The doctor grabbed her cell phone and punched a number. “Need a surgical team. Werewolf. Severe trauma. Can’t be moved,” she said, nodding to her invisible interlocutor.
“Maximus Prize—” The policeman swung his gun in an arc.
Max’s hand shot forward and grabbed the weapon by its muzzle, jerking it away from the man’s hand. “The shifter who did this is out there.” His nostrils flared. “Can’t you smell her scent? I told you it’s Louise Dortmund who attacked this she-wolf.”
“We are here to take you into custody,” the man said, looking at his mates, who lowered their eyes. “Another team will take statements and start an investigation.”
“If you aren’t going to do your job, I’ll do it.” Max stepped around the man, heading for the door. “I’ll walk myself into district headquarters later.” He couldn’t do anything for his daughter or Vivienne, but he wouldn’t let Louise get away this time.
“Stop!” the man shouted. “Shoot him,” he told the others.
Wilson moved in front of Max and raised his arms. “You’ll have to shoot me first.”
“You—” The policeman’s voice shook. “Shoot him, too!”
At the door, Max threw the gun back at the policeman before saying to the doctor, “Save my girls.”
29
Max followed Louise’s scent outside into the thankfully-deserted parking lot; the press must have gathered exclusively in the front of the hospital. Unfortunately, any trace of the woman disappeared under the steady drizzle. Feeling caged even if he was outside, he paced all around the perimeter of the lot, sniffing the air for the hateful perfume he associated with Louise. He combed the place, moving between the parked vehicles. Judging from the absence of exhaust particles, no car had recently left or entered the parking lot.
A day’s worth of frustration, anger, and fear weighed heavily on Max’s shoulders. He was about to turn and run back into the hospital when he caught a strong whiff of Aurore. He followed the smell to a dark corner. A heap of torn clothes lay discarded on the concrete. Louise had shifted and left.
His dragon roared, demanding Max finally let him out.
Shouting his anger to the night, Max shifted. The dragon’s long wings flapped, and he was high over the clouds a heartbeat later. He blinked, double eyelids opening to reveal the slits of his red eyes that could see anything in a ten miles range.
Focusing on the flying pattern of the nocturnal birds populating the sky at that time of night, he looked for anomalies created by the path of another dragon. The rain had intensified and was now a downpour. Max didn’t mind the rain, it cleaned the sky and made a large bird all the more visible. When large wings fluttered, they dislodged bigger quantities of water.
Soaring above Seattle, Max’s dragon used the thermals to keep hidden and upwind from Louise. Beneath him, the city sprawled up and down its hills, sleeping neighborhoods placed side by side with the nocturnal districts and their pubs, nightclubs, and bright lights. Until three nights ago, those places would have been Max’s hunting grounds.
A colony of bats flew by the Space Needle, casting a shadow against the bright white of the futuristic structure. The bats’ high-pitched screeches warned Max’s dragon a predator was nearby.
He veered, leaving the cover of the clouds to investigate his hunch. The sky opened, and moonlight cut the landscape in white and black, light and darkness, unveiling details that would have remained otherwise hidden. The bright metal panels that made up the Museum of Pop Culture shone in flashes of purple and orange and silver.
Feeling a shift in the air, Max’s dragon circled the museum. He tilted his head and angled his ear down. The pitter-patter of rain against the metal structure created a lulling pattern. A whoosh made him turn, and he caught the tail end of a moving shadow. Mirrored on one of the silver sheets, the silhouette of the Space Needle stood out, and so did the she-dragon perched on top of it. Her tail lazily dangled from the side, calling him to her in the mating ritual of their species.
Fury hotter and blinder than he had ever before experienced possessed Max’s dragon. His powerful wings propelled him up, reaching the she-dragon in the blink of an eye.
Mine, the she-dragon sang in his mind.
Never, Max’s dragon answered. The image of Vivienne’s wolf appeared out of nowhere, but its meaning couldn’t have been clearer. His dragon had just declared who his mate was.
The she-dragon recoiled. Her thoughts transformed from love to pure hate as she pushed her memories into his mind.
Max’s dragon bellowed when she showed him how she had cornered and tortured the small wolf before nearly severing her head. The next image she sent him froze his heart. In her human form, Louise held Amber Rose.
As soon as you are in prison for Lauren’s murder, I’ll adopt your daughter. Thanks to my connections, the papers are in order. Don’t think for a moment that I’ll let your parents have her. I’ll ruin them as I’ve ruined you, and your daughter will end up with me. I might raise her to hate you, the she-dragon whispered in his mind. Or I might drop her as I did with her mother. Or I can make her life miserable. So many—
Roaring, Max’s dragon attacked her with his talons outstretched, hooking her feathery flesh in an unshakable grip. Jerking her around, he threw her against the Space Needle several times. Only when her head lolled to the side did he finally drop her.
He watched the evil dragon fall to the ground, her wings smashing against the concrete as blood seeped from beneath her broken body. It wasn’t enough to kill a dragon, but it was enough to incapacitate her so that he could take her to Seattle Shifter PD where the dragon department would put her behind bars.
Louise deserved to die for her crimes, but Max wouldn’t become a murderer because of her and risk being separated from his daughter.
30
After dropping Louise’s dragon on the roof of Seattle Shifter PD, Max flew back to the hospital. When he landed behind the Pediatric Ward, he found Wilson and his mother waiting for him. Luck was on his side because the press hadn’t thought to climb the parking lot’s walls yet.
“How are Vivienne and Amber Rose?” Max asked as soon as he transformed into his human form.
When neither his mother nor his friend answered him right away, his hopes sank, and he fell to his knees.
“They are both alive,” his mother said, rushing to hug him tightly. She rocked him as she used to when he was little and scared by the dark shadows under his bed.
“They are both alive, but they aren’t any better,” he said, knowing that his mother was hiding something from him.
“Don’t despair.”
“Mom,” he whispered. “I’m so lost.”
“It’s okay, Max.” She stroked his back, but not even her tender caresses could lift the heavy weight from his chest.
A cab entered the parking lot.
“Is that Dad?” he asked, recognizing the man exiting the car.
“He went to your place to grab a change of clothes for you,” his mother answered. “We had a feeling you were coming back here.”
It was a little thing, but it made all the difference to Max, and he was glad Wilson had called his parents because he needed them by his side more than ever.
“Thank you, Dad,” he said to his father when he walked to him with a garment bag.
“Called Hugo on my way to your penthouse,” his father said, handing the bag over. “I assume it’s not the first time he had to prepare a change of clothes for you.” His smile was thin, but it was an attempt at humor, and Max appreciated the effort.
“Most like the one thousandth time.” Max smiled back. “The man is a keeper,” he commented when he opened the bag and found jeans, shirt, shoes, and socks.
“There’s an army inside, waiting for you,” Wilson said as Max put on his clothes.
Both his friend and his mother were drenched, water dropping in rivulets from their uncovered heads.
“You’ve been waiting outside to warn me,” M
ax said.
“We didn’t want to risk the police following us, so we led them on a merry chase inside the hospital. Doctor Kalisten let us through a personnel door that opens on the other side of the parking lot,” Wilson explained.
“Going back inside isn’t the smart thing to do.” His mother looked over his shoulder at the Pediatric Ward’s entrance. “But that’s exactly what I would do if you or your father were in there, so let’s go.”
“Just sent the doctor a text,” Wilson said.
His father nodded in encouragement, and the four of them hurried around the corner as a patrol car entered the parking lot. The vehicle’s lights illuminated the stretch of concrete where they were hiding, flattened against the wall.
A door opened, and Doctor Kalisten leaned out, gesturing for them to hurry. The panel closed behind Max’s father who entered last, but thankfully, a moment before the police car drove by.
They ran the entire length of the floor, using the staff-only areas and keeping out of the communal hallways as they moved further inside the ward. Finally, the doctor let them inside a room and closed the door behind her.
“How are they?” Max asked.
“Both in critical condition,” the doctor said. “The blood for Amber Rose arrived.”
“That’s good news.” Max’s heart galloped wildly.
“It is.” There was hesitation in the doctor’s voice.
“But?” He pressed his hand against his chest. Something was wrong.
“Amber Rose is AB Negative and a half-breed. It’s such a rare combination. There’s a short supply of her blood type coming from half-breed donors which is the only kind her body can accept,” the doctor said.
“Didn’t the Blood Bank send enough?” Max looked around, meeting with blank stares. “What is it that you aren’t telling me?”
“We gave Amber Rose the blood already,” she paused. “Your friend needs blood, too, though.”
“Then give it to her.” An overwhelming sense of doom filled the air. Max could breathe it in, and it poisoned his lungs, making him choke.
The doctor hugged herself. Under the harsh, white light of the room, the dark circles under her eyes looked bluish, giving her an exhausted air. “She is AB Negative and a half-breed, like your daughter.”
“You are saying that there was only enough blood for Amber Rose.” Max heard himself say the words as if someone else had spoken instead of him. How could fate be so cruel to give him good news only to follow with bad news?
“Children are higher priority than adults.” Doctor Kalisten massaged her temple with two boney fingers. “Vivienne’s wolf is fighting hard, but without a transfusion, she isn’t going to make it.” She gave Max a sad smile. “I wish I could do more. I’m sorry.”
Pain gripped Max’s heart as if a cold hand was squeezing the organ. It hurt too much. He swayed, looking for a chair, anything to hold on to.
His father took his elbow and guided him to the low couch in the corner.
The doctor continued, “We’ve called every Blood Bank in the States—”
“Call the rest of the world,” Max said, interrupting her.
The sympathetic look the doctor gave him almost broke Max.
“Vivienne needs the blood as soon as possible. Even if we find her exact type in Europe or Asia, it would take too long to arrive here. Seattle Shifter is one of the most technologically advanced hospitals in the world, but we simply don’t have enough time,” the doctor said, her eyes filled with sadness.
“Keep looking for it. I’ll arrange for a private carrier.” He looked at Wilson, who was already reaching for his phone. “Hire as many jets as needed,” he said to his friend before turning to the doctor once again. “Just keep both of them alive.” He took his head in his hands. “Please.”
The doctor’s cell phone rang. She took a brief glance at the screen and moved to the door. “Stay in this room. I’ll be back.”
31
Seconds became minutes. Minutes became hours. His parents and Wilson tried their best to keep Max calm, but the more time passed without news, the more he feared the worst.
By the time Doctor Kalisten came back, Max was ready to cave in the walls of the small room. Everybody stood at once.
“We found a donor in Toronto,” she said to Max before turning toward Wilson. “Nurse Nelly is sending you the information you need right now.”
“On it,” Wilson said as his cell phone chimed. He moved to the corner where he started making calls.
“How’s the situation?” Max folded his arms across his chest, tucking his hands under his armpits to still the tremors he couldn’t hide any longer.
“Amber Rose isn’t stable any longer.” The doctor pressed a finger against her temple where a vein visibly throbbed against the pale skin. “Her condition has worsened in the last few minutes.”
“But she got the transfusion. She should be better.” If possible, an even heavier weight than the rock sitting on Max’s chest dropped on his lungs. How long before his heart would shatter in a million pieces?
“She might need more than a transfusion.” The doctor moved to the chair Max’s father had vacated and slumped down onto it. “Please, sit.” She waved at the empty seats.
Max waited for his mother to take a chair before lowering himself to the low sofa he had occupied earlier.
The doctor placed both palms against her thighs and straightened her back, raising her face to look at Max. “If Amber Rose’s heart functions keep deteriorating, we’ll need to intervene.”
Silence fell into the room like a cold blanket. The doctor’s words numbed Max’s thoughts but not the pain cleaving his heart.
“Amber Rose will need more blood,” the doctor said. “We hope that the supply coming from Toronto will be enough.”
“How’s Vivienne?” Max’s voice was a choked whisper.
“Still alive.” The doctor raised one hand to her hair to move a stray lock that had escaped her ponytail. “She’s a fighter if I ever saw one.” She briefly rubbed the corner of her eye. “Her wolf has managed the impossible so far.”
Max heard the silent “but” the woman didn’t say out loud. “I want to see Vivienne.”
The doctor shook her head. “We’ve kept her in the waiting room because we couldn’t move her. But it’s at the other end of the first floor. We’ll have to cross the communal areas where police and reporters are waiting for you.”
“I don’t care.” Max stood on unsteady legs. The room spun all around him. He braced himself against the wall. “I need to see her.”
“I understand.” Pushing herself up, the doctor stood, too. She didn’t look more stable than Max when she took her first step toward the door. When Wilson and Max’s parents made to follow, she raised one hand. “It’s better if only Mr. Prize comes with me.”
Max nodded at them. “I’ll be fine.”
Doctor Kalisten led him through the Pediatric Ward and across deserted hallways until they reached the common area’s entrance. Placing one hand on the large door, she said, “Unfortunately, there’s no other way to reach the waiting room.”
“That’s okay.” Max would mow down anyone in his path if necessary.
As soon as the doctor opened the door and Max emerged from behind the minute woman, flashes and questions went off at the same time. Like grenades, they hit Max at once, leaving his dragon disoriented. The mix of too-bright lights and shouts irritated the beast who bellowed in Max’s mind, demanding to be released to burn down the journalists. They blocked the hallway to the waiting room, while a cordon of policemen kept the horde from crowding around Max and the doctor.
One of the cops left the line. Max recognized him as the detective who had questioned him at his apartment. The man walked the few steps to the door where Max stood with one arm raised to his face to shield his eyes from the flashes.
“Maximus Prize, you are under arrest for the murder of Lauren Green,” Detective Welder said, reaching for his handcuffs.<
br />
“I don’t have time for this.” Max stepped forward, towering over the man who was the tallest of the group and barely reached his Adam’s apple. “My daughter and my soulmate are fighting for their lives. I’m not going to leave them alone.” He then walked to the center of the room and straightened to his full height. “Move.” His alpha voice parted the crowd, police and reporters alike.
Although the press kept firing their questions, nobody dared to stop him, and Max led the way for the doctor. Outside the waiting room, two cops guarded the door alongside Mrs. Lanetti, who sat in one of the plastic chairs in the hallway.
Usually impeccably dressed, his lawyer’s outfit showed a few wrinkles on her white shirt, and it looked like the same suit she had worn earlier at his apartment. A smidge of mascara darkened the corner of her eye. It seemed like days since he had seen her last, but only a few hours had passed.
“Max.” Mrs. Lanetti nodded. “Mr. Saints redirected me here from the precinct in case you needed me.”
“Thank you.” Max nodded back and turned to face the two men standing between him and the waiting room’s door.
Before he could say anything, Doctor Kalisten stepped in front of him. “We’re going inside,” she said.
The bigger of the two men looked down at her. “You can go in. He’s under arrest and comes with us.”
Max had enough already. “Out of the way.” His order was a low growl that reverberated in the hallway like a rumble.
Hit by the full power of Max’s alpha voice at such close quarters, the two men could only bow and step aside to let him through.
“I need a moment alone with her,” Max said as he entered and saw there were two nurses in the room.
The man and the woman looked at the doctor standing behind Max.
“It’s fine,” Doctor Kalisten said.
Max let the nurses through and closed the door behind him, taking in the sight of Vivienne’s wolf. Her shivering body lay on a blanket, while portable heaters kept the room toasty. He knelt by her, sinking his hand into her fur. Someone had cleaned her and wiped away the blood from the floor. The small wolf smelled of antiseptic and felt cold under his fingers despite the heat from the radiators. Her breathing was ragged.
The Alpha’s Gift_Bad Alpha Dads_The Immortals Page 12
