by Dannika Dark
“You’re a Chitah! What do we do?” Justus roared.
“How many punctures?”
Justus turned my neck to the left and I wanted to cry. “Three.”
“That’s good,” Leo said. “It’s four that kills… usually.”
“Usually?” Justus whispered fiercely.
“Logan is on his way. Three… I don’t know. That’s not something I’ve ever seen before, but Logan may have. How strong is her light? I’m assuming she’s newly made.”
“It hurts,” I whimpered.
“Where the hell is Christian?” Justus shouted. I’d heard him angered before, but never with such intensity.
Footsteps skidded to a stop. Knox’s gravelly voice was out of breath. “I came as soon as I got the call. Anyone missing a Vamp? I found one lying underneath a cardboard box with a pencil jammed in him. Is that all it takes?”
“Only if it’s deep enough. Go pull it out,” Leo suggested.
“The fuck I’m pulling that thing out. What if he bites me?” Then there was a pause and his voice fell. “Is she all right?”
“Go warn Novis that he needs to leave immediately. Bring your car around and put the seats down in the back so we can transport the female.”
“On it,” Knox said.
“She’s convulsing,” Justus muttered.
Chills racked my body as my veins ran cold and my skin burned hot. The contrast between the two sensations was mind numbing. My light depleted and all I could think about was survival. I saw nothing, but I heard everything.
“So cold,” I breathed out.
My clothes felt like electric needles wrapping around me and I showered the night with silent screams.
“Shhh.”
“I feel like…” The words caught on my tongue like frozen glaciers. “I swallowed ice.” Every word was exhausting and my teeth chattered. Could he even understand me?
“I’m here, Silver. Try to relax,” Justus soothed.
Easier said than done. I went into convulsions.
***
Logan must have held his breath during the entire run because when he ended up in the parking lot of the club, his chest felt like it was going to explode.
After a few games of pool, Finn was growing bored so they went for a bite of Chinese food. The moment he got the call from Leo, the table flipped upside down and he was out the door, running. Chitah speed would beat the hell out of his second-hand car. There wasn’t time to worry about the rules in public—he ran until the soles of his feet damn near set his shoes on fire.
“How many?” Logan shouted as he crossed the parking with Levi shadowing behind.
Justus raised three fingers. “On the neck.”
Logan cursed.
Her dark, unruly hair was splayed across Justus’s arms—the same locks that held the most wild and wonderful scent. Raven black with soft touches of dark chocolate. Everything about her became fascinating to him from the moment they met—especially that beautiful hair.
“I’m here, Silver. Give her to me; I know what to do.” He collected her in his arms. “Get this fucking thing off her!” Logan ripped the coat away and tore at her clothes.
Justus grabbed his throat with a punishing grip. Realizing he was seconds away from being on the receiving end of a Mage power burst, he shoved Justus away.
“Put your hands on me again,” he bit out. “I dare you.” Ordinarily, Logan would have taken someone out for that kind of aggressive gesture, but he was her Ghuardian. “Do you want to cause her more pain?”
“Have you ever seen this before,” Justus asked. “Can you even help her?”
“Once.”
The victim had died. Logan knew what would bring comfort, but not how to save her as the venom ate its way through. “Who has a knife?”
The men looked between one another.
“I need to cut away her clothes,” Logan said impatiently. “Now!”
Hesitantly, Justus pulled the zipper down on his cotton jacket and unsnapped a safety that held a dagger beneath his shirt.
“I want every male here to turn their eyes away or I’ll use this knife to pluck them out,” Logan demanded.
Logan spread Silver out on the grimy pavement and sliced away her jeans, knowing that the constricting material only made the pain worse. Then he tore her shirt up the center. The only thing against her skin that wouldn’t bring insurmountable pain—was skin.
The knife clinked on the ground and Logan stripped out of his shirt and pulled her body against his. Silver’s head flopped back and he cradled her delicate neck, never once laying eyes on her body after he cut away the bra. It mattered to her. If this was the last way he could honor her, then it was a request he would not ignore.
“Here’s the Jeep,” Leo said, waving at Knox to block the alley entrance.
Brakes screeched and Justus opened the doors. Logan stood up with Silver in his arms. Knox drove a Jeep Commander and the men pushed the seats down in the back, leaving an open space.
Levi held her legs while Logan crawled into the vehicle on his knees.
“I need someone else behind her.” He sure as hell didn’t want someone else behind her, but her body was losing heat.
They shifted around in the tight quarters and Levi crawled to the other side, bending his knees to accommodate the fit. Logan propped her head on the bend of his left arm while Levi removed his shirt and scooted in behind her. He wanted a blanket to offer her dignity, but there was nothing dignifying about holding a suffering female you couldn’t help.
Logan dropped his weary forehead on Levi’s shoulder as anxiety consumed him.
Justus crawled in and touched her arm and small threads of blue light filled the darkness of the vehicle.
“Your gift won’t help a Chitah bite and you know it,” Logan pointed out.
Undeterred, Justus continued until he slumped against the door, despondent.
Silver melted against Logan and he wrapped around her like a protective blanket.
A scream from a dying Mage echoed in his mind from the past. That man had compared three Chitah bites to molten knives against his skin and frostbite inside his bones. Logan had discovered that when he grabbed him by the arm or neck, there was no reaction except a sigh of relief. That man was given no reprieve—not for the heinous crime that he committed. Logan held no compassion for that Mage and now he wondered if this was his punishment. If he lost Silver, he would never be found.
“I’m so glad it’s you,” she whispered in his ear. “Why is it so dark?”
Her lovely eyes were lackluster as they stared vacantly up at him, rimmed with inky lashes and brows. Logan closed them with the tips of his fingers.
“Quiet, Little Bird. I’m going to take care of you now.” He nuzzled against her cold cheek.
The most random thought popped in his head of her unstoppable laugh when he’d fallen on his ass rollerblading. He regretted raising his voice with her because of pride; now he’d give anything to hear that laugh again. To see the way she threw her head back with such a sweet expression that countered her usual pensive look.
“Have the Vampire drain her,” Levi whispered.
Logan growled, ready to flip his switch if another man...
“It could remove some of the venom, brother. I’ve never seen anyone with three. She could be damaged if she doesn’t die from this first.” Levi stretched the arm that was inked with VERITAS and scratched his short hair.
Fear sailed through Logan like a pilgrim ship venturing to new lands. The thought of having permanent damage from this, if she was lucky enough to live through it, was incomprehensible. The ridicule Silver would endure would be relentless.
“She’s afraid, Logan. She would want this.”
Her scent burned his nose and he glared at Christian in the front seat. “Vampire, come do it fast.”
“Do it, Christian,” Justus ordered harshly.
Logan brushed Silver’s hair away from her lovely neck. Another man’s kiss wo
uld forever mark her neck and he sickened from the thought. Christian and Leo maneuvered around one another to swap places. The moment Christian’s fangs punched out, so did Logan’s.
Leo spoke in an authoritative voice from the front seat. It was a natural instinct to submit to the power of the firstborn. “Logan, let him remove the venom. If you flip, we’ll never be able to save her. Let’s do what we can for the Mage and make her as comfortable as possible.”
Instinct was a dark creature prowling inside of his mind. It was toothy with claws and always hungry. Giving himself over to instinct was feeding it power and when the beast had its fill, it became strong enough to take over. That was the way of the Chitah—an age-old defense mechanism. Instinct knew nothing about fear, logic, or rationale. It acted and reacted, making the man operate on nothing but impulse. A Chitah could sense what was going on around him—as if a passenger in his own body—but could not control himself. Logan took a clean breath through his nose as the Vampire pierced her neck with two fangs, drinking her life.
The beast snarled.
Logan flicked his eyes up to Leo. “It was Tarek, wasn’t it?” He wanted to hear it for himself, even though Tarek’s scent was all over her.
The engine hummed, picking up speed.
“Careful, Logan. You know the laws against attacking one of our own. If you go up against him, he’ll bury you. Either with a shovel or public opinion.”
“Not if he gets buried first.”
Silver’s complexion became chalky. Draining blood couldn’t kill her, but he wouldn’t risk it in her condition. He gripped Christian by the jaw and pried him away. “Enough, Vampire,” he said in disgust.
Tears leaked from her eyes and stained her cheeks with red trails of blood. Logan wiped them away and took in her scent. Even beneath the vile fragrance of venom and misery he could still taste the sweet perfume of his female.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispered.
Logan began purring and he felt her body relax to the power behind it. He placed a petal-soft kiss on her lips and glared at Leo. “I will tear his life apart.”
“Don’t,” Leo warned. “You know what it would bring to our family and the punishment. You have no claim on her that would be honored.”
“And what would you have me do?” Logan held on when tremors rolled through her again. Her body temperature was dropping fast.
“Concentrate on keeping her alive, that’s what you can do,” Leo replied. “I’ll speak to the elders and see if there’s a way to seek punishment.”
Levi pushed himself closer against Silver’s back. Possession blossomed into another emotion that Logan hadn’t known in so long that rendered him incapable of selfish motives. That word was devotion.
“Call Adam,” Logan said.
“If I am not able to help her, then neither is he,” Justus replied.
Logan snapped. He scooted away from Silver, crawled over to Justus, and grabbed a fistful of shirt. “I’m not going to ask again. He has a gift and you’re going to dial his number.”
Justus threw his hands against Logan’s chest with the power of a centuries-old Mage. He wielded energy the way a samurai warrior did a sword. Light flashed in his eyes and the shock threw Logan against the door of the Jeep, sending a snap of pain through every nerve ending.
“Your kind did this!” Justus shouted. “What kind of man would savagely hurt a woman this way?”
Logan’s fangs punched out and he sprang up on his knees. “Ask yourself the same question, Mage. How much love has your own kind showed her? How much?” he roared. “A Chitah may have done this, but it’s because of a Mage—one that hunts her and destroys lives for his own self-righteous beliefs.”
“This isn’t the time!” Leo cut in angrily. “Logan, watch your temper. Justus, I’ll forgive you for that remark once, but insult my Breed again and I’m going to reconsider my position. Let’s all take a breath before we say something we regret.”
The vehicle hit a huge dip in the road and everyone went airborne for a split second. Logan raised his head toward Knox. “Do that again and I’ll tie you to the undercarriage.”
Logan directed a malevolent glare at Justus, who was bathed in aroma of residual lust when his duty should have been taking care of his Learner. Scattered lights from outside the vehicle streaked across the interior like falling stars.
Logan pressed his lips to Silver’s ear, his words so low that not even the Vampire could hear his promise.
“On my word, Tarek will die by my hand. I will avenge you.”
Chapter 32
“Don’t move,” Logan whispered firmly. Warmth enveloped me like a cocoon. I could feel his arms, smell his skin, hear the deep rolling purr thrumming in his chest—Logan surrounded me with body, breath, and heat. But I couldn’t see him. A stabbing pain sliced through my neck when I turned it.
“Be still. Go back to sleep.”
If it weren’t for the fact that the bed was shaking, I might be able to sleep.
“I tried, but it won’t work.” Adam said from outside our cocoon. “My gift has limitations. I can try again. Did you call anyone else?”
Simon lowered his voice. “The first four hours were rough but it looks like she’ll pull through. It’s under control; not even a Relic could help at this point. Go home.”
I wept and a bristly cheek nuzzled against mine. My throat felt as if I had swallowed glass and the nausea only exacerbated the discomfort. Distraction came in the form of random thoughts that flitted through my head like gnats. Why did this have to happen? Would Novis now find me incompetent? And what if the Mageri discovered how I was conceived? Did Justus still hate me?
“Get out,” Logan said sharply. “You’re upsetting her.” The door clicked shut.
“Silver, I can sense your discomfort. I’m going to turn you over real slow… Easy… That’s it.”
I mentally sighed with the change in position. When he rolled away, I understood that it wasn’t the bed that was shaking—it was me. An unrecognizable sound poured from my throat and I once again felt the sticky warmth of his chest.
“I’m not leaving you,” he said in a low voice. “The cold is the hardest part; it’ll be over soon.”
His voice was gentle and rich with emotion. It relaxed my body as if he were summoning an unexplained power through his vocal chords that worked on my mind like a narcotic.
“I know what you’re thinking.” A finger tapped my nose. “Get off the pity wagon.”
Could he hear the snort in my mind? Probably not. But it made me feel better.
As he stroked my hair, all I could think about was how I wanted him to talk to me. My fingers slipped around his side and I nuzzled into his neck.
“Do you recall the night I spent with you in the hotel room?” he asked. “That was the night I confessed you were my other half.”
I shook my head, not remembering him saying anything along those lines.
“You didn’t hear it because you weren’t meant to. I never planned to reveal this to you, Silver,” he said, drifting off. I felt the firm press of his arms around my back. “Relax, female.”
The door clicked open and Justus gave an order that made Logan tense.
“Let me take over.”
Simon tried to smooth over the request. “He’s a Thermal and she’s not improving. If her core temperature falls too low then it will compromise her light. He’s her Ghuardian, let him do his job and ease her pain. Go stretch your legs, mate. You look like something the cat—”
Logan growled. “Do what you must but I won’t leave this room.”
There was a moment of separation and it felt like someone threw me in a mountain of snow. The bed depressed and Simon’s voice went up a pitch. “You’re the one who said that it must be skin on skin. Would you rather her be in pain?”
“Do not look at her body,” Logan said in a low, threatening voice. “Don’t even touch her.”
“Don’t tell me how to handle my Learner, Chitah.”
The sheets were sandpaper fashioned from a billion needles. Justus smelled like a workout and his large hand braced around my back as his heavy arm rested on top of mine.
“Put away your fangs or you will be forcibly removed. By law, I am responsible for this Learner and if you want to challenge me, then I will rope your ass to a tree without blinking and summon every Creator who ever lost a Learner to you. Retract them. Now.”
Delicious heat melted across my body and I pressed my forehead against his sticky chest and sighed. It was the first relief I’d felt from this nightmare and the tremors began to subside. “Thank you,” I whispered.
There’s something indescribably wonderful about waking up in the arms of a man. I didn’t need my eyes to know the chest I was rubbing my face against belonged to Logan. His scent filled my nose like a thunderstorm—masculine, powerful, dark.
“Feeling better?”
“A little,” I said in a hoarse voice.
I licked my dry lips and felt something with a hard edge tap against them.
“Drink.”
It wasn’t easy to wrap my mouth around the straw; the water sloppily shot up and dribbled down my chin, but it eased the burn in my throat and I nodded.
“Don’t move,” he said. I’d never heard Logan sound so drained as if he were battling exhaustion. “Your body processed a lot of venom. The first few hours you vomited blood and we had to double up on the sheets when it came out in your tears.”
Blind or not, I slammed my eyes shut. Of all people to see me in that condition. Everyone talks about how the perfect guy will hold your hair back when you’re throwing up, but how could any man want me after seeing that?
“The venom settled in your blood and ate away at your light. When power escapes from your body, you get cold, right? Multiply that times a thousand and that’s what our venom does. Adam tried to help but his power is limited. You fought through it well,” he said with admiration, threading his fingers through my hair. “I’ve never met a female with so much courage in the face of death.”
