by Jessica Lee
“Shit. What happened?” Kenric shook his head, relief spreading through his limbs. The SOB was alive.
Arran moved back to the other side of the table as the rest of the team took their seats, everyone eager to hear what had happened.
“After I finished off the motherfucker who broke my phone, I went after another one I’d seen running toward The Docks.” Markus tilted back in his chair. “Once I got down there, I caught sight of him slipping behind one of the warehouses. He saw me and took off. You know how that area is around the shipyards—it’s like a fucking maze. Bloodsucker knew the place way too well. He maneuvered it like it was his playground.”
He turned his gaze in Kenric’s direction, his gray eyes shadowed with intensity. “There had to be a lair somewhere nearby. I wasn’t going to lose him.” His focus returned to the rest of his team.
“I followed him into one of the warehouses. Shipping containers filled the place from one end to the other, stacked almost to the damn ceiling. After, I don’t know…” He shrugged, “…twenty minutes or so, I spotted him again. I ran after him before he leaped off one of the crates to a window and got out.” He slammed the table with his fist.
“Damn. I was so fucking pissed. I jumped up onto a section of crates to follow him. The next thing I knew, I was under a mountain of the damn things and it was dawn.”
“Shit. No wonder we couldn’t find you,” Arran muttered.
“The only thing I could do was wait out the sun in one of those fucking crates.”
“Glad you’re alive, and that you made it back,” Kenric said. Then with a nod, “Now, go get cleaned up. You reek.” The team chuckled, and Markus displayed a rare grin. The relief around the table was palpable.
Kenric rose, following Arran and Markus from the kitchen.
“Arran,” he called. Both warriors paused in the hallway and reeled about. “I’m going to need you at Elizabeth Bay Memorial tonight in case there’s trouble.”
“What’s going down?”
“I’ll be meeting the woman you both heard about yesterday to take care of the lab evidence I left behind.”
Arran nodded. “You got it.”
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to everyone yet, but I have reason to believe the woman, Emily, may be in danger.”
“What do you mean?” Markus stepped in closer. “What makes you think she’s in danger?”
“Marguerite made a threat against her life. Last night, I announced placing Emily under the Enclave’s protection. Under my protection. Marguerite will not touch her.” Kenric hit both men with a glare. “Is that clear?”
“Understood,” Arran said, nodding his head in affirmation along with Markus. “We have your back.”
Kenric whipped around and headed out for a drive to clear his head before his meeting with Emily.
“By the way…” He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the two silent warriors behind him. “I’ll discuss it with the rest of the team later, but I’ll be bringing her back to the compound. For her safety.”
“Of course,” both replied in unison.
Chapter Thirteen
Emily jumped at the sudden tap on her shoulder, breaking her hypnotic gaze on the computer screen.
“Have you heard anything I’ve said?”
“What?” Emily reeled around in her task chair, faced Shawna, and gave her tired eyes a rub with both hands. “No. I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little distracted.” In reality, she grew crazier with each passing minute, waiting for Kenric’s call.
“It’s okay. I know that sorry ex of yours keeps you on edge.” Shawna eased into the chair beside her. “Hey, and what about your John Doe from the other night disappearing like that? That was so weird. Security didn’t have a trace of him at any of the exits on video. It was like he just poofed out of here.” She dramatized the Houdini action with her hands.
Absently rubbing her midsection, Emily whirled back around to the computer. This was so much harder than she’d thought. Her head pounded, and her stomach ached. If he would just call… The firm reassurance of his voice would help steady her nerves.
“Oh, about what I was saying earlier,” Shawna went on, oblivious to Emily’s abdominal distress. “It’s twelve thirty, and I need to start those antibiotics on bed A. I’ve already tried twice to get a line in him. Would you mind seeing if you can start one for me?”
Pushing back from the computer station, Emily plastered a smile on her face before accepting the IV supplies from her friend’s hand. “Sure. I need to occupy my mind with something else.”
They’d almost made it to bed A when Emily’s phone buzzed against her thigh. With her heart a pounding lump in her throat, she pulled her cell free. The caller ID displayed Private.
It had to be him.
“Shawna, I’m sorry, but I have to take this call.” Emily glanced left, then right, searching for a replacement who could help Shawna out. “Would you mind getting Sylvia? She’s right over there.” Emily pointed to the dark-haired nurse in pink scrubs. “She’s new, but I’ve heard she’s excellent with IVs.” She gave Shawna her best reassuring smile. “I just have to take this call. Please cover for me for a few minutes. I owe you one.” Before Shawna could reply, she tumbled the supplies back into her hands, spun on her heels, and headed away from the ER, down the back corridor.
A quick glance up and down the hall assured her she was alone. Good, she had a few seconds of privacy.
She hit the talk button.
“Hello,” she whispered.
“Hi. It’s me. Are you ready?”
She bit back a groan. Why did his voice have to be so damn sexy? “Um… Yeah.” She switched hands, wiping the dampness from her other palm onto her pants leg. “I’ve got someone covering, but not for long. What do you need me to do?” Emily’s footsteps echoed off the walls in the empty hallway, the hollow sound chipping away at her already frayed nerves.
“I need you by the lab,” he instructed.
She slowed to a stop and closed her eyes, steadying herself for what was to come.
“Be sure you’re alone,” Kenric added. “Let me know when you’re there, and I’ll be in.”
“How will you know where I am—where the lab is?” She could hear the nervous edge in her own voice no matter how hard she tried to control her jitters. “Have you somehow placed a GPS on my rear?” Emily opened her eyes and started moving again. She wasn’t far from where they were to meet.
“Think of it as vampire GPS.”
“Oh. I take it that’s another lesson in your abilities you haven’t filled me in on yet?” She rounded the corner and stopped a few feet from the laboratory’s doorway. “Okay, I’m here,” she whispered and leaned her hip against the cool surface of the wall.
“Good.”
A few seconds passed without another sound. “Kenric…?” Had he hung up? A hand landed on her shoulder.
“I’m right here.”
Emily fumbled the phone, but managed to catch it before it fell. She whipped around and shoved at Kenric’s arm. “Good Lord. Don’t do that.” She gave her shoulders a shake and stuffed her cell in her pocket. “Damn, it’s unsettling.”
“Sorry I startled you.” Kenric brushed his palm down her arm, creating a rippling warmth in its wake.
Reflex begged her to lean in and absorb the sensation, but this wasn’t the time or the place. As if there could ever be such a thing as the right moment with a vampire. She stepped back, placing a little more distance between them.
“You okay?” He curled his fingers away, and his gaze shifted to the hospital corridor, surveying for any unexpected company. “Any fallout from my disappearance?”
“I’m fine, and no fallout. Apparently, no one’s connected me with your vanishing act.” She followed his lead and watched the hallway. “But you certainly are the talk of the nurses’ station with how you disappeared without a blip on the security cameras.” She poked him in the arm with her finger. “You gonna tell me how you locat
ed me like that?”
He dropped his gaze back to hers and rubbed his arm. “Hey, watch it with that finger, Wildflower. You could hurt someone.”
She snorted. “Come on. How did you zero in on me?”
Kenric lifted her chin with two fingers, locking their gazes. Emily stared back at him, refusing to be the one to blink first. He grinned as if he enjoyed their little contest. Then he spoke.
“Because a part of you remains in me.” He closed the distance, then the sudden realization struck of what he’d meant by those words. Her blood. That was what he meant, and it still flowed in his veins. Her breath hitched at the thought. Kenric froze and stepped back, rubbing a hand across his mouth and chin. “We need to finish what we came here to do,” he stated.
Emily watched as a complete transformation rolled across his face and body. The vivid blue eyes that had greeted her seconds ago turned to ice. The ease of his posture hardened. This was the master vampire of the Enclave. Powerful. Frightening.
Sexy as hell.
“Take me to the lab,” he said.
Take me to your bed, her body screamed.
“You’ll go in, find the sample, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Emily nodded. The lab entrance loomed a few feet away.
The lack of cameras and offices made their previous location ideal for Kenric’s arrival. This area would prove more difficult to maneuver.
Adam worked the night shift in serology. He’d been hounding her for a date ever since she had started working at Elizabeth Bay, making him more likely to hand her the samples without a lot of questions.
Poking her head around the corner, she gave a relieved sigh. Thank God.
Adam was alone.
Glancing back, she held up her hand, signaling for Kenric to hold back.
“Hey, Adam.” Emily leaned against the doorway to the lab. Adam’s red head popped up from his superfluity of tubes and vials on the stainless-steel counter.
“Hey back at you, beautiful. What brings you to these parts?” He gave her a big toothy grin.
A low growl emitted from beside her. She waved her arm at Kenric behind the door, hoping he got the message to keep it down.
“I was wondering if you could help me with something.” She eased farther in and up to the counter.
“Sure. What you got?” Adam pushed back from the counter and made his way over to her. He dropped his gloves in the trash and shoved his safety glasses to the top of his head. Stopping in front of her, he leaned against the table.
“Would you mind checking to see how many samples you have of that John Doe’s blood we had in from two nights ago? Dr. Castle is in tonight on a consult and asked if I would check on it.” She brushed her fingers through a few of her loose curls and tilted her head. “Even though the patient went AMA, he’s still interested in additional testing for study purposes. I know I could have called, but I needed a break.” Emily flashed him her sweetest Southern smile.
Bull’s-eye.
His grin went off the charts. He crossed the room to his computer and pulled out the keyboard. “Do you have the medical record number?” He glanced over his shoulder.
She pulled out the sticky she’d jotted the information on from her pocket, and called out the numbers.
“We should have two samples in storage,” Adam said before moving over to open the large refrigerated storage unit. He pulled out a wire shelf and, after a couple of seconds, lifted two serum-filled vials. “Yup, here they are.”
Before Emily could open her mouth to reply, something blurred across the room. She wasn’t sure she had actually seen anything until Adam’s body went limp, collapsing into Kenric’s arms.
“Is he okay?” Emily darted around the counter and crouched beside Adam’s body, checking for a pulse.
“He’ll be fine. I only stunned him with a psychic wave. It momentarily interrupts the conscious mind. It’ll give me just enough time to grab these…” He placed the two vials into his pockets, “…and get out of here.”
He knelt beside Adam, his shoulder and thigh brushing against hers. The pine and spice scent of him drifted to her nostrils, heightening her awareness of his presence. She wanted to lean over and rub herself against him, purring like a cat in heat.
He glanced her way. “I need you to go and keep a look out. I have to plant new memories for the last few minutes.”
“Oh, okay.” Emily got to her feet, dusting off her pants as she hurried to the door. Checking the hallway for traffic first, she stepped into the empty corridor. The night shift, most of the time, left the halls sparse. Thank God.
She kept an eye on Kenric through the door, not wanting to miss what he did to Adam. His hand slid once across Adam’s forehead and eyes. The tech’s eyelids flickered. Slowly, he sat upright and rose to his feet. Kenric placed his palm to the back of Adam’s head and held his gaze. Kenric’s lips moved, but the words were too soft for her to hear.
It only took a few seconds for Kenric to complete whatever he’d said before Adam moved away from his hold, returning to his workstation. He slid his goggles into place and his hands into a pair of clean gloves. Adam returned to his work, as if a strange man in black leather didn’t fill up the room.
Like nothing had happened.
Emily shifted back and forth on her feet. She’d heard them talk about abilities at the compound. Heck, she’d even experienced his powers of compulsion firsthand. But to watch it unfold before her eyes made her stomach rebel. Dear God, what was she doing with this man—vampire? Why didn’t she listen to her instincts, instead of her heart?
Kenric strode around the corner and touched her arm, leading them at a brisk pace back to where he’d first arrived. Emily increased her pace and slid from his hold. She couldn’t help it. At the moment, she didn’t want to enjoy the feel of his touch. What he could do with those hands disturbed her.
Kenric dropped his arm to his side in resignation. He may not have had a woman in his life for centuries, but he understood exactly what her body language said: Don’t touch me.
What the hell happened? He’d felt her gaze as he’d worked with Adam. Had what she’d witnessed affected her this way? God, he would never hurt her. She had to know that.
The waves of her ponytail bounced with each sway of her hips. He wanted to reach out, smooth the loose curls at the back of her neck, and tell her everything would be fine. That in fact, he’d die before he’d let anyone harm her.
At the end of the hall, Emily stopped and whirled, facing him with her back against the wall. She lifted her chin, but her gaze touched everything except him.
“So, what all did you do to him back there?”
He placed a palm on the cool wall beside her head, leaning in before answering in a quiet voice. “I did a sort of…reset…on his memory. Took him back to before you were ever there. He won’t remember anything about our visit tonight. You won’t have anything to worry about.”
A shiver raced over her.
“It had to be done, Wildflower.”
“I realize that,” she snapped.
“Then why are you so angry? You won’t even look at me.”
Her gaze locked with his. Defiant hazel eyes held him in a silent pissing contest. No woman, including Annice, would have ever challenged him in such a way. So why in the hell did he have a raging hard-on right now?
“There.” She arched one delicate red brow. “I’m looking at you.”
“Well.” He lowered his face and deepened his voice. “I don’t know if I would call that looking. More like throwing daggers.”
She shoved at his chest and maneuvered around him. “I’ve got to get back to work. What else do you need from me?”
Everything.
This had not gone as planned. Somehow, he had to get this feisty woman back to the compound for her own safety. He could tell this wouldn’t be an easy task.
“I need to get into security and make sure our images are erased from our stop at the lab. You head there f
irst to minimize the number of times the cameras capture me. Make sure the coast is clear, give me a call, and I’ll phase to your location just like before.”
“Fine.” Emily left without looking back.
Kenric groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. Damn, she was a frustrating woman. She made him want to fuck her until he couldn’t move and, at the same time, spank her ass. Well, that wasn’t such a bad idea. He leaned against the same warmed section of wall Emily had vacated, a grin begging to be formed on his lips.
The second half of the mission went off without a hitch. He got into security, removed the recordings from the lab monitors, and replaced them with blank DVDs. The guard wouldn’t remember anything, and with nothing to rouse their suspicions, no one would have any reason to notice a few hours of recording were missing. If they did, it would appear like the recordings had not started until later in the night.
With the hospital handled, he could focus on getting the redhead next to him to safety and putting an end to Marguerite’s hold on his life.
He’d lay it all out there for her, exactly what she had to do. She would come to the compound in the morning and stay until he felt it was safe for her to return to her life. With the mood she was in, it would be best if he didn’t leave it up to discussion.
“Since we’re finished, I’ve got to get back to work before they fire me.” Emily spun and started to leave, but Kenric grabbed her arm.
“Wait a minute. Before you go, I have to talk to you about something.” He loosened his grip on her forearm. “I have reason to believe your life may be in danger.”
Emily turned, her hazel eyes wide.
“What did you just say?” She stepped forward. “I thought this was it. Wasn’t it you who said, ‘help me with this and there won’t be anything to worry about?’”
“It has nothing to do with tonight. But I can’t get into it here. That’s why, before I arrived, I arranged for my driver to be here in the morning when you get off work. You’ll be returning to the compound until I can be assured you’re safe.”
A flash of red raced to her cheeks, and her eyes widened even more. “I will be returning to the compound.” Both hands went to her hips. “You decided?”
