Grave Attraction

by Lori Sjoberg

  The beast let out a high-pitched whimper, the sound so pitiful that for a moment or two Adam actually felt sympathy toward it.

  “What are you going to do with it?” he asked.

  “If you were in my position, what would you do?”

  “I can’t say, since I don’t have all of the information. Is this the creature who attacked Cassie?”

  “Oh yes, but she was acting on orders.”

  “Whose orders?”

  Samuel hesitated, as if debating how much to tell them. “Like Fate, her actual name is unpronounceable by humans. In this realm, she’s known as Chaos. Over the past two years, her incursions on Fate’s territory have become bolder and much more frequent. After this incident, she’ll have to be dealt with.” He tugged at the cuffs of his white button-down shirt. “This creature may be a ruthless killer, but she has the mind of a child. It’s not fair to inflict the ultimate punishment when she lacks the full understanding of her actions.”

  “You murder innocents but spare the life of a killer.” Marlena snorted in disgust.

  “Chalk it up to personal growth.” A ripple of power radiated from Samuel, an unspoken warning of the danger lurking beneath the veneer of civility. “Say what you want, she’s merely a tool. The punishment belongs to the person who wielded her. Besides …” He cast a sidelong glance at the creature. “I know exactly what to do with her.”

  The beast whimpered again, and this time Adam did feel sorry for it.

  Samuel placed his hand on its arm, and in an instant, they both disappeared. The hold on Marlena must have released at the same time, because her muscles relaxed and her arms dropped down to her sides.

  “Where did he go?” she asked, her claws still extended.

  “Beats me. You don’t have to have manners when you’re omnipotent.”

  She opened her mouth to say something but stopped when her phone rang in her back pocket. She answered the call without checking the number. “Hello?”

  Adam watched while she spoke with the person on the other end of the line.

  “What do you mean, change? What kind of change?” She paused, her free hand tapping against the side of her leg. “Okay, I’ll be right there.” She disconnected. “That was the hospital. Something’s going on with Cassie, but they said they couldn’t discuss it over the phone.”

  Adam and Dmitri exchanged a look. Dmitri nodded and then Adam dug his keys from his pants pocket and tossed them to Marlena.

  “Take the truck.”

  “What about you?”

  He jerked his head toward the half dozen witches crouched down beside Antonella. The fabric of her shirt was pulled up on one side, revealing a nasty gash. “She needs help; she’s bleeding badly.”

  “We’ll take her with us.”

  Adam shook his head. “She can’t go to the hospital looking like that. They’ll ask too many questions.” And for the life of him, he couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation for the giant set of teeth marks. He could mentally influence a doctor or two, but if pictures of her injuries leaked outside the hospital, he wouldn’t be able to contain them.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of her,” Dmitri said. “Go to your daughter.”

  Her gaze flicked back to Adam. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Now go. I’ll be there as soon as we patch her up.”

  Marlena made it to the hospital in record time, pulling into the first open parking spot she found, and racing through the front entrance. Too impatient to wait for the elevator to arrive, she bounded up five flights of stairs and strode into the intensive care unit. She blew past the nurses’ station and down the corridor, not stopping until she reached Cassie’s room. She opened the door, and the sight of her daughter awake and alert sent her spirits soaring.

  The ventilator had been removed, and Cassie appeared to be breathing on her own and without any difficulty. Only one IV was inserted in her arm. She was sitting upright, leaning over a serving tray and eating what looked like green Jell-O. When she saw Marlena, her mouth split into a huge grin. Her voice sounded like she’d been gargling glass when she opened her mouth and said, “Marley!”

  Marlena hurried across the room and hugged her daughter, careful not to squeeze too hard. Cassie hugged her back lightly, a sure sign she wasn’t up to full strength.

  “In all the years I’ve worked in critical care, I’ve never seen anything like it.” Dr. Chan stood a few feet from the door, a notepad in his left hand. “There’s no medical explanation for her recovery. Absolutely none.”

  Marlena shot him a wry look. “Don’t sound so disappointed, Doc.”

  “I’m not. I’m just trying to understand how her condition changed so radically.” Clearly confused, he turned to Cassie. “With your permission, I’d like to run a few more tests to ensure we’re not missing anything.”

  “Sure, why not?” Cassie said from her bed. The swelling around her face had gone down considerably, and the ugly bruises had faded to brownish yellow. And although her eyes looked tired and puffy, they gleamed. “As long as I can leave when you’re finished.”

  “If everything comes back the way I expect, then yes, we can discharge you tonight.”

  “How long will the tests take?” Marlena asked.

  “About an hour, maybe two at the most.”

  She watched as they wheeled Cassie’s bed down the corridor and into the oversized service elevator. As the doors slid shut, her stomach grumbled. A good fight never failed to work up her appetite, and with Cassie in testing for the next hour or so, now would be the perfect time to grab a bite to eat. While she was at it, she’d also buy something for Cassie to wear once she was discharged. All of the witch’s clothes had been destroyed in the fire, leaving her with nothing but a hospital gown and the tattered remains of what she’d been wearing the night she was admitted.

  Relieved and elated, Marlena rode the elevator down to the first floor and powered up her phone once she stepped outside.

  “How’s she doing?” Adam asked when he answered her call.

  “According to the doctors, she’s a modern-day medical miracle.”

  “That’s great news!”

  “Yeah, it is.” Although a part of her couldn’t help but wonder how it happened. People didn’t just go from death’s door to fit as a fiddle in the space of a couple hours. Shifters? Yes. Reapers? Without a doubt. But witches were mortal, and they lacked the ability to spontaneously regenerate damaged tissues and failing organs. Who helped her? How? And why?

  The thought of Samuel being responsible crept into her mind, but she quickly discounted the notion. No way would that prick help a witch, especially if he knew of her ties to Marlena.

  “How’s Antonella doing?” Marlena asked.

  “Better. The puncture wounds were deep, but thankfully nothing vital was damaged. Dmitri was able to stitch her up. From what I can tell, he did a pretty good job, but she’s probably going to have a scar.”

  “Poor thing.” Marlena moved the phone to her other ear. “Are you still at the house?”

  “No, we’re heading over to Gina’s. We decided to take the twins there once we got Antonella stabilized.”

  Until Cassie got back on her feet, the coven would have to rely on Gina for guidance and support. And who knew, maybe Cassie would decide to step down and allow Gina to take over as coven leader. Stranger things had been known to happen. “When do you think you can come to the hospital?”

  “Give me about an hour. I need to stop by the store for a clean shirt so they don’t try to admit me when I walk through the doors.”

  “Okay,” she said with a laugh. Good thing she’d left a sweater in Adam’s truck or she would have had to do the same thing. “I’m going to grab a quick bite to eat and then I guess I’ll meet you in Cassie’s room.”

  “Sounds like a plan. See you in a bit, kitten.”

  She smiled at the term of endearment. “See you then.”

  She disconnected, feeling more happy and
content than she’d been in a very long time. Her daughter was on the road to recovery, and she had the love of a good man. No, he wasn’t Christopher and he never would be, and that was fine by her. She loved him for the man he was, and even if she could, she wouldn’t change a single thing about him.

  Keys in hand, she strode toward Adam’s truck. She’d locked her wallet in the glove box, and she needed it to pay for food. At this hour, there weren’t as many cars in the visitor lot, and the majority of them were parked near the emergency room entrance.

  Marlena rounded the front end of the truck and was about to unlock the door when a sharp pain stabbed the back of her upper thigh.

  “Ow!” Her hand flew back to the source of the sting and found an object lodged in her leg. She yanked it out, horrified to find the same type of dart she was shot with when she was abducted. The area where the dart had pierced her leg felt tingly, and the sensation was spreading like wildfire. Christ, how much sedative was in the damn dart, enough to bring down a freaking elephant? It had to be for it to act this quickly. She shook her head and a wave of dizziness crashed over her.

  A sudden movement caught in her peripheral vision. She twisted her neck to get a better look and saw a heavyset man climbing inside a white van about thirty feet away. He didn’t look familiar, and with the wind blowing toward him, she couldn’t pick up his scent. It wasn’t Jeremiah, she knew that much, which meant it had to be his accomplice.

  Terror set her heart to racing. She had to get out of there. But the drugs were already making her light-headed, and who knew how much longer she’d have before she finally lost consciousness. There wasn’t any way she could drive like this, and she couldn’t get back inside the hospital without going past the van.

  At last, she fit the key inside the lock, and it took all of her strength and coordination just to open the door and tumble inside. Dizzy and disoriented, it took her three tries to engage the locks. She slumped against the seat, breathing heavy.

  Reaching for her phone, her hands shook as she dialed Adam’s number. One ring. Two. She cursed when the call kicked over to voice mail. Outside, the white van crept out of its spot and pulled in front of the truck, blocking it in. The man made no move to leave the van, probably preferring to wait until the drugs knocked her out cold.

  Adam’s outgoing voice mail message ended with a beep, and she lifted the phone back up to her ear. Maybe, if he got the message in time, he’d find her before something awful happened. It was a long shot, but it was her only hope.

  “Adam, it’s Marlena,” she panted into the phone. Her vision blurred, and she shook her head to clear it, only to be rewarded with another wave of dizziness. “I—I’m at the … the hospital. Got shot. Tranquilizer. Find me. Please. Love—I love—”

  The phone slipped from her hand, falling to the floorboards. She lunged for it and hit her head on the steering wheel before falling face-first against the seat. Confused and exhausted, she struggled to get up, but her body felt like it was stuck in quicksand. Her eyelids grew impossibly heavy, and when she managed to open them she couldn’t pull anything into focus.

  Before blacking out, the last thing she heard was the sound of glass breaking and the truck’s door being wrenched open.

  Chapter 26

  “Thanks for the lift,” Adam said as he climbed out of Dmitri’s car.

  It had taken them longer than expected to reach the hospital. Antonella’s wounds had reopened on the way to Gina’s house, requiring eight more stitches to repair the damage. Dmitri had given her painkillers and antibiotics, and by the time they left the house, the witch was fast asleep on the couch. With luck, she wouldn’t have much of a scar, but only time would tell.

  Dmitri slipped the car into neutral and stared at Adam through the open passenger side window. “Do you want me to hang around?”

  “Nah, it’s okay, but thanks. Go home to Gwen. She probably misses your ugly mug.” He laughed when Dmitri flipped him the middle finger.

  It still seemed strange to think of Dmitri as mortal and happily married. But one look at the guy when he so much as thought about Gwen, and it was obvious he had it bad. And soon he’d be a father. Talk about surreal. If they had a girl, Adam could only imagine how the Russian would react when his daughter brought home her first boyfriend.

  “Give my regards to Cassandra,” Dmitri said as he put the car back into gear. The engine rumbled when he pressed down on the gas, and Adam watched the receding taillights as the car rolled out of the lot.

  Adam walked through the entrance, and the refreshing blast of air-conditioning made goose flesh rise on his arms. Even this late at night the place was busy, with doctors and nurses hurrying about, checking patients and administering treatments. In the hall, he passed an elderly patient in a wheelchair being pushed by an orderly. The scent of death clung to the old man, a sure sign he wouldn’t be around for much longer.

  Before going upstairs, Adam made a quick detour to the gift shop. Since flowers weren’t allowed in the ICU, he bought a bouquet of Mylar balloons. Yeah, the witch had already gotten plenty of cards and gifts, but he couldn’t resist adding to her collection. Considering everything the poor woman had gone through, she deserved to be spoiled.

  Stepping out of the elevator, he strode down the corridor leading to Cassie’s room. The room was empty, which didn’t surprise him, so he put the balloons on the table in front of the other gifts and sat by the window. He turned on the television that was mounted on the wall, flipping channels until he found an old action movie he hadn’t watched in a while. The movie was almost over when Cassie returned in a wheelchair pushed by a male orderly. The bruising around her face had lessened, and her eyes seemed clear and focused. Her entire right leg was wrapped in a cast, her toes poking out at the end.

  “There’s my girl,” Adam said with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

  Cassie winced as the orderly helped her get back into bed. “Well, I’m not ready to run any marathons, but I’m a lot better than I was this morning.”

  The orderly draped the sheet over the lower half of her body. “If you need anything, just hit the red button on the side of the bed. I’ll be back when your discharge paperwork is ready.” He exited the room, leaving the wheelchair parked by the door.

  “Where’s Marley?” Cassie asked as she settled back against the mattress.

  “Probably still at the store. She said she was going to buy something for you to wear when we bust you out of this joint.”

  The witch smiled. “Aw, ain’t she sweet?”

  “Let me see if I can find where she’s at.” Adam reached for his phone, cursing himself for forgetting to turn it back on after taking care of Antonella. He powered it up and checked his messages, finding a text from Ruby and a voice mail message from Marlena. The sight of her number warmed him inside, so he ignored Ruby’s text and went straight to Marlena’s message.

  And then his blood ran cold.

  “What’s wrong?” Cassie asked, concern in her voice.

  Not wanting to freak the poor woman out, he said, “Work emergency.” Before he totally lost his composure, he excused himself and exited the room.

  He listened to the message again as he bolted down the hallway, his heart in his throat as he passed the nurses’ station and took the elevator down to the ground level. In a panic, he called Dmitri.

  “Please tell me you can trace the location of a cell phone,” he said the instant Dmitri answered.

  “Hello to you too,” the Russian replied coolly, the heavy rumble of a car engine in the background. “I take it this is important?”

  “I wouldn’t be calling you if it wasn’t.” Adam dragged a hand through his hair while he prowled back and forth across the sidewalk in front of the hospital. He wasn’t used to feeling this helpless, and he hated it. “Look, can you do it or not?”

  Dmitri muttered something in Russian and then the car’s engine went silent. “Give me the number.”

  Adam did as he was asked.


  Silence. “That’s the shifter’s phone.”

  Adam wasn’t expecting him to recognize the number, but it made sense, considering his connection to Cassie. “Yeah. So? Can you help me find her or what?”

  Dmitri grunted. “Of course I can. Tell me what happened while I power up my laptop.”

  Anxious and impatient, Adam filled Dmitri in while the former reaper did his thing on the other end of the line. There was the faint sound of clicking on a keyboard, followed by a few more mutterings in Russian.

  “How is Cassandra?” Dmitri asked between clicks.

  The question caught Adam by surprise. “Much better. She’s leaving the hospital tonight.”

  “That’s good to hear.” There was the sound of more keystrokes, and then Dmitri finally said, “Found her. She’s at the intersection of Lake Underhill and Chickasaw Trail.”

  “That can’t be right. That’s the hospital. I’m here right now.”

  In the background, Gwen spoke to Dmitri, but her voice was too low to make out the words. Dmitri said, “Good idea,” and then to Adam, “Hold on, let me check something.”

  Each tick of the clock felt like an eternity while he waited for Dmitri to finish doing whatever he was doing. What the hell was taking him so long? Thoughts of what might be happening to Marlena flashed through his mind, and he ruthlessly shoved them aside. With his mate’s life hanging in the balance, now wasn’t the time to lose his head. He took several deep breaths to calm his nerves, but the panic still simmered beneath the surface.

  “Okay, got it,” Dmitri said, and Adam almost jumped at the sound. “Both your phone and hers are in the same location, but Marlena’s is about eighty yards north of your position.”

  North, north, which way was north? It took him a few seconds to gain his bearings, and then he turned right toward the parking lot. He broke into a run with the phone pressed to his ear, streaking between rows of cars. Still, he didn’t see anything. “How close am I?” he shouted into the phone.