Bhaltair’s demon roared up, in perfect understanding with the man.
Anything that attempted to harm his woman would die.
Chapter 6
Meena tried to make sense of what was happening. One second she’d been happily browsing through books in the secret PSI section of the library, and the next the shelf had seemed to come alive. Now everything on her hurt.
She rubbed the back of her head and pushed up and off the floor. Her gaze whipped to the blur of forms before her. It took her vision a moment to adjust, and she realized she must have taken a knock to the head. When she was finally able to see straight, the first thing she saw was Bhaltair slamming his fist into the face of some sort of creature. It dropped away quickly and then lay there motionless.
She was almost to her feet when she caught sight of another creature leaping down the aisle at them.
In the past, she’d spent endless hours pouring through PSI archives. They kept records of all kinds of supernaturals. She’d never seen anything like what was attacking them. And she’d seen some sketches of some pretty hideous-looking demons.
Bhaltair didn’t seem fazed. He crouched and then slammed his body into the creature, lifting it up and off the ground. The force of the collision shook the area. Meena glanced to the side just in time to see what remained of the massive bookshelf coming at her.
Lifting her arms, she tried to deflect the giant shelf, but it didn’t work. The shelf hit her arm and she felt the bone snap like a twig before the entire weight of the unit was on her, thrusting her back against the very wall she’d only just managed to get up from. Thankfully, the wall caught the shelf, and kept it from crushing her, though everything on her hurt as if an anvil had dropped on her.
She clutched her arm to her chest. She crawled as best she could in the direction of Bhaltair and the creature he was fighting. She knew enough about Bhaltair to know he’d win the fight, and she also knew she didn’t want to be far from him.
Something snatched hold of her ankle, ripping her backward, out from under the collapsed shelf and away from Bhaltair.
Away from safety.
A scream tore free from her as she was flipped over by another monster. This one somehow managed to be uglier than the other two. It stared down at her from eyes that reminded her of Bhaltair’s when his vampire had taken over his actions. Was the thing part vampire?
It leaned in, inhaling deeply before licking her temple. She froze in terror and horror as its hot breath peppered over her face. Spittle from it dripped down her cheek, and she fought the urge to retch. It brought a clawed hand to her other cheek and she lay there, helplessly trapped beneath it, her broken arm wedged between her and the monster.
“M-Meena,” it said in a voice that was barely understandable.
The thing knew her name?
She shrieked and tried to no avail to push it from her. Pain shot through her arm, and she cried out again. “Get off me!”
It didn’t budge. It did, however, begin to grind against her in a sexual manner, and she dug deep for a resolve that shocked even her.
With mustered courage, Meena slammed her head into the creature’s.
It hurt beyond words and she nearly blacked out from the pain, but it was enough to momentarily stun the thing on her. She used the distraction and rammed her knee upward, hitting its groin.
It rolled to the side, and she scrambled out from under his hold, her broken arm still pressed tightly to her as she tried once more to crawl under the downed shelf, in the direction she last knew Bhaltair to be.
The creature growled and then grabbed her by the leg, its claws sinking into the flesh of her thigh. She didn’t need to look at her leg to know it had caused a massive amount of damage. She cried out again and glanced up as the sounds of scratching metal filled the area.
The collapsed shelving unit was propelled in the other direction and Bhaltair was suddenly there, his face contorted into that of his vampire side, his eyes pooling with black and his attention on her. She held no fear of him. In that moment, his demon was more than welcome. It meant he was pissed and alive.
Bhaltair hissed and leaped up and over her. She couldn’t see where he landed, nor could she follow his speed with her naked eye. The weight of the creature was ripped free from her, and she turned as best she could, everything on her screaming in agony.
“She is mine!” yelled Bhaltair, his voice significantly deeper than normal. He lifted the creature that had said her name high in the air by its throat. Bhaltair tipped his head, the action looking very preternatural. He twisted and slammed the creature into the wall, pummeling his hand through the monster’s face.
Bhaltair’s shoulders heaved as his gaze snapped to her, his eyes still black. She knew she probably should be afraid of his vampire side—it was a trained killer and was technically a demon—but she didn’t fear him. He focused on her leg. She looked down as well and for a minute it felt as if all around her slowed. Time seemed to pause as she stared at the mangled mess that had once been her leg—the massive amount of blood spurting from her thigh soaking the library floor.
I’m in shock.
Bhaltair reached for her but was ripped back by another of the creatures. Meena tried to focus on what was happening, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She’d never been so tired in all her life. The pain ebbed away, and she closed her eyes, knowing deep down that Bhaltair would do what needed to be done.
He’d protect her.
Suddenly, something brushed over the side of her face and she tensed, scared to look and see what that something might be. Already she’d seen creatures that would haunt her nightmares. She wasn’t sure she could take much more.
“Lass, ’tis me,” said Bhaltair, his voice never sounding so sweet.
Meena reached for him, and he caught hold of her and held her close. She broke down, sobbing hysterically as she clung to him.
“They are no more, Meena.” He looked down at her leg and then surprised her by biting his wrist. He met her gaze. “Do you understand what I must do?”
She did. Her father had tried to heal a cut she’d gotten the same way when she was younger. His blood should have healed her instantly, but it hadn’t. It hadn’t done anything. “It won’t work.”
He held his wrist over the open wounds of her leg and allowed his blood to drip into them freely. “Lass, you’ve lost too much blood. Without me trying, I do nae know that you will survive me seeking medical attention for you. And I cannae lose you.”
Meena closed her eyes a second, feeling faint, knowing she was losing far too much blood. She opened her eyes just in time to find Bhaltair’s lips near hers. Surprised, she gasped and he captured her mouth with his.
The kiss was somehow exactly what she required in that moment. She needed her mind on anything but the shock and horror that had happened. On anything other than the pain and what she was sure would be death with all the blood she was losing.
As his tongue eased around hers, her body warmed. It was Meena who increased the heat level of the kiss, devouring his mouth. She nicked her tongue on one of his fangs. There was a flash of pain and then the strangest of feelings started deep in her gut. It felt as if someone was there, pulling elastic bands back and forth between them, hooking her to Bhaltair, and he to her.
Bhaltair showed her who was in charge of the kiss, and it wasn’t her by any means. She gave in to him as he orchestrated the event. The pull between them forced her to ease closer to him, not that she needed encouragement.
“Mine,” he said, breaking the kiss only for a second before going at her mouth once more.
Mine, she thought, the word dancing around her head, her body humming with building energy. She’d all but forgotten about the attack. About everything that had happened. It wasn’t until she leaned back and her hand slid through a puddle of congealing blood that it all hit her.
Gasping, she broke the kiss, her eyes wide. “Bhaltair?”
He lifted her off the floor
and held her close. The look on his face was one she couldn’t read. The way he held her let her know she was now safe. That no one would harm her.
There was a swooshing noise followed quickly by a booming male voice. One she knew well. “What the fuck happened? Meena? Baby girl?”
“Daddy?” she asked, surprised he was there.
“I summoned him,” said Bhaltair, making no move to set her down or hand her over to her father.
Meena stayed pressed against Bhaltair but glanced over at her father, Stamatis. His eyes were wide as he stared at the carnage around them. The section of the library they stood in was like the aftermath of a war zone. The more she soaked it all in, the harder she cried.
Her father snapped out of his stupor and reached for her. “Meena!”
She whimpered but shoved herself tightly against Bhaltair, unwilling to leave the safety and comfort he provided.
Her father, looking more like a badass biker than a secret operative, stepped closer. Worry etched his face as he came just shy of touching her broken arm.
“Sweetie, this is broken and you’re bleeding,” he said, his voice deepening as he spoke. “What happened?”
She continued to cry too hard to answer him, but as she glanced down at her injured leg, she realized that while it was still bleeding, it was doing so slowly, and from a wound that looked small compared to what it had been when it first happened, only moments ago. Had Bhaltair’s blood helped to heal her to some degree?
Bhaltair cleared his throat. “She was attacked by a group of hybrids.”
“While you were with her?” her father demanded, narrowing his gaze. He rivaled Bhaltair in size and strength. If the two went to blows, they’d both end up harmed. “How the hell could you let her be hurt?”
“Daddy, no,” she managed. “This isn’t his fault. He asked me to trust his gut feeling and not come in here tonight. I thought he was being silly and overprotective. I should have listened to him. Now look at all the books that are destroyed because of me.”
Her father looked puzzled. “Meena, you’re crying over books?”
She nodded and cried harder.
Bhaltair kissed her temple, the action drawing the attention of her father at once. Bhaltair didn’t seem to care. “Lass, I’m sure most can be repaired.”
She perked. “Really?”
Tossing his hands in the air, her father grumbled and then bent, examining the closest of the creature’s bodies. His face was ashen as he met Bhaltair’s gaze. “These things came after my daughter?”
“Aye, Stamatis, I do nae think it was a random attack.”
Her father, known more for being a cocky smartass than a man who shared his emotions, looked visibly shaken by the ordeal. “Bhaltair, thank you for protecting her. I’ll get her to Aine.”
There was a commotion at the other end of the room and the librarian appeared, holding a rather medieval-looking weapon in one hand as she pointed at Whitney—her father’s best friend and fellow Paranormal Regulator—with her other hand. Whitney, a wolf shifter who stood well over six foot, and while sinewy, still managed to be packed full of muscle, looked scared of the tiny woman.
The librarian jabbed him with the weapon. “You’ll be bringing that overdue book back, bucko.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Whitney replied, hurrying in their direction.
The librarian cleared her throat, his gaze narrowing in on Bhaltair. “Vampire, I just got off the line with PSI. No alarm alert came through on their end. Someone disabled the system. The techs are working on it. And one of the two security men is dead. Found his body when I went to check the alarm system. The other is missing.”
Meena gasped. The library didn’t have everyday, run-of-the-mill security. They had trained operatives. She twisted and stared down from Bhaltair’s arms at the creature near her father’s feet. These things had killed a PSI operative? The reality that they could have killed Bhaltair hit her hard.
She reached for his chest—realizing a beat later, at the almost complete absence of pain, that it was with her broken arm. In fact, it was feeling better and better by the minute. “Are you hurt?”
Her father grunted. “He’s fine. Stop mollycoddling him. And you,” he said to Bhaltair, “hand me my daughter.”
Whitney came to a stop near her father. Their features were vastly different. Where Meena’s father had jet-black hair and a goatee, Whitney had long sandy-blond hair with streaks of platinum through it. He had a five o’clock shadow, which was more facial hair than she was used to seeing on him. His blue eyes widened as he sniffed the air. “I smell wolf shifter in this mix, but it’s tainted. Wrong.”
“Aye,” Bhaltair replied. “I believe two hybrids are a wolf and vampire mix. They reek of death and decay, so it’s hard to tell.”
Whitney tipped his head to Stamatis. “Anyone want to tell me why that dickhead is holding Meena and why you’re letting him?”
Her father groaned. “Because my baby girl is refusing to let me take her.”
Bhaltair snarled, glaring at Whitney. “Make any attempt to remove her from me, wolf, and I will kill you. She is mine.”
Meena jerked as her father and Whitney gasped. Whitney grabbed for her father, ripping him back as he started to charge at Bhaltair. “Whoa, no. Calm down there, big guy. No killing the dickhead just because he laid verbal claim to your baby.”
Meena tensed. “I’m not his baby. Rose is. I’m a grown woman. And…wait. What? Verbal claim?” She wanted to say more but the dull throb that had been in her head increased tenfold. She clutched her stomach. “I’m going to be sick.”
“So am I,” snapped her father. “You are not his mate, Meena! No.”
“What?” she asked, her stomach cramping more.
“Stamatis, this is nae the time nor place to argue. Meena requires medical attention,” said Bhaltair.
Whitney whistled low. “I did not see that claim coming. Nope.”
Chapter 7
Meena sat on the exam table in a clinic that catered to supernaturals, with her father near her, pacing endlessly. Whitney was matching him step for step, more than likely tired of playing referee between her father and Bhaltair.
It had been an ordeal to simply agree on transportation to the facility. Her father had wanted her to ride with him. Bhaltair had refused to put her down, and Meena had been thankful for that. It was Whitney who’d finally pointed out that they were wasting time with petty arguments that could be better spent getting her medical attention.
Bhaltair was close, his hand near hers on the table. She inched her fingers over his and kept her head bent. Making contact with him felt right, and she needed to feel normal—to feel safe. She’d wanted to ask him about the verbal claiming Whitney had mentioned, but she couldn’t seem to find the right words. The car ride over had been silent, his mood foul after arguing with her father.
Dr. Sambora, a supernatural himself, reentered the room. He had her chart in his hands. He was handsome and smart, though often he lacked a lot in the way of a sense of humor.
She sighed. “Can I go now? I’m fine.”
And she was. Her leg was now healed over fully. Her arm was still sore, and Dr. Sambora had claimed the films showed it wasn’t broken, despite her knowing deep down that it had been at the library.
“Meena, did one of them bite you?” Dr. Sambora asked.
Her father was in front of her in an instant, his eyes wide. “Meena?”
Whitney had to drag him backward. “Dude, relax, and let the doctor do his thing.”
Bhaltair took her hand entirely in his, seemingly unconcerned if he set her father off again. “I shared my blood with her, if that is what yer getting at?”
Meena tilted her head, holding Bhaltair’s hand tighter. “I shared mine with him too. When he kissed me, I think I cut my tongue on his fangs.”
“You kissed her and exchanged blood with her?” Her father went nuts. It took Whitney and the doctor to get him backed against the wall. He pointe
d at Bhaltair. “I will kill you.”
“Daddy,” she said, jerking upright. “Enough. Bhaltair saved my life, and if you’re going to keep acting like a child every time anything is brought up, then you are going to have to leave the room until Mom gets here. You’re ancient. I expected better of you.”
He blinked and lifted a brow.
Whitney failed to hide his laugh.
Dr. Sambora faced her and released her father. “If I can continue. Meena, there are anomalies in your blood work that weren’t there at your last checkup a year ago. PSI’s labs are sending me the results of the tests they’re doing on the hybrids that attacked you.”
Her father stepped away from the wall. “What kind of anomalies? Is she infected with whatever it was that turned them into what they are?”
“No,” the doctor said. “Well, I don’t think so.”
It was Bhaltair who leaped up and began to yell. “You do nae think so? What the hell kind of response is that? I will nae lose my woman to whatever those were. Fix her now.” He yanked Dr. Sambora up until his feet cleared the ground, and it wasn’t as if Sambora was a weak or frail man.
Meena gasped, and her father grabbed Bhaltair, pulling him free of the doctor. “Calm down.”
Whitney caught Meena’s gaze and grinned wide. “Bet you never thought you’d see the day your father was the voice of reason, huh?”
She knew Whitney was trying to lighten the mood, and she appreciated it. She glanced down at her leg. “The minute Bhaltair shared his blood with me, my leg started to heal. That didn’t happen when Dad did it long ago. The wound didn’t heal instantly like Bhaltair’s or Dad’s would if they were injured, but it healed fast enough to watch it happen. And by the time I got here, it was just a scratch. Now it’s smooth skin. Why did it work with Bhaltair, but not my own father?”
Dr. Sambora took a step back and glanced at the ceiling. A sure sign he knew the answer, but didn’t want to say.
Whitney twisted and motioned to Bhaltair. “Holy shit, you really are her mate!”
Taming the Vampire: Over 25 All New Paranormal Alpha Male Tales of Contemporary, Military, Shifters, Billionaires, Werewolves, Magic, Fae, Witches, Dragons, Demons & More Page 48
