  He pulled the BlackBerry from his pocket and looked at the notifications. No emergencies and nothing about Jane Doe. Slowly, he climbed out of the cot. He went to his locker, pulled out several items that he needed and headed to the shower room.

  Freshly showered and shaved, he pulled on some clean clothes and his white lab coat and checked his BlackBerry once more. No news on Jane Doe or any of his patients, for that matter.

  It was Friday, one of the days of the week he was not scheduled for surgery. He only had a few rounds to make, but he wanted to check on Jane first.

  He rode the elevator to the fifth floor. Betty was still behind the nurses' desk. She smiled as Jack walked up to her. "She slept like a baby after you left, but a few minutes ago ---." Her smile faded as a loud bang echoed in the hallway.

  A chorus of screams erupted from Jane's room at the end of the hall.

  Betty said, "Three nurses are in there with her now. You better get down there!"

  Jack raced down the hall and stopped in the doorway. The machines were sounding alarm, and Jane was sitting up in bed, keeping the nurses at bay with her outstretched arms. Various tubes and bandages were scattered on the floor. She had ripped out her IV.

  "What the hell is going on?" Jack's voice bellowed in the room.

  All four women jumped and turned to look at him. One of the nurses he knew as Tina said, "We were changing her bandages, and she wanted to get out of bed and look at herself in the bathroom mirror. I told her that wasn't a good idea."

  "I tried calming her down, Dr. Walker. She just wouldn't listen," another one rambled.

  Jack sighed. Then he said, "Everyone out. Leave me alone with Jane."

  The nurses filed out of the room quickly and closed the door behind them. Jack walked over to a machine and pushed a button to quiet the alarm. He stared at Jane, concerned. She sat back in the bed and winced in pain, and his anger overflowed. "Let me tell you about the severity of your injuries. When you came in here, you had a broken leg, fractured skull, fractured and bruised ribs amongst all the other contusions and injuries all over your body. We are trying to fix you, not make you worse!" he snapped, admonishing her.

  Jane stared at him with her mouth agape. She was either speechless or too afraid to speak. He couldn'
t tell which.

  Turning on his heel, he stalked into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he returned with a handheld mirror. He stood beside her. "There are some things you have to understand. There is significant swelling and bruising, which will go away with time. In a few weeks, you will not look the same as you do in this mirror right now, which is why the nurses were probably afraid to allow you to see yourself." He held the mirror out to her. "I don't want you to be scared. You suffered a traumatic event." Then he added, "Everything heals with time."

  She timidly took the mirror from him. Drawing in a deep breath, she raised the mirror and stared at her reflection. He watched as she stared at the bruises, cuts and scrapes littering most of her face. Her once black eyes were turning into shades of green and yellow. Several deep scratches on her neck were attempting to heal. Her fingertips gingerly touched the area on the side of her head where a portion of her hair had been shaved and fifteen staples were over the surgical scar. When tears began to form in her eyes, she placed the mirror down in her lap. "I just wanted to see if I recognized myself," she whispered. She swallowed hard and said, "I don't."

  He frowned and put the mirror aside. "Now, I need you to promise me that you're going to listen to the nurses and behave yourself." He looked down at the tubes lying on the floor. "No more ripping out your IV."

  She nodded in agreement.

  "I'm going to send Tina back in here to fix your IV, change your bandages and give you some pain medication. If you give her any gruff, I will hear about it. Got it?"

  She nodded once more.

  "I have a few rounds to do, and then I will be back. I expect things will be better then."

  He turned to leave, but she grabbed his hand. When he looked back at her, she said, "I'm sorry, Dr. Walker."

  He gave her hand a small reassuring squeeze before disappearing from the room.

  * * *

  After completing his rounds, Jack returned to Jane Doe's room. She was lying in bed, and her face lit up when he entered the room. His heart melted a little at the sight of her. She had a lovely smile.