by L. D. Rose
Kasen nodded as he popped a clamp from one of her lines, allowing a fresh bag of saline to flow into her. “She hasn’t awakened yet but her vitals are strong. She had a rough time initially, but she’s bouncing back pretty fast. She’s definitely a fighter, this one.”
Yeah. That was an understatement.
Blaze tried to shift toward her, but the anchor of his own lines brought him to a halt. Where her lines were on the left, his were on the right, and he glanced at the IV pole looming over him. Three sets of empty bags of blood and saline hung along the stainless steel bar, with a fourth set halfway finished.
“That’s probably the last of it,” Kasen stated in that clinical voice of his, but Blaze sensed the thread of emotion beneath. “God knows you lost plenty.”
Blaze eyed the candy red juice flowing into his arm, the catheter embedded in his vein and strapped down by clear medical tape. He didn’t even want to think about what kind of monster he would’ve awoken as, enraged and blood-starved, if Kasen hadn’t transfused him.
“You knocked me out again, didn’t you?” Blaze turned back to his brother, the goddamn miracle worker.
Kasen smiled again, but the wariness disappeared, leaving only warmth and relief behind. “Twice in a few days, that’s a record for you.”
“Yeah.” Blaze’s lips twitched. “Thanks. Again.”
Kasen pinned him with a half-serious glare. “If you thank me one more time, I’m going to punch you in the mouth.”
“Jeez, Kase, give him a break, he just woke up.”
They both looked up to find Dax crossing the archway’s threshold with Veronica on his heels. Still fully geared up, blood spattered and grinning, his eyes shone with warmth and relief, much like Kasen’s. He stopped at the foot of the bed as Veronica peeked around him and waved, wearing scrubs with her hair haphazardly thrown up in a bun.
“Looking good, Diablo.” Dax folded his arms over his chest and jutted his chin toward Valerie. “How’s the femme fatale?”
Blaze smiled but it quickly faded. “She isn’t awake yet.”
“She’ll wake up soon, I’m sure.” Veronica moved closer, scanning Valerie with the same intensity Kasen had, as if she had x-ray vision and could see through anything. “Sometimes having familiar voices around, even if she’s only subconsciously registering them, is a comfort.”
I sure hope so. Blaze focused on Valerie’s hand, limp in his, his thumb feathering over her wrist.
“Nabila’s dead,” Dax announced, a rumble of triumph in his voice. “Probably evaporating in the sun by now.”
Blaze’s lips curved. “You?”
He broke out his Dax grin. “Of course, who else?”
“Good.” Blaze chuckled wearily. He’d relish that same sense of satisfaction, exhausted or not. He pushed away the fresh memory of that vampire bitch, wrapped around him, sucking him dry. She was gone, just like her master. Finally. “I’m glad.”
Dax nodded, his expression growing solemn. “Yeah, me too. I’m glad you’re both all right, man.” He leaned over and clapped Blaze’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Let me know when she wakes up.”
“I will.”
Then, as if on cue, Valerie’s hand tightened around his.
Blaze spun toward her as she stirred, his heart galloping in his chest. Veronica grabbed Kasen’s arm and started to drag him out of the room while Dax backed away from the bed. “Looks like I spoke too soon—”
“Out, out, out,” the doc whispered harshly, with much protest from her fiancé.
“Baby, I need to check her—”
“They need to be alone,” Blaze vaguely heard her say.
Valerie let out a soft, almost painful moan, squeezing her eyelids shut. She attempted to lift her hand to her face with much difficulty, as if trying to block the sun.
Blaze quickly yanked out all of his lines, knowing Kasen would kill him, but right now the ability to hold her was more important. She squinted, her eyelids fluttering as she shifted toward him.
He brought a hand to her cheek, caressing it. She automatically leaned into his touch before realization struck her and her eyes snapped open. He looked into those gorgeous olive green irises and murmured, “Hey, beautiful.”
She blinked several times, as if she couldn’t believe what she saw. He knew the feeling. “Blaze?” She looked confused and disoriented as she attempted to sit up.
“Easy, easy.” He stroked gentle fingers down her healed throat. “Stay calm. Everything’s all right. We’re home.”
Her eyes frantically searched his face as he kissed the center of her palm. “Home?”
“Yes, home. It’s over.” He brought her palm to lie flat against his face. “It’s all over.”
Valerie’s eyes shone with tears, but she must’ve beat them back into submission because none fell. Her hand moved against him as she stroked his cheek, caressed his jaw, and cupped the side of his neck, right where Cyrus had ripped him open.
“You’re here,” she croaked, voice hoarse.
He smiled. “I’m here.”
“And I’m here.”
“And you’re here.”
Her eyes widened as she murmured, “Are we dead?”
He laughed, elation filling him to the brim. “No, we’re not.”
“Are you sure?”
Blaze leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, kissing her softly, tenderly, sweetly. She tensed for a moment, but soon framed his face with both hands and deepened the kiss, penetrating him with a desperation that spoke of a fear and desire second only to his own. He closed his eyes and scooped his arms beneath her, bringing her as close as possible, desperate to feel every inch of her against him. He reveled in her taste, her smell, her touch, wanting to stretch that moment out forever, needing it to last just in case this was a dream after all.
Valerie broke the kiss first, withdrawing just far enough to look at him. Her lips were flushed and swollen, making all of that freshly transfused blood rush straight to his groin. “We’re alive.”
“Yes.” He stole another kiss, unable to resist. “We are.”
Her eyes flicked to the IV lines in her arm. “Cyrus. He’s . . .” She paused, frowned. “He’s—”
“Dead,” Blaze affirmed. He still had a hard time believing it himself. “He’s dead. Because of you.”
“And Kasen?”
“Saved you.” Blaze ran the pad of his thumb over her lower lip, the words piercing his heart. At least his brother had succeeded where he had failed. “He healed you.”
“And you.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “He healed you too.”
“Yes.” More than you’ll ever know. “He healed me too.”
“I love you.”
Her words didn’t register at first, but when they finally seeped through his fogged brain, he went still. He gazed at her, stunned and speechless, unable to utter a sound. A fresh wave of tears made her eyes glisten, and this time, she didn’t fight them off; they beaded at the corners of her eyes and spilled into her ears. Her smile took his breath away, but he’d already been sucked of oxygen.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you.” Her voice cracked, emotion clogging her throat as the words poured out of her. “I’m sorry I doubted you. If I didn’t, none of this would’ve happened—”
Blaze seized her lips, smothering her words, unwilling to let her go any further. Valerie made a small mewl of surprise but she quickly met him with the same intensity, clutching him as if she wanted to crawl inside him. Eventually, with much effort, he pulled away, coming up for air. He kissed away her tears before murmuring, “Don’t you dare blame yourself for what they did. Ever. Do you understand me?”
Her chin quivered as she nodded, but now it was his turn to spill his guts. “I should’ve told you about what happened
to me, what I’ve done in the past.”
“Blaze—” She opened her mouth to protest, but he pressed a finger over her lips to silence her.
“I shouldn’t have kept that from you. I should’ve told you everything. And now I will.” He traced her mouth gently, grateful to have the chance to do so. “No secrets, no surprises. But I’m warning you, it won’t be pretty.”
“I don’t care.” She lifted her chin in that sexy little defiant way he’d always adored. “I can handle it.”
“I know you can. And that’s why you need to know everything if you want this. If you want us.”
“Okay. But it won’t change a thing.”
“I hope so.” He brushed her hair back, wiping away her steadily flowing tears. “And one more thing.”
“What?”
“I love you too.” Blaze smiled slowly. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
She grinned at him, looking positively radiant with her wet, vibrant eyes. “Maybe.”
“Well, now you do.” He kissed her softly before he breathed against her lips, “And don’t you ever forget it.”
EPILOGUE
“So that’s it? You’re going to quit, just like that?”
“Deron, please.” Valerie heaved a sigh. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
Her partner stared at her from across the red Formica tabletop in Bella Vista, two steaming cups of untouched coffee in front of them. All scruffed out, Deron’s dark hair had grown some, along with a five o’clock shadow. He wore a black T-shirt and jeans, giving up on the dress shirt and tie today. He looked weary, tired, as he always did, but for some reason he seemed worse today. As if he’d been steamrolled, peeled off the street, then run over by a Mack truck.
He frowned and tore his eyes away from her, looking down into his white mug. Valerie couldn’t tell if he was angry, sad, or frustrated, but he was definitely upset.
God, she didn’t want to upset him, but she had to tell him. She would’ve rather he heard it from her mouth than any of the fellas back at the station.
She stole a glance at the far corner of the café, where Blaze fidgeted restlessly. He sat in the sun with his own cup of coffee, the rays caressing his tawny skin like liquid gold. He wore his default pair of dark denim jeans, white tank top, work boots, cut-off gloves and sunglasses, looking the same as he had when they first clashed here. He stuck another piece of gum in his mouth, his third in the past fifteen minutes, and Valerie smiled. Blaze hadn’t touched a cigarette in nearly a week and he was a nervous wreck.
Not to mention irritable, cranky, and sexier than ever.
He caught her gaze and smiled before jutting his chin in Deron’s direction with a questioning look. She shook her head, frowning.
Deron spoke up, grumbling, “They’re probably going to stick me with Smith, that wanksta fool.”
“Hey now, Smith is a good detective.”
He gave Valerie an are-you-shitting-me look. “Seriously, Val? Are we talking about the same Smith here? Rookie Smith? The Eminem wannabe? Slim fucking Shady Smith?”
“We were both rookies once. Give him a chance, maybe he’ll impress you.”
Deron grunted. “Yeah, right.” He snatched a packet of sugar from the holder and dumped it into his coffee. “I can’t even stand him in the office, never mind out in the field.”
“You weren’t excited about me when I came on board,” Valerie said in amusement. “Scrawny white blond chick with a chip on her shoulder? I thought you were going to jump off a bridge.”
His lips twitched. “Yeah, well, you made up for it.”
“Damn right, I did. I saved your ass more times than I can count.”
“Ditto, blondie.” He glared at her playfully, but it didn’t last long as he focused on his coffee again. “So what made you change your mind?”
The question was a bit hesitant, and even though she’d expected it, she thought about it for a moment anyway. “Being away made me realize a few things.” She spared another glance at Blaze, who now watched the two of them intently. “Like I’ve been missing out on—” She trailed off, trying to find the right words to say. “I don’t know—”
“Life?” Deron cocked a brow.
More like love, but I’ll take it. “Yeah, something like that.”
“I guess I can relate.” He finally settled his dark gaze on her. “You only have one life to live, after all.”
Valerie nodded, meeting his gaze and seeing honesty there, but there was something else she couldn’t quite place her finger on. “And so do you, Deron.”
He let out an abrupt laugh. “Yeah, well, the station is my life. If something changes, then it changes, but I like the way things are rolling right now. This is good for me.”
Valerie knew he was lying, but hell, she wasn’t any better. Just because she was leaving the NYPD didn’t mean she’d stop hunting vampires. In fact, she would be doing the exact opposite.
Except now she’d hunt them with a team of hybrids instead of the police force.
“So, what are you going to do now? Eat bon-bons and watch soap operas all day long?”
“Hell no. I’d rather eat my own eyes.”
Deron winced and chuckled softly. “Ain’t that the truth. But seriously, what’s the deal? You have some secret plan or something? You going to join the vigilantes?”
Valerie grinned, glad to see the humor in his eyes. “Maybe. But I can’t tell you—”
“Or you’d have to kill me. I gotcha, you freaking predictable cheeseball.” He let out another laugh.
“I do have someone I’d like you to meet, though.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, really.” She waved Blaze over. Deron gave him a quick cursory but when Blaze stood, towering toward the ceiling, her partner’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
Deron turned to her, stunned. “Are you—”
She nodded before he finished, entirely amused by his reaction. She’d had the same response when she’d first met Blaze. “We are.”
Valerie scooted over as Blaze slid into the seat beside her in a smooth, fluid movement. He slipped one arm behind her back, resting his hand on her hip, and stretched the other across the table toward Deron.
“I’m Blaze. Pleased to meet you.”
Deron gaped at Blaze’s scarred hand as if it were foreign, and something seemed to register on his face. Valerie’s heart skipped a beat as she glanced at Blaze, whose regard stayed locked on Deron.
Does he remember?
Finally, Deron took his hand, frowning. “Have we met?”
Blaze shook his head. “I’m sure I would remember you.”
“Yeah, and I sure as shit would remember a name like Blaze. You got a last name?”
Blaze exchanged glances with Valerie, smirking. “No.”
Valerie rolled her eyes. Oh, Christ.
“No?” Deron looked between the two of them, a bit confused and a lot put off. “What are you, fucking Madonna?”
Here we go.
She could almost feel the laughter bubbling up inside Blaze but he managed to keep a straight face. “More like Batman.”
Valerie grinned as Deron’s brows shot up, her partner dividing disbelief equally between them, as if Blaze had just admitted they were aliens. Then his face cracked as he let out a hearty laugh. “This is a joke, right?”
Blaze shook his head. “No joke.”
“Well then, Batman, where’s your cape?”
“In my Batcave, where else would it be?”
“Oh, will you stop it?” Valerie whacked Blaze’s chest, but Deron kept on going, egging Blaze on.
“You got a Batmobile too?”
“Of course.” Blaze poin
ted out the window. “Right there.”
Deron followed his lead to find a black Ferrari 599 GTO parked at one of the meters in front of the shop. His jaw went slack. “Bullshit.”
Blaze removed the keys from his pocket and tossed them over. Deron caught the ring and flipped through them until he found the key with the black stallion.
Surprise bloomed on his face as he uttered, “You’re serious.”
“I am,” Blaze replied, looking quite satisfied with himself. “You want to take it for a ride, Detective?”
Deron’s head whipped up and his eyes grew huge, like a kid in a candy store. “Hell yeah, I do.”
“Go on, then.” Blaze tipped his head. “There isn’t enough room for three of us. Just don’t get any scratches on it.”
“Or blow it up,” Valerie added, earning a glare from Blaze.
Deron leapt to his feet, excitement radiating off him like sunshine. Mr. Doom and Gloom was starting to look more like a chocolate Richard Simmons. “He’s good for you.” He pointed at her, winking.
She laughed. “I always did like Batman.”
“That’s right.” Deron grinned and she half-expected him to click his heels. “I’ll be back.”
He nearly ran out of the shop, leaving his untouched coffee behind.
She snorted. “You do realize he’s never coming back, right?”
Blaze dragged her closer to him, chuckling. “That’s okay. I know where to find him.”
She nestled against him, inhaling his scent deeply. Lifting her eyes, she sensed the heat of his gaze behind his shades. “And you do realize you’re his new best friend, right?”
