The Wraith's Mate [Paranormal Protection Unit 9] (Siren Publishing Allure)

by Honor James

  “I know, little one, but there really is no need,” he assured her, shifting the hold so he could sandwich her hand with his. “You’re in pretty good shape. A little banged up, and you’ll likely be cursing a blue streak tomorrow when you try to move, but I don’t see any issue with your recovery.” Rubbing her fingers, he smiled at her and touched her cheek lightly. “You can also call me anytime if you need someone to talk to. I’m usually up most hours of most days. Too many hours not sleeping as an intern that I’ve just never gotten out of the habit.”

  Chapter Three

  She turned the card over and over in her hand. She wanted to call him. Goodness gracious she wanted to call, but it seemed like every time that she went to call another thing happened. Finally she made the call. When the sleepy-sounding voice picked up, she said, “Uhm, hello. Davyn, this is Dahlia. Remember you pulled me out from under a building yesterday?” she muttered softly. “I was just—” She hesitated and then gulped. “Look, my parents are on their way here from Texas, and I was wondering if maybe you would come by and meet them? I told them all about you, afraid I gushed a bit,” she admitted nervously. “And they would like to meet you, if you have time maybe to come by the hospital and see me? Them. Yes, them?”

  Smiling at her unsure mannerisms and words, Davyn rolled to his back and stretched. “I could definitely come by and see you and them, Dahlia,” he said quietly. “When are you expecting them in?” he asked, rubbing a hand over his hair as he pushed up in the midst of his too-big bed. “Depending on when it is, I may be a smidge late, darling. I do have to work, but I can always slip out for some gushing and stuff,” he teased with a grin.

  “They won’t be in until around four or five-ish, depending on the flight,” she sighed and chewed her lower lip. “Maybe you could come by, and I would totally and completely be in your debt if you brought a big fat pizza with no sauce and lots and lots of cheese on it? I don’t care what else is on it, but lots of cheese, please?” She all but begged.

  Chuckling quietly, he got out of bed and checked the time, wincing. He’d only gotten about two hours of sleep. Better than nothing he supposed. “I could definitely bring you a zero-sauced but super-cheesy pizza. I can be there about six if that works. It will give you a chance to chat and convince them you’re not a vegetable.”

  “I would love that,” she assured him and smiled. Leaning back in her bed now that she had gotten his promise to come visit her, she asked, “Are you all right? I heard one of the nurses saying that one of the rescuers got hurt. Please tell me it wasn’t you?”

  “I’m fine.” He’d gotten dinged, but so had a few others, but he wasn’t telling her that. “It’s all good. The one that got injured was more dazed than hurt,” he told her honestly. His head had bloody well been spinning for a while there. “Other than that I’m good. We’ve been busy obviously over the last few days, and I think we’ll have a couple more to deal with.”

  Dahlia nodded. “Who would have known that an earthquake would have struck us?” She had heard of them in California, but not as far east as they were in Montana. “If you tell me where you are going to stop for the pizza, I will call and give them my card number so that you aren’t paying for it.” She suddenly realized she had asked him to get her food, and hadn’t thought of paying for it. “And I’m so very happy that you are okay. I would hate for anything to happen to you,” she admitted.

  “Don’t worry about it, it’s on me,” he said and shushed her when she went to protest. “You just concentrate on healing, and I’ll worry about pizza. Besides, I’ll have to get something for the nurses to bribe them, or I’ll never get yours past them.” He grinned. “How are you really feeling? Better, I hope.” Davyn had been worried for her. She’d been so woozy and her focus had kept shifting. He’d nearly upgraded her to a severe concussion but had resisted since she was able to speak coherently and give him answers to all his questions.

  “I’m no longer seeing double, so that’s a good thing. I still have a slight issue being dizzy if I turn too fast, but that’s perfectly normal I’m told,” she assured him. “Hopefully I will be able to get out of here tomorrow or the next day. The parents are going to stay until they are sure that I’m all right and then have to go back home.” She hesitated and then asked, “It was an earthquake, right? They aren’t letting me watch TV, and I’ve heard whispers of a bomb, so what really happened?” Strike when no one was looking. That’s when you got the truth.

  Licking his lips, he thought a moment and decided to be totally honest with her. “It was a bomb,” he told her quietly. “They’d misjudged things though and had it too close to a primary pillar or some such thing. Basically it was too close to a large concrete pole that holds up the building and, while it damaged it and therefore shook the structure, it didn’t do the damage they were hoping. It was also apparently pointed at an angle so the concrete didn’t take the brunt of the explosion but more got winged.”

  “So it wasn’t as bad as it could have been?” she asked with a wide and shocked expression. “Oh God.” She breathed softly. “Everyone did make it out okay though, right?” She hoped and prayed at least. “Enough, we will talk later, okay? Come by when you can, please?”

  “I will. Get some rest and do whatever the doctors and nurses tell you to do, all right,” he advised softly. “I will see you tonight, and I won’t forget your pizza, promise.” He smiled slightly before murmuring a good-bye and hanging up.

  Chapter Four

  Dahlia smiled up at her mother and shook her head. “Goodness, Mom, really if you fluff my pillow one more time it will lose all its feathers.” She teased her mom and then hugged her right back when she went to hug her. “I’ve missed you, too,” she whispered to her mother.

  “And we have missed you, little girl,” her father said with a smile. “We will have to make more time to come and see you more often, darling.” He tweaked her toe as he said it and leaned back, looking at the crossword once more. “So when is this young man that saved you supposed to be here with the pizza?” he asked and patted his stomach. “Or should I go and get us one?”

  Knocking on the door, Davyn leaned in. “Did I hear someone asking about pizza? ’Cause I have to say my ears were burning.” He grinned as he stepped into the room. Handing her the white rose he’d brought, Davyn smiled gently at her. “How are you doing?” he asked softly, letting his eyes move over her, taking note of everything.

  Taking the rose, she looked up at him and smiled. “Better now,” she whispered softly and reached up to touch her hand to his chest. Wrapping her fingers in his shirt, she pulled him closer. “Thank you for bringing pizza, for coming. I know you didn’t have to, but thank you,” she whispered softly so that only he would hear. She could hear her mother and father fussing over the pizza and smiled. “I would like to introduce you to my mom and dad.” She then did so, dropping her hand so that she could take Davyn’s hand with hers.

  Davyn shook her parents’ hands and smiled under the scrutiny he got. Then the questions began. Thankfully visiting hours ended and they were kicked out. Okay, they actually left. He got to stay though, the little cupcakes he’d brought buying him some time. Sitting on the bed next to her, he took her hand in his. “You look better,” he commented. “More color, less stressed.” He smiled. “Less dusty,” he teased.

  That had her grinning, and she winked. “Funny what a shower will do for ya.” She then sobered and added, “Likely look less stressed because I know I won’t be going back to work for that lecherous turd.” She would stress later when it came to finding a new job, but that was then and this was now. “And you are here. What girl wouldn’t be happy?”

  Chuckling softly at her words, he shook his head at her. “Well I’m glad you’re happy to see me. Some folks aren’t,” he muttered softly. “They tend to want to forget they had their asses rescued and therefore don’t have to acknowledge the rescuer. Others go way the other direction and shower us with gifts, marriage proposals, indecent pr
oposals, and things that I’d never know what to do with.”

  “Well shucks, you caught me. I was going to ask you to marry me,” she teased and winked. “I am happy to see you, Davyn. You saved my life. I will never, ever forget that,” she admitted soberly. “So now you have another version of those that you rescue to add to the lists. One that asks you to come meet her parents and bring her pizza.” She looked around and then asked hopefully, “Is there any left?” She could totally go for another slice.

  Chuckling, he snagged the box and held it open to show her the last two pieces. “Go for it,” he told her with a grin. “I think you fall into the grateful end of things really. Yes, the request for pizza was a little different and new, but isn’t a huge thing. And the nurses were happy to get their treats, thus why they haven’t been in here harassing you.”

  “You are truly a godsend, Davyn,” she said with a smile. Lifting one of the slices of pizza from the box, she took a bite and grinned at him before scooting over in the bed. “Come on, Davyn, have a seat beside me?” she asked, and then when he did, she offered, “Take the last slice, Davyn. And I am grateful, I really am, but I like you, too. Not just because you saved my rear, but because you are you. Not saying I wanna jump your bones right now at this moment in time, but I would really like it if this wasn’t the last time I saw you?” she asked softly, giving voice to the thoughts and emotions she had without thinking of it.

  “I think we can arrange that it’s not the last time you see me.” He smiled at her, setting the box at the end of the bed. “I ate while I was waiting for the pizzas,” he explained to her. “They had these sample trays out and I went a little crazy on them. I think the poor guy at the counter was going to flip on me, but I tipped big so hopefully he won’t get in any trouble.”

  Dahlia grinned at that and shook her head. “Well I hope that he didn’t get in too much trouble then.” She shrugged and added, “But even if he did, he likely forgave you the moment you gave him a big tip.” She looked up at him, taking in every part of him. He was a handsome man. His white-blond hair, hauntingly beautiful blue eyes, and pale complexion made her smile. “You are really such a handsome man. Why in the world are you willing to spend time with a plain Jane like me?” It wasn’t meant to be mean. It just simply was what it was.

  Frowning at her, he shook his head. “Darling, do you not own a mirror?” he asked her just as honestly as her question had been. “You are beautiful, sweetheart. You may not have the classic lines of the Europeans, but they are so stuck up be grateful you don’t. You have great skin, sharp and bright eyes, a cute little nose, lips that just beg to be kissed all in a shape that is extremely appealing and yet so innocent in appearance. You are the type of girl that shines from within, and it shows, pure poetry in shape and form. You are gorgeous, sweet.”

  The flush that spread across her cheek spoke of her embarrassment, her uncertainty, and when she spoke it was clear. “Thank you.” It was spoken in a soft whisper. Reaching out, Dahlia lay her hand on his and squeezed before she added, “I’ve always thought I’ve been a plain-Jane kinda gal. My parents love me and have told me time and again that they thought I was beautiful, but considering that I never could get a date or anything like that I just assumed they were like normal parents, telling me that I was beautiful when in reality I was just plain Jane.”

  “You are anything but plain, Dahlia,” he told her softly, lifting her hand to toy with her fingers. “It’s more than likely the boys or men were intimidated by how confident you appear naturally. Like you know just who you are and aren’t willing to settle for some silly twit that doesn’t know how to treat a real woman.”

  “Which is the truth. I refused to settle. I’m worth more than allowing myself to settle and have always known that. I’ve always known, too, that I would know just what I wanted when I saw it, relationshipwise.” There was a flush that spread over her cheeks when she added, “And now that I know, I’m determined to go for it.” Somehow she would convince him that she was perfect for him. Or she hoped at least.

  Lifting a brow at her words, he smiled slowly. “Yeah, and what is it that you know and are determined to go for, sugar?” he asked curiously. He got a kick out of her. She was spunky and funny and just too cute. She was also too good for the likes of him. That was for sure.

  “I like you, Davyn.” The blunt way that she stated it spoke volumes. “I want to see you away from here. Do you think that you would mind that? When I get out of the hospital, if we were able to maybe go out and see each other?” The blush that was on her face said that she clearly had never before been so blunt with a man, only him.

  Smiling slightly, he tipped his head slightly and made her wait all of two seconds. “I’d like that,” he told her honestly with a chuckle at her look of intense relief. “You have my number, darling. You just call and we’ll arrange something and go from there.”

  “Well if you think that you can handle it, I would like to see more of you, even while my parents are here,” she told him with a wide smile. “It would mean you would get to know them, too, but hopefully that wouldn’t deter you too much.”

  Shaking his head, he smiled at her. “I’d like to get to know them a little better. Your parents are very nice people.” Younger than him that it was a little amusing really, but they’d never know that. “Why don’t we do a dinner for our first date, maybe a movie, too, and then we could take them out a night before they have to leave.”

  “That sounds perfect,” Dahlia said with a grin and looked up at him. “Thank you for not thinking that I’m some psycho chick, some chiquita who is only wanting to get into your pants or whatever.” She hadn’t even thought of sex, just getting to know him. Spending time with him. That was all she wanted.

  “I never even once thought such a thing, sweetheart,” Davyn assured her gently. “I just want to spend some time with you, to get to know you, and to just enjoy a new friend.” Oh, he’d love to have more, but he knew it wouldn’t ever happen. She wasn’t the sort to just jump on the first guy that appeared out of thin air.

  “I really appreciate that, Davyn. I truly do look forward to getting to know you and spending time with you then,” Dahlia admitted bluntly to him. Reaching out, she tugged him closer. “How about you curl up here on the bed with me and we can chat for a time together? I think it would be far more comfortable for the both of us, don’t you?”

  “That’s true enough,” he allowed, getting rid of everything she didn’t need right then and there. Turning off the overhead lights, he left a table lamp on and kicked off his boots. Settling in against her pillows, he slid his hand into hers. “So, what would you like to talk about, Dahlia?”

  That had her thinking for a moment, and finally she said, “I know just how strange this sounds, but have you ever felt a connection to someone? I feel such a connection to you, and it’s the oddest thing. I never, ever am like this, but with you.” She shrugged, and winced when she did so. “I want to know all of you. I want to get to know so much of everything about you.”

  “Well, what would you like to know, sugar?” he asked. He’d have to be careful, keep everything modern, and try to remember not to say too much. Give her enough of the truth but still cover the fact he was older than her several times over. “You know what I do for a living, so that’s covered. What else would you like to learn about moi?”

  “Well it’s pretty clear that you aren’t dating someone, so that’s a good thing.” Dahlia toyed with his fingers as she looked anywhere but at him. “What do you like to do for fun?” She smiled up at him finally. “Do you get time off often, or are you one of those workaholic people?”

  “I get time off, quite a bit. I only work when I’m needed,” he told her. “I do shifts on our base in the medical department there every week plus a shift here and there in the other hospitals in the state so I can keep my free pass to wander around. When I’m off I research my family history and lineage.” Absolute truth. “Plus I get a game of basketball in
with some of the guys from work, which usually leads to a brawl and then drinking at a pub or at someone’s house. I dabble at painting. I’m not very good, but it lets my mind relax and lets me explore my nearly non-existent creative side.”

  Dahlia couldn’t help but grin at that one. “I love that you paint. I like to paint as well. I normally use oils after I’ve coaled the image that I want to create,” she admitted to him and stroked her fingers over his fingers. “I’m constantly doodling. It’s like a nervous tick that I have.” The need to draw was always there.

  “I dabble, not paint, dabble,” he enunciated with a grin. “I have three canvases that I’ve had in the works for the last twelve years and really haven’t managed to finish. All mine are oils. I found they were the easiest for me to work with. I did try water paints, but it just didn’t give me the flexibility I wanted or needed.”

  “They are far easier than water paints. Plus I really don’t like water paints because to me they just seem to be very, well, you just can’t control them at all. I rather prefer oils because they are easier to control.”

  “I did notice that trouble with the water paints. They had a life all their own,” he said honestly. “I like the oils because it gives me a chance to see if I like it or if I need to scrape it off and try again. Been there, done that.” He sighed. “How about you? What do you do in your spare time, beyond the painting, that is?”

  “I like to write music. I know how silly that sounds, but in my downtime I write music. So far nothing that I’ve sold, but I have such a good time writing and playing what I write that it’s another of my favorite things to do.”

  “Wow, you are a talented little thing, aren’t you?” he asked with a grin, shaking his head at her. Shifting a little, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. “Anything else that you do that will make me feel seriously underaccomplished?” Davyn was fighting a huge smile.