by JL Madore
“Seth, dematerialize back to the gas station we passed a mile back. Steal the fastest car there and getcha ass back here.”
Seth was vapor before he finished relaying the command.
Zander peeled off his jacket and checked on Danel. The moment he touched the guy, he sprang forward, eyes wide and gasping for breath. “You’re all right, my brother. We got you.”
It took a few beats until Danel’s mind caught up, but the guy looked tight. “What are you doing here?”
“Scraping you up off the asphalt, it seems.”
“Ronnie,” he said, jolting to his feet, his head pivoting around like a panicked owl. “Where’s Ronnie?”
A shot of cold air hit them, and Zander knew how close Danel’s beast was from fully claiming his human. They were walking a dangerous line. “Two motorcycles left the scene as we arrived. Phoenix is on it. Kang’s priority one. He’s got a red-metal slug playing hide-and-seek inside him.”
Danel shook his head and steadied his footing. “Kang, I’m sorry, man, but I gotta bounce. There’s nothing I can do here.”
“There’s nothing you can do out there either,” Zander said. “You just got knocked stupid and you have no idea where your woman’s been taken.”
Danel shrugged. “I gotta try, Z. You know I do.”
Shit. Before he had a chance to order him to stand down, Danel threw himself to the breeze and hit the ether.
“Your bitch is awake.”
Ronnie blinked down at the ropes tying her to the padded chair. Her scattered gaze flitted around the cabin and tried to focus on the faces staring at her. Fake cop, Duxel, stood at the door, along with two other men dressed in black, combat fatigues. The posh woman in the pencil skirt and Jimmy Choo’s surprised her; though, she wondered how anything remained surprising after the past week.
“Senator Wringly,” she choked, her throat dry. “Imagine meeting you here.”
“Get the girl some water,” the senator ordered.
Ronnie brushed an unsteady hand to her leg and stared at the blood seeping from the gash in her thigh. That was why she felt so shaky and sick to her stomach.
One of the men returned from the kitchen and handed her a cold bottle of water. She needed the fluids but wasn’t a fool. She held it out to Alice Wringly. “You first, please.”
The woman, a long-standing friend of the Henningtons, smiled. “I wouldn’t poison you, Veronica. This was supposed to be simple. The men in Toronto would host you as their guest for two or three days and then, when your father stopped lobbying and the pressure died, they’d let you go. I have no idea how it became so complicated.”
The plastic seal let off a crack before she took a drink and handed it back. “This is business. That’s all. Politics is all about power shifts and alliances. It’s nothing personal.”
Ronnie drank deep, thankful for the refreshing chill cleansing her throat and pooling in her queasy belly. Danel’s body, sprawled out and bleeding, remained hauntingly fresh in her mind. It was personal.
Very personal.
“You’re standing on the wrong side of this fight, Senator. Medications save lives. How is it ethical to inflate the costs by three-thousand percent and then take competing medications off the market? Families dealing with life-threatening diseases already struggle, emotionally and financially. To allow pharmaceutical companies and private research organizations to dictate who lives and dies by jacking up the cost of medication is criminal.”
“Not technically.”
“Semantics,” Ronnie said, finishing the bottle. “Laws need to be changed. That’s all my father is trying to do. Humanity shouldn’t be forfeited because of legal loopholes.”
“That’s not how the world works.”
“No. Not when people like you who take the low road.”
The senator smiled. “It’s easy for you to sit in a position of judgement, I’m sure, but you don’t know—”
“Save it, Alice. My mother’s car blew up right in front of me. I’m excruciatingly aware of how the world works. I believe that most people are good.” She narrowed her gaze on the elegant façade of the woman. “There are just too many greedy, self-important assholes spoiling the population to see it.”
Ronnie shifted in her seat and fought the wave of dizziness that swamped her. “I need a doctor. I’m losing too much blood. I won’t be leverage if I’m dead.”
Senator Wringly glanced down at her leg, her gaze widening as if she hadn’t realized blood was pooling on the floor. “I think there’s a first aid kit in the medicine chest. It’ll have to do.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The door of the massive warehouse squealed along its rails and Zander raced the car right inside. He slammed it into park and bailed out to help Seth get Kang out. “Where do you want him?” he asked Caesar, the medic of Kang’s garrison.
The Roman stalled out, his gaze glued to his commander. Gray and covered in sweat, Kang wasn’t winning any beauty contests anytime soon. Caesar cursed and snapped back to it a moment later. “Get him on this gurney and we’ll take him into the office to see what we’re dealing with.”
Seth got under Kang’s shoulders and eased him out while Zander grabbed the guy’s legs. They heave-hoed him onto the rolling bed and got a move on.
“Based on what happened with Kyrian and Phoenix,” Zander said, “the metal slug has hemorrhagic properties. If it’s intact, it’s a quick removal and his healing will come back on line. If its shattered, you need to find every fucking fragment, or he’ll wither and weaken.”
Kang laughed, but it was more a gasping cough. “Fuck, Z, I forgot what a ray of sunshine you can be. Marriage hasn’t improved your bedside manner any, has it?”
Seth snorted, grabbing a pair of scissors and removing the warrior’s shirt. “Wait until you meet Jackson. That’s what we named Z’s alter ego. When his beast takes over fully, Jackson is one scary motherfucker. He called down a lightning storm and offed Gregor’s personal guard. Twenty daemons, fried extra crispy, in two seconds flat.”
Zander rolled his eyes. “Caesar, did you get the transfusion equipment I told you we’d need?”
“Got it,” Seamus said, jogging in with two heavily weighted tote bags. The Irishman caught a peek at Kang and cursed. “Ah, now, Jaysus, ye told us what these weapons did but it’s hard to believe.” Seamus’ focus shifted, and the warrior cursed again. “Sorry for gawkin’, Z, but boy, those wings are the piss. And the Greek has a set too?”
Zander nodded and took the bags, unzipping them to start the blood donations. He set out the blood bags, two restrictions bands, the alcohol wipes, and the needles. “Seth and I will show you, then we need to track down Phoenix and D.”
“Drina assures us that Nephilim blood is universal between all of us, so, when the rest of the squad get here, they can donate too.” Zander knotted the restriction tube around his arm and opened the alcohol wipes. “Clean the area, hold the needle bevel up, and puncture the vein on a oner. If you’ve done it right, the blood will flow into the bag.”
Zander picked up the bag attached to his vein and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Keep the bag below the arm, fill to the line, and then hand it over to Caesar to administer. Got it?”
Seamus nodded. “I do.”
Zander pulled the needle from his vein and let the last of the blood in the tube drain down into the bag. With a lick of his finger, he swiped his saliva over his arm and the bleeding stopped. He handed his bag to Caesar and Seth tied off the tube on his for later.
“I’ve got my phone if you need me. Just get that slug out of Kang and keep pumping the blood until you do.”
“Thanks, Z,” Seamus said, raising a fist for a bump. “Best of luck to ya, boys. And kill the bastards who did this, will ya? Slow and painful.”
Zander connected to the GPS on Phoenix’s phone and Seth did the same. When they had the signal to track their brother, Z nodded to Seth. “Let’s finish this.”
Danel materialized against the c
hinked-log wall of a cabin. Dusk had taken hold of the afternoon and in another twenty minutes, night they would be hidden in full-dark. Back-flatting next to Phoenix, he raised his hand to speak. Since the loss of his right hand, Danel’s communication with his brother wasn’t perfect, but they managed to muddle through.
How many inside?
Phoenix handed him his phone. He had the gallery open and had taken shots from the edge of the window to give them an idea of what they faced inside.
Duxel, plus two lackeys, and Ronnie bound in a chair in the middle of the room.
A human woman left five minutes ago. Fancy car. Seemed to know Ronnie.
Danel couldn’t stand the idea that someone who knew Ronnie could do this to her. She was the strongest, sweetest woman he’d ever met. And for what? Money?
Phoenix smacked him in the chest and glared.
Right. Shit. He cut off his beast’s growl and shrugged. Let’s get in there and get her home.
Phoenix held up his index finger. There’s more.
What?
She’s bleeding. Leg wound.
Danel stared closer at the picture, his beast lunging against its tether. All the more reason to get in there.
Phoenix shook his head. I’m betting as soon as the scent of her blood hits, your beast will flip. Seth and Z are one minute out. Four is better. The three of us for the demons. And you go straight for your girl.
The idea of waiting gutted him, but the logic was sound. Damn, he wished it was darker, so he could look in the window without being seen. He studied the photos on Phoenix’s phone again. Duxel and his men would die for the tears on Ronnie’s face. He’d make sure of it.
Seth and Z materialized beside them and Danel had never been so thankful for the arrival of the Sumerian. Zander looked tired, the dark rings under his eyes more pronounced than usual. Phoenix raised his hands to signal.
How do you want to play this, D?
Danel was taken back by the consideration but wasted no time talking that out. You three on the demons and I get the girl.
Zander nodded. Done deal . . . on three. Three. Two. One.
One thing Danel had never doubted about Zander in all the endless years of combat was that the Sumerian was one of the most lethal and strategic males in all the realms. He served as Tanek’s second-in-command for millennia, had advised and fought in the legendary battles of many of the dynasties of rule, and was one of the toughest sons of a bastard there was.
Three Leviathan punks didn’t have a chance.
As the four of them breached the cabin, he headed straight for Ronnie and his beast nearly came untethered. Feral fury poured through him as the scent of her blood, terror, and heartrending sadness overwhelmed his senses.
The animal in him demanded that he get his mate to safety. The warrior in him wanted to slay all those responsible. There was no contest. His beast acted on instinct alone. Nothing mattered but getting Ronnie free from this prison.
He needed to check her wounds. He needed to ensure her safety. He needed to claim her as his own.
Mine, his beast snarled. He snapped her bindings and pulled her to his chest. Unconscious, her arms fell limp at her sides. He carried her into the small bedroom and laid her on the bed. His skin lit with tingling awareness, a deafening hum gaining ground inside his head.
He gripped the tear in her pants and tore the fabric back. The gash was deep. Danel stroked a hand down her cheek, the fragility of her body so apparent in her weakened form. A wound like this wouldn’t have taken down a healthy person, but Ronnie’s body already dealt with too much.
Phoenix rushed in with a damp towel and a POS dime store first aid kit. Danel turned and snarled. “Leave it and get out.” Grief threatened to swamp him. He couldn’t handle another male seeing Ronnie’s exposed body. Not like this.
Mine, his beast hissed again.
He took the towel and cleaned the abrasions the best he could. If Kyrian was here, he could heal her, inside and out. All he had to offer was sealing the wound.
Lowering himself to the floor beside the bed, he folded over her leg and swept his tongue over the gash. Inch by painstaking inch, he laved the torn flesh until his Nephilim healing properties stopped her bleeding.
Please, sweet Lady, let her heal and be well.
I love her.
Danel gathered Ronnie in his arms and pulled her delicate form into his lap. Why deny it. He couldn’t claim her with her failing health, he understood that, but he could at least admit it. His beast would be uncontrollable if they mated and she died.
And she would die. Too soon. It was just a matter of when.
“Danel?” Zander said, easing into the room. “We need to get Ronnie home to her bed. It’s past time for her next round of meds and her father’s worried.”
Danel swiped his cheeks and tried to process. His heart clenched with such emotion that he truly wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with it. “Yeah, okay. Tell Phoenix to bring the car around. He can drive, and I’ll stay with Ronnie.”
Yes, his beast and he agreed on that. They would stay with Ronnie . . . for as long as they had together.
Ronnie woke to the warmth of a man’s touch and a powerful stirring in every cell of her body. She’d been vaguely aware of the fight in the cabin and the car ride home. She remembered bits and pieces of her father handing her pills and fussing over her. The one and only thing she remembered with acute clarity was Danel. She remembered the deep, rich tone of his voice when he’d come to rescue her. The reverence in his embrace as he pulled her into his lap. The worry in his strange, whiskey-colored eyes as he’d tended to her wounds.
“Did you lick me?” Her voice cracked, her throat sore.
Danel shifted on top of the bed beside her and propped her up to drink. When she’d had enough, he eased her back to her pillow and smoothed the comforter over her.
“Nephilim have unique healing abilities. I closed the gash on your leg with my tongue, yes.”
She thought so. That was both strange and erotically kinky. “I remember thinking that if you only moved six inches to the right and up a little, how much better it would have been.”
He brushed back the hair on her cheek and chuckled. “You were hardly in any condition for me to go down on you. Not to mention that Zander and the twins were there. If they saw you like that, I’d have to kill them. It would’ve gotten very bloody.”
“You sound like my father . . . always taking on the world, fighting to defend my honor.”
He shrugged. “That’s what real men do.”
“So how are you here? He’s never allowed a boy in my room. With everything that happened, I can’t believe he left you here in my bed.”
Danel winked. “First off, I’m on your bed, not in it, and technically, Howton didn’t give me permission. After Aibileen shooed me downstairs to get you settled, I materialized through your open bedroom window.”
“Well then, I’m thankful that you’re resourceful. So, how upset is Daddy? What does he know?”
“He knows everything that happened and is understandably furious. Phoenix showed him the pictures of the woman who targeted you and he lost his mind. He wanted to call in every marker that every person owed him to take down Senator Wringly but Zander calmed him down.”
She frowned. “You have to stop with the mind control. That can’t be good for him.”
Danel chuckled. “He didn’t mind control him, Ronnie. Z is a master at strategy and explained the benefit of us having the upper hand. We know who’s behind the attacks on you and where and when she might try something. Her window is closing. Kang and his men will watch her, and we’ll let things play out over the next forty-eight hours.
“We’re your personal security until after your father has his say and the votes are cast. It seems you’re stuck with me for a bit longer.”
Such a heartache. Ronnie nuzzled against his collarbone and breathed him in. Danel had a unique scent. His skin was impossibly soft and gave off t
races of rugged man blended with a natural, earthy spice. Hard to describe but very distinct. It sang to her. Made her nipples hard and her core wet.
Danel grew still and groaned. “Whatever you’re thinking, try something else. You’re recovering here, and your arousal is enough to make me forget that.”
“Are you fighting the urge to behave?”
“Absolutely.”
She pressed a palm against the front of his jeans. Denim could neither hide nor contain Danel’s steel erection. And why try? The man was drool-worthy and breathtaking.
“I can’t help but notice that I’m wearing nothing but a t-shirt and undies and you’re fully dressed. Hardly seems fair.”
She popped his button from its mooring and lowered the zipper. “I deserve a reward after the day I had. I was nice to you in the hospital, remember.”
He swallowed and licked his lips. Gawd, that tongue. She could still feel him licking her wound. Another pulse of arousal hit. His eyes rolled back as he fisted the duvet. Did she really have that power over him?
She worked his jeans over his hips and he lifted to let her shove them further down. “Will you check my thigh and give it another onceover—just to be sure it’s closed up?”
Danel kicked his legs free and then his socks and shirt got tossed. Kneeling on the bed before her, Ronnie couldn’t imagine any sight as beautiful as Danel naked. His muscles flexed as he prowled. His powerful thighs, his washboard abs, his thick biceps. He was a foot taller than her and more than a hundred pounds heavier.
And strong. So incredibly strong.
She peeled back the blankets and arched her breasts. “I need more tending to, Dr. Broody. A full-body exam.”
The sultry curve of his mouth made her sex weep. “Then a house call is in order. Take off your shirt and panties. I’ll need to be very thorough.”
Yes please. Ronnie whipped that t-shirt over her head and tossed the bra. Next, she bucked her hips to shimmy off her undies and tossed those too.
With lightning reflex, Danel plucked her underwear from the air. He pressed the wadded silk to his face and breathed deep. Something flashed in his expression that she didn’t understand. He waggled his brow. “I need these.”
