Blaze (The Protectors Series) Book #10

by Teresa Gabelman

  A moment later, Slade headed toward them, and the room became silent. He stopped halfway as Jared met him. They talked quietly and then Jared took off running down the hallway, and Slade came closer to them.

  “She’s alive,” Slade announced, looking at Adam who was holding on to Angelina. “But we’re not out of the woods. The bullet nicked her heart. If she survives the next forty-eight hours, she will still have an uphill battle and her life will never be the same. This isn’t good. And honestly, me and the surgeon are both surprised she is still alive.”

  Katrina swallowed hard. It wasn’t fucking fair. Her father had disrupted so many lives and once again a life would be altered because of his evilness. She glanced in the direction Jared had fled. Two lives would forever be changed.

  “I’m sorry.” Slade looked at Adam.

  Adam only nodded, then cleared his throat. “Can we see her?”

  “One at a time.” Slade waved Adam toward him. “I’ll take you. Jared’s in there now. Everyone else might as well go home. There’s nothing anyone can do at this point. If you pray, I’d say she could use some right now.”

  Shell-shocked, Katrina sat rigidly. She heard the soft, quiet cries from those around her, but all she could do was sit and stare. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Blaze squeezed her hand, then pulled her out of her chair and held her.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered into her hair, but this time, she didn’t believe him.

  Chapter 29

  Katrina punched the bag as hard as she could over and over again. Each punch released some of her pent-up rage. It had been a week since Tessa was shot and she still wasn’t allowed to see her. All she was being told was she was recovering slowly, that was it. She had asked Slade every single day. His response was always the same. Man, if he wasn’t so big, she would punch him in the gut. Jared was never around, which she understood, and Adam just didn’t talk to anyone other than Angelina.

  She hit the bag again, then kicked it wishing it was her father’s face as well as the DA’s. That fucking weasel, the DA she knew was working with her father, found a way to take control over the arrests of her father and his men. How could that even happen? The system was rigged and crooked, and always had been.

  This time she used elbows, pounding the bag as hard as she could. She knew her father’s arrest had been a setup to spread the Warriors out so they could take her. She knew the Drakes all too well. Her father had also ensured that he and his club would not be under the Warriors for long. She had no doubt he and the asshole DA had worked it out beforehand.

  Her father had a far reach and until they realized that, they would never take down the Iron Drakes. She had been watching the court docs online and told Blaze she wanted to be there, but he refused, saying that he would be there to make sure justice was done. She even said she wanted to testify against them, but Sloan felt there was no need since they had a solid case. She knew better. She also knew that it would be a miracle if her father and the rest of the MC actually made it to their court date.

  “Fuckers!” She unleashed on the bag like it was one of the three men she hated the most. Her father, Breaker, and the DA asshole, whatever his name was.

  “Calm down, killer.” Blaze wrapped his arms around her, receiving an elbow in the stomach. “Hey!”

  “Stop. I’m working out.” She wiggled out of his grasp and continued to hit the bag.

  “Katrina!” Blaze stopped her and turned her to him. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “That’s really a loaded question.” Katrina swiped a strand of hair out of her face, but it sprung right back. “Ugh, I’m going to cut this mess one day.”

  “No, you are not,” Blaze ordered with a growl, nudged her hand out of the way to move the strand himself. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I’m just grumpy.” Katrina huffed then tried to go back to the bag, but he stopped her again.

  “That I know.” He grinned but lost the grin really quick at her glare. “What I don’t know is why.”

  “Okay, you really want to know?” Katrina tried to take the boxing gloves off, but couldn’t, so she used her teeth to pull the straps.

  “Here, let me.” Blaze took them off for her. “Now tell me.”

  Dammit, why couldn’t he be a dick right now so she wouldn’t feel so bad about being a bitch? “I’m pissed.”

  “Yeah.” Blaze nodded, cocking his eyebrow.

  “No one listened to me about my father and his dealings with the DA, obviously,” she started, and when Blaze started to open his mouth, she shook her head. “You want me to tell you? Because if so, you need to let me finish before you try to defend.”

  Blaze crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Please, continue.”

  Katrina narrowed her eyes at the hint of sarcasm in his voice. “I want to go to the hearing of my father and the rest of them.”

  “No.” Blaze didn’t even blink.

  “Why?”

  “Because.”

  “Without my testimony, they’re going to get off. That is if they make it to their court date, which is doubtful,” Katrina warned. “They always get off.”

  “Not this time,” Blaze responded with maddening confidence.

  “How can you be so sure of that, Blaze?” Katrina sighed, feeling defeated.

  “Because we have others who have stepped forward to testify against them with enough evidence to put them away for a long time.” Blaze reached out and removed the unruly strand from her face again. “Why do you want to put yourself in that position when you don’t have to, Katrina?”

  She knew the answer to that question but doubted he would understand. “Because I’ve stayed silent for so long.”

  “Once they hear what these people are going to say, there is no way any of them will get off.” Blaze pulled her into his arms.

  Katrina allowed it this time, pressing her cheek against his chest. She wasn’t as sure as he was. She and her mother had thought the same thing so many times, only to have her father come back a free man.

  “Is that all?” Blaze asked, his large hand rubbing circles on her back.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I want to see Tessa. All I get from Slade is ‘she’s recovering slowly.’” She mocked Slade’s voice.

  “And you don’t believe him?” Blaze looked down at her, and she could tell he was trying not to grin.

  “I mean, yes, but no.” Katrina shrugged. “I just want to see her. I won’t upset her or anything. Is there a reason she doesn’t want to see me? Does she blame me for what happened to her?”

  Blaze was silent for a minute. “Go shower while I make a phone call.”

  “Oh my God. Does she blame me?” An overwhelming sense of panic threatened to take Katrina to her knees. Blaze knew something and wasn’t telling her. “Is she really okay?”

  He tipped her face up to his and kissed her softly. He then pointed her toward the showers and gave her a gentle push. “Go shower.”

  “You’re so demanding,” Katrina mumbled as she did what he said.

  “You didn’t seem to mind it last night,” he shot back.

  Katrina rolled her eyes even knowing he was right. She hadn’t minded it at all last night.

  ******

  As soon as Katrina walked out of the women’s shower room, Blaze hung up the phone. “Get your stuff.”

  “Stop being so damn bossy.” Katrina knew she was a pain in the ass, but she couldn’t help it. When she worried, she was snippy with some bitchy thrown in. She blamed it on her red hair.

  Blaze didn’t rise to the bait and waited for her at the door. She didn’t question him when she got on the bike to where they were going. It wouldn’t matter anyway; she wasn’t getting anything she wanted. Okay, not only was she being snippy and bitchy, she was wallowing in self-pity, feeling sorry for herself.

  Suddenly her mood dawned on her. She was due for her period. She snorted and rolled her eyes. Of course her luck would be to finally have
an out by being a vampire, and ta fucking da, the whole vampire thing didn’t work for her. She still had her period. Or as Slade called it, her menstrual period. She snorted again. Yeah, she was pissy with the doctor.

  “What are you snorting about,” Blaze called over the roar of the engine.

  “Nothing,” she called back, then sighed. He wouldn’t understand anyway. Then she saw it and wanted it. “Hey, can you stop so I can get a chocolate milkshake?” Yep, her period was about to show with a vengeance.

  Blaze didn’t question it; he just pulled in and rode up to the speaker.

  “Welcome to Pete’s Burgers, can I take your order?” The guy’s voice sounded as if he would rather be saying anything other than “Welcome to Pete’s Burgers.”

  “Yeah, I’ll take a large chocolate shake. Do you have extra chocolate by chance?” Katrina bit her lip, then her gaze met Blaze’s in the mirror. “What?”

  “Nothing.” Blaze looked away.

  “Ah, nope, just regular chocolate,” the guy’s voice answered. “Anything else?”

  “No, that’s it.” Katrina was still looking at the menu. “No, wait. I’ll take a large, no make that a jumbo order of fries.”

  The intercom crackled and was silent for a minute. “Ah, we don’t have jumbo.” The guy seemed real confused. “We can supersize it.”

  “Then supersize them fries, dude,” Katrina replied into the intercom, then noticed Blaze’s shoulders shaking. She smacked him on the shoulder. “Hush!”

  The intercom was silent for a minute. “Pull around to the window.”

  Blaze slowly inched up, then stopped at the window. “That will be five-fifty.” The guy at the window stuck his head out. “Nice bike, man.”

  “Thanks.” Blaze stood, reaching into his back pocket pulling out his wallet and handed the kid money.

  Katrina looked in the window to see all the girls staring out trying to see Blaze. Hell, she couldn’t blame them. She glanced at his ass while he accepted the change and put his wallet back in his pocket before sitting and riding to the next window. He was a fine-looking man, no doubt about it.

  “Hi.” The girl at the window smiled at Blaze. “It will be just a minute.”

  Blaze gave the girl a nod as he adjusted his stance on the bike.

  “I bet all the girls want to ride your bike.”

  “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Blaze glanced at her in the mirror.

  “Nothing, just an observation.”

  “Jealous are we?” he teased with a grin.

  “No, not at all.” She felt like smacking him, but refrained.

  “Damn, baby,” a man’s voice called, followed by a whistle. “You can ride my—”

  “Motherfucker, you best keep on driving.” Blaze glared, showing fang at the guy in the truck who had been busy staring at Katrina rather than focused on who was in front of her.

  “Holy shit! My bad, man.” The guy peeled out, almost hitting a car backing out of a parking place.

  “Jealous much?” Katrina snorted, then took her shake and bag of fries when the girl handed them out the window. “Thank you,” she politely told the girl, who was still staring at Blaze.

  Blaze growled, but took off carefully since she had her hands full. She didn’t even question pulling up to the compound. They had been spending time at the house fixing it up here and there. Her mind had really been on other things, so not much had been done.

  Once inside, she headed toward her room, but Blaze stopped her and led her in the opposite direction. They went through a door she had never seen before, and then he pushed an elevator button.

  “I didn’t know there was an elevator,” Katrina said before sucking on her shake. Seeing him watch her, she pulled it out of her mouth and offered it to him. “You want some?”

  His eyes darkened as a grin appeared.

  “Of my shake.” She rolled her eyes, but her insides quivered at his look. The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. Blaze pushed a button and the doors closed. “Seriously, elevator music?”

  “Sid thought it would be a nice touch for when we take people to the cells downstairs.” Blaze chuckled.

  “So where are we going?” Katrina frowned. Too busy feeding her face, she had no idea what was going on.

  The door opened into a long hallway and at the end was a door. Blaze held the doors open as Katrina walked out and they headed to the door at the end. Blaze knocked and they waited.

  The door opened, and Katrina saw Jared, but her eyes then focused on who stood behind him.

  “Oh my God!” Katrina set her food down and rushed past Jared. “You’re okay.”

  “I’m fine.” Tessa smiled, showing gleaming fangs. “Never been better.”

  Chapter 30

  Blaze watched Tessa and Katrina talk excitedly. He knew Katrina had been worried about Tessa, guilt weighing her down. He hadn’t known anything until he’d called Jared, asking if Katrina could see Tessa for only a few seconds. That was when Jared had told him he’d turned her.

  “How’s she doing?” Blaze asked, looking away from the women.

  “Good, still having a little problem with control.” Jared frowned, then shrugged. “It takes time, but she’s doing really well. After the surgery, she wasn’t coming out of it. Slade told me to make the decision because things weren’t looking good. And even if she came out of the forty-eight-hour period okay, her life wouldn’t be the same as before. He really couldn’t promise anything. It was a no-brainer for me. I went to Sloan and he got it approved. Even if he hadn’t, I would have changed her, but I wanted to try the right channels first, and we had time to do that.”

  “I’m glad for you both.” Blaze slapped him on the shoulder.

  “Wish I knew which motherfucker shot her.” Jared’s voice was fierce, his eyes darkening. “But bullets were flying everywhere.”

  Hearing that, Blaze frowned, thinking that Katrina could have also been shot and wondering what would have happened to her. He didn’t even know if she was a full-blooded vampire because of the human traits she still possessed.

  “What?” Jared broke into his thoughts.

  “It’s nothing.” Blaze shook his head, then his brows dipped. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Shoot.” Jared leaned against the counter.

  “With Tessa being human for most of the time you’ve known her, she had, you know….” Blaze looked at him as if he should know exactly what he was talking about.

  “Ah, no, not really,” Jared replied. “Had what?”

  “Her girl thing.” Blaze waved his hand like that said it all. “You know.”

  Jared stared at him for a minute. “Her period.”

  “Yeah,” Blaze said a little too excitedly.

  “What about it?” Jared was now looking at him like he was some fucking weirdo.

  “What did she do? I mean, did she have a lot of pain, or how did you know she was, you know, doing that?” Blaze was falling all over his fucking words, but dammit, this wasn’t normal talk for him.

  “Jesus, man.” Jared chuckled. “Had a hard time spitting that out, didn’t ya?”

  “Fuck you,” Blaze hissed. “This isn’t something I’ve ever talked about before.”

  Jared looked over at the milkshake. “Chocolate?” He nodded toward it.

  “Yeah.”

  “She eating weird shit?”

  “If dipping french fries in her chocolate milkshake is weird, then yeah.”

  “Moody, snappy, and crying a lot?”

  “Definitely.” Blaze frowned.

  “Yep, she’s on her period…. Hey, wait a fucking minute.” Jared looked at Katrina and then to Blaze. “How the fuck is that possible? She’s a vampire. We don’t have periods.”

  Blaze cocked his eyebrow at him.

  “Fuck, you know what I mean. Her, them, female vampires don’t have periods.”

  “She does.” Blaze frowned.

  “Does Slade know?”

  “Yeah, and he
can’t explain it. The only thing he can figure is what she was given to change her into a half-breed was tainted.” Blaze glanced over when Katrina laughed. “She has human traits such as sleeping, her thing—”

  “Period,” Jared supplied.

  “Yeah, that, and she doesn’t heal like we do.” Just talking about it made it all too real. “Even me changing her into a full blood and her feeding from me hasn’t helped.”

  “Well, man, if anyone can figure it out, it’s Slade. He is one fucking hell of a doctor.” Jared opened his arms up for Tessa to step into them. “He’ll figure it out.”

  “Figure what out?” Katrina finished off her shake, then tossed it in the trash. When Blaze and Jared shared a look, she frowned. “What?”

  “As soon as Slade gives us the go-ahead and we can get out without having to worry that Tessa is going to eat a human, we need to go to dinner.” Jared cut off what could be an uncomfortable conversation about women’s monthlies.

  “I’m not going to eat a human.” Tessa smacked Jared.

  “Damn, woman.” Jared rubbed his chest. “Remember your strength.”

  Katrina laughed. Blaze loved to hear her do just that. She leaned against him, the movement natural. He didn’t know what he would do if something happened to her. The thought both terrified and angered him.

  ******

  After saying bye to Tessa and Jared, they walked to the elevator hand in hand. Once inside, she laughed again at the elevator music.

  “Thank you,” she said once the doors closed.

  “For what?” Blaze pushed the button before looking down at her.

  “For making sure I saw Tessa. Did you know?”

  “No, not until I called while you were in the shower.” Blaze once again held the door open so she could step out. “But don’t say anything. They want to be the ones to tell everybody.”

  “I won’t,” Katrina replied, then frowned. “But I hope they told Adam. I didn’t even think to ask.”

  “They did. Jared told me that he, Sloan, and Slade are the only ones who know.” Blaze stopped, looking down at her. “You want to go to the house?”

  “Sure,” Katrina said, but then smelled something amazing. “After we see what’s cooking. Man, that smells good.”