BloodSworn

by Stacey Brutger

  She licked her lips, nervous as the tension in the room built. “Two more weeks at the Den then another week before you tell anyone I was here.”

  “Done.”

  Trina blinked at the automatic reply. When he went to swipe the amulet, she pulled her arm back. “The magic wasn’t destroyed completely. You have to be careful how you handle relics.”

  “What do you know?” The suspicious tone from the second man pissed her off. There was an uncompromising hardness to him when he looked at her, those cold eyes of his had her sidling closer toward Merrick. His straight, shoulder-length hair was longer than most shifters, almost unkempt, as if it were trying to defy him and not quite succeeding. If he’d been the one who’d caught her on the property, she wouldn’t have been escorted through the front door and definitely not conscious.

  “I didn’t plan the attack, if that’s what you think. They were trying to kill me, too.”

  “And you didn’t have any trouble protecting yourself.”

  Trina’s lips tightened. “What was I supposed to do? Allow them to skewer me? Oh, that’s right. They did.” She took a step toward him. “Where the hell were you during the attack? They were waiting behind the wall for us. It’s not my job to protect the Den.”

  Victor flinched as if she’d struck a blow. She wheeled around to face Merrick. “A female wolf was the leader. The magic in this amulet hid them somehow. If you give it to your Familiaran, they should be able to run a trace and track.”

  Trina felt bad trading faulty information, but she hadn’t exactly lied to them either. They wanted to know about the attack, and she told them.

  She just didn’t tell them that the ambush was set for her. It was just too coincidental that two magical attacks came within hours of each other.

  If Merrick hadn’t been with her, she wasn’t sure she would’ve sensed them soon enough to run. Witches, maybe. Not shifters. They would’ve eventually hunted her down and taken her unless she resorted to using magic. She gingerly touched the ache in her side, surprised at how fast she was already healing. She should be grateful, but it meant that either the bonds holding her magic were loosening or her powers were growing stronger. Soon, there would be no hiding.

  “Why don’t you do it?”

  “What?” Trina glanced at Victor.

  “Trace and track?”

  Trina shook her head. “I’m not that kind of witch. Your pack witch should be able to track the amulet to the wearer and back to the one who created it.”

  A slow realization sank in at their blank expressions. “You don’t have a witch.”

  “Can’t you ask one of your cursed friends?”

  “No.” Merrick was all Leo when he replied to Victor, and she realized he was protecting her, living up to his part of their bargain already. Only she wasn’t sure she believed that completely. “We don’t associate with the coven, but if we ask, they’ll do it.”

  Silence descended with a heaviness that pressed on her chest. Breathing became difficult, and she fidgeted, wishing this whole, awful evening was over.

  Being hunted the last few weeks had left her on edge for too long. She was exhausted. All she wanted was a night of sleep, a few days without the fear of discovery hanging over her.

  “Then we’re good? Negotiations are settled?” She thrust out her hand, self-conscious when he made no move to reciprocate.

  His smile was all teeth. “Not by a long shot.”

  Chapter Eight

  “I’ll stay in the shed.”

  Leo just shook his head in the implacable way she was coming to associate with him.

  It pissed her off.

  “You’ll stay in my apartments.”

  Trina wanted to deck him. They’d been arguing for the last twenty minutes, and he wouldn’t budge his stubborn ass an inch. Any nerves or self-doubt had long since been burned away by his arrogance.

  “I need to do my research. I need a lab.” What she needed to do was rescue her sister. Getting to Eden would be the easy part. She could walk through the front door, and the vampires would welcome her. But first, she had to formulate a plan to get them both out alive.

  She’d rejected dozens of scenarios. How did one sneak into the vampire king’s lair, steal his most precious jewel and leave again all without being caught?

  But she’d managed to live nearly two weeks under the watchful eye of the Den with no one the wiser.

  Well, anyone but Merrick…er, the Leo.

  She mustn’t forget his title. It would help to remind herself who he was and that she needed to keep her hands to herself.

  “If you can’t use the lab in the basement then I’ll knock down a blasted wall and build you another, but you will not set foot outside this Den.” The prospect of working in a fully functional lab again nearly made her drool, but his answer gave her pause.

  She wanted to stay hidden and under the pack’s protection, but why did he want her to stay so badly? He was suspicious, his second-in-command was even more so. They didn’t have a Familiaran, so her famous family name would remain secret longer with no one to out her.

  He leaned over the massive desk that dominated the room and slammed his palms down. Everything on top jumped and clattered, and she was half-surprised the solid form held under the assault.

  His anger in no way frightened her, only serving to ignite her own. Not willing to concede so quickly, she leaned over the desk until their faces were inches apart. The scent of wildness and fresh air invaded her lungs. This close, his hair appeared to stand on end, tempting her to reach out and test the texture. It couldn’t be as soft as it appeared.

  She narrowed her eyes as an insidious suspicion smacked her upside the head. Once the thought entered her mind, she wasn’t able to rid herself of it.

  His eyes were shaded golden, a bit on the wild side.

  “You’re enjoying this.”

  He only blinked.

  She sighed, and the events of the day caught up with her. She was running on steam and in no condition to be negotiating. “You’re not going to concede, are you?”

  “No.”

  “So, I would be a prisoner.” Trina shoved away from the desk and paced to the window.

  Only to have a perfect view of the shed taunt her. She wondered how long he had known she’d been there. Probably from the very beginning, if she had to guess.

  Part of her mind whispered that he’d planned the whole thing to trap her, but that was ridiculous. When he looked at her, she saw no recognition of who she was in his gaze.

  What could he hope to gain?

  She turned away and crossed her arms. “That’s unacceptable.”

  “You would be protected.” The speculation in his eyes sent her stomach flip-flopping. She had to offer him something so tempting that he couldn’t say no to her. Something so big, that he wouldn’t notice what she really wanted.

  Just protection.

  She had to throw him off. She would not have him digging into her past. She couldn’t afford it. Her heart wasn’t able to take another betrayal if he turned on her, too. So she’d keep her secrets for now. She had too much to lose to demand anything, and he knew it.

  Clever of him to dangle the labs out to her, seduce her into doing his bidding. It tempted her. If she had the use of a lab, she might be able to engineer a weapon against the vampires. Hell, she’d drain herself dry if she thought it would help.

  “What have you to offer?” His voice oozed enough sex that it took her brain precious seconds to shake it off and figure out how to use her tongue again…and not the way her mind was telling her what she should do with it.

  “I can heal you.” Everything in his face froze, and she wondered if she’d made a tactical error.

  That her specialty was blood really didn’t matter. Her hematology background could only be a plus when studying shifters. She’d had plenty of job offers after her residency.

  “I’ve done some successful studies on shifter physiology.” But only a few c
ases as most of the normal world knew little about the truth of their kind. It was only by chance that she’d found the injured shifter and saved his life. Ever since, he’d brought his mates to her house for medical assistance.

  It wasn’t ideal. She couldn’t perform the tests she needed to help them the way she wanted, but she did enough to save lives. If they knew she was a witch, they said nothing. She’d been removed from her coven so many years ago that there was no real connection anymore.

  Merrick wanted to protest that he didn’t need her help and tighten his lips against spitting out the words. He sat, grunting at the way his back had stiffened. He must have overworked it fighting off both attacks and it was now retaliating. He’d be lucky if he were able to walk to his room later.

  The thought of her as his personal doctor infuriated him, but she was right. He needed help. The wounds weren’t healing properly. He would not put her and his pack in danger by being stubborn, his bruised pride notwithstanding. But the devilish side of him wouldn’t let her get off that easy.

  “If I agree, we’ll have to come up with a different story. I can’t have the pack learn of your position. Any show of weakness would put us both at risk.” Wariness entered her eyes, and his smile kicked up a bit.

  Smart girl.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  Those innocent words wiped off his smile. If she had an inkling of what he really wanted, she’d run now. “The only way you would be able to have unlimited access to the house and me is to make you my concubine.”

  To say that he expected more of a reaction than her lazy blink would be an understatement. To most of the shifter world, he was giving her an honor.

  “What would that entail?”

  “You would be at my beck and call.” Just the thought of her hands on him got him hard. The thought of marking her, leaving his scent all over her, had him clenching his fists to keep his lion from shoving the desk out of the way and staking claim now.

  He had to go slow. Even if he claimed her as his concubine, others would protest that she was not a shifter. Judith would see it as an insult, especially right after he’d turned down her proposal.

  When Trina passed the front of the desk in her pacing, Merrick swiped her hat from her head before she could react. She whirled on him, her shoulder-length hair spilled around her face. It wasn’t just brown, but a beautiful mahogany of browns and rusty red highlights that no bottle could produce.

  She lunged for the hat, but he reclined back in the chair, pulling it out of her reach. She’d have to crawl into his lap to get it. Emotions darkened her eyes, but she didn’t venture nearer. Too bad. He’d love to lure her closer and wrestle for the hat.

  She wouldn’t be distracted. “What else?”

  “We would have to stay in the same room to avoid raising suspicion.”

  “Agreed, but different beds.”

  Her immediate reply had him scowling. He was the Leo. Women appreciated his attention. It bothered him that she pretended to be uninterested when they both knew otherwise. He saw her reaction to him on the street, the way she had a hard time resisting his touch. Hell, the smell of her arousal would be etched on his brain until he had her.

  Part of him wondered if it wouldn’t be there until he died.

  “And no physical interaction besides what is necessary for your recovery.”

  Merrick shook his head. “It would raise suspicions.”

  That was a flat out lie, but he refused to give up his right to touch her whenever he got the chance. He felt not one iota of remorse for deceiving her.

  Her lips pursed like he’d asked her to bathe in manure. He wasn’t amused. It only made him more determined to prove that she felt the same.

  “Fine, but I want full use of your labs.”

  “Granted…with the condition you don’t leave the Den without a guard.”

  She was already shaking her head. “I have to go to work. I can’t have strange men trailing me about.”

  “I shouldn’t have to remind you that we were attacked twice tonight. Once it’s become known you’re my concubine, the danger will increase.”

  “Explain.”

  “Another shifter could challenge you, a rival pack wanting to use you as a bargaining chip again me. If one of my men were present, they could be appointed as your champion. If you’re on your own, they would expect you to defend yourself.”

  “So it wouldn’t have to be you?”

  His jaw clenched at the insult. Of course she didn’t think him capable of protecting her, not after what happened tonight. He wanted to pick her up and shake her. Yes, she might have helped fend off an attack, but that didn’t mean she could handle herself in a one-on-one fight with a full shifter.

  Though she was a witch, she’d denied it on more than one occasion. That meant she would only use her magic as a last resort, which would be a mistake when dealing with non-humans.

  A faint scent rose from the cap he held. Her scent. It helped calm him. She was here, and she wouldn’t be going anywhere as long as he got a say.

  “No, it wouldn’t have to be me, but I will want to be notified when you leave the house. And you are not allowed to disappear after the two weeks are up without telling me first.”

  He didn’t realize he had been nervous about her answer until she nodded and the pressure in his chest eased. Though he wasn’t exactly happy with the negotiations, he was satisfied with what he’d won.

  Her in his life, under his protection, and the ability to touch her at any time without her protesting.

  He took it as a victory.

  He wanted to demand more but knew he wouldn’t get anything else out of her if the mulish tilt to her chin was any indication. He was an alpha, and it galled him that he had to back down.

  Very slowly, he stood and held out his hand. “Then we have a deal.”

  He hated the hesitation when she looked at his hand. He tightened his lips and waited. He wanted her touch, no matter how small. He couldn’t help but imagine the way they would seal the deal if she were appointed his concubine in truth.

  She gulped when she saw the cat that ate the canary smile on Merrick’s face.

  Why did she feel she was about to be devoured?

  And why the hell didn’t it scare her more?

  She discreetly rubbed her palm on the seat of her pants and carefully put her hand into his.

  As she feared, his touch jolted her, short-circuiting her brain. She knew she should’ve demanded more, but for the life of her, she couldn’t come up with a single thought other than she would have to examine him.

  Touch him.

  Devil take it, she was screwed.

  She shook her head as if to rid herself of those tantalizing images and pulled her hand away. His grip tightened a fraction, his finger brushing against her pulse-point before he reluctantly released her.

  “I’ll have you shown to our room.”

  Chapter Nine

  Trina took a deep breath as soon as the door shut behind her. Fresh air trickled into her lungs, but it did nothing to loosen the effect of Merrick’s hold on her. After another minute of standing in the same place, her surroundings slowly filtered into her brain.

  The room was more of a suite than a single man’s bedroom. The furniture was huge, matching the style of the rest of the house. Good gracious, the place had to have been built by giants.

  The bed was twice the size of her queen-size. The platform alone raised the mattress to waist height. To get into the thing, she’d have to pull herself up and crawl.

  Not that she would sleep in his bed, she reminded herself.

  She quickly turned away from temptation and surveyed the rest of the room. Though the dark greens and browns were masculine, there was no way a man decorated this room. Not with all the details and custom designed furniture.

  Before she could prevent it, jealousy winged through her. Just how many other women had he invited here? How many concubines had waltzed in and out of his lif
e? He was too handsome, too masculine not to have indulged himself.

  Like hell would she join that long line.

  A gleam of metal caught her attention.

  A massive broadsword, one so large it would come up to her breastbone, hung over the bed. There were no jewels or fancy designs as seen in some of the new remakes. No, this sword had been passed down through the generations.

  Functional.

  The press of its age hovered in the air, a remembrance of wars fought and blood drawn. She had no doubt that if Merrick drew it down from the wall, he’d be a sight to behold.

  An image of Merrick with the sword in hand rose in her mind and heated her blood. Once there, she couldn’t expel it.

  She dropped her pack by the couch then stormed across the room to the bar and grabbed a bottle of water, wishing it were something stronger. Unfortunately, she had a feeling she needed to remain on her toes around the shifters if she wanted to avoid being mowed down.

  She took a gulp of water and nearly choked when she got a peek at the bathroom. The tub was sunk into the floor, more of a whirlpool than a single person bathtub. Behind it, the shower was open with a total of no less than six showerheads. The whole room was golden, and for some reason, it reminded her of him.

  It had to cost a fortune.

  She walked forward then glanced up at the filtered light. A skylight covered a third of the bathroom ceiling, illuminating the horizon until it looked like she was right under the stars. Unable to help herself, she turned on the water and stripped.

  One huge-ass mirror lined the far wall, so she couldn’t avoid her reflection. She’d lost weight in the last few weeks. Her ribs stuck out a little. Bruises lined her body. She removed the bandages to see that while the gashes were healing reasonably well, her side resembled something scraped off the bottom of a shoe.

  She rifled through the cabinets and pulled out a fluffy towel the size of a small blanket. When she stuck her foot in the water, she sighed and slid under the steamy surface. Jets hit her aching muscles, and she groaned.

  After five minutes, curiousness got the better of her. She sniffed the bottles near the tub.