Earlier, at breakfast, she’d thought he’d been a bit cool, distancing himself from her and what they’d shared during the long hours they’d spent in his bed. Right now, though, they were only seconds from either trying out his couch or maybe even the floor. She couldn’t wait to find out which it would be.
“Megan, honey, we shouldn’t…”
Not what she wanted to hear. “That’s not what you said last night when I did this.” She really loved the soft slide of flannel over something so deliciously hard.
His voice grew rough. “But Phoebe…”
“Is asleep. We’ve got time, Seamus, although it might make me a little late to work.” She cupped him with a gentle squeeze.
His breath went out in a rush. “Maybe I can have a word with your boss.”
Then he scooped her up in his arms and headed for the couch. When Seamus gently laid her down, she scooted toward the back of the couch, making room for him to stretch out beside her. His knee pushed between her thighs at the same time his mouth found hers. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, relishing the sensation of once again being sheltered by his powerful body.
This time it seemed that neither of them wanted a slow exploration, maybe because they both knew the world outside wouldn’t leave them alone for much longer. She worked her shorts down off her hips as Seamus continued to kiss her senseless. When he realized what she was trying to do, he helped her.
After shifting her onto her back, he settled in the cradle of her body. He pushed his own pants down only far enough to free his cock. And then with a couple of sharp thrusts, their bodies were joined again. He guided her ankles high up around his hips.
“Hold on tight, honey. This is going to be fast and furious.”
She rocked against him and smiled. “Go for it, big guy.”
He grinned down at her response, and then put all his considerable strength into his powerful claiming of her body. She’d never been the focus of such an explosive experience. What was there about this particular vampire who brought out such intensity in her?
Seamus dragged the tips of his fangs across the veins that ran along the side of her neck. He didn’t break the skin, but it was still enough to send her rocketing toward ecstasy. When he offered her his vein, she bit down hard. With a shout, he poured out his own release.
Before either of them could do more than lie there in boneless bliss, the world came rushing back accompanied by a loud rapping on Seamus’s door.
“Megan? Seamus? Sorry to bother you, but it’s an emergency. Rafferty’s been hurt.”
With a muttered curse, Seamus immediately pushed away from Megan, his eyes bleak. “Get in the bedroom. I’ll see what’s going on.”
She was perfectly capable of getting back up off the couch by herself, but a hand up would have been nice. However, it was clear that Seamus had lost all interest in touching her. With her eyes burning, she picked up her shorts and stalked into the bedroom, her pride the only thing holding back her tears.
Maybe she was overreacting. There was no reason she should feel embarrassed if Joss figured out what she and Seamus had been doing. They were both adults, after all. But as she closed the door, she’d risked one more look in Seamus’s direction. She’d never seen him look so grim, so unapproachable. Gone was her smiling lover.
In his place stood a cold-eyed vampire with death in his eyes.
What a screwed-up mess! Seamus heard the click of his bedroom door, well aware that he’d managed to hurt Megan without meaning to. They’d both known they were running out of time.
Joss pounded on the door again. “Seamus, they’ll be here with Rafferty in a few minutes. He’s going to need surgery, but he’s bleeding too badly to wait for the med techs to get here. He needs help now.”
Or he could just let Rafferty die. But Seamus kept that particular thought to himself as he yanked the door open.
“What happened?”
“Witnesses said his transport veered out of control and plowed into a tree.” Joss was pale, her hands shaking.
“Have them take him to the first exam room.”
“Thanks, Seamus. I can’t tell you how glad I am you’re here for him.”
Not if she knew the truth. “I’ll be right there.”
Joss ran back toward the front door of the clinic, leaving him to deal with his other guests. He knocked on the bedroom door.
“Megan, I’ll be out in the clinic with Rafferty.”
She opened the door as he stepped away. “I’ll join you as soon as I change clothes.”
He wanted to tell her to stay away, not wanting any complications until he figured out what he was going to do. He wanted his revenge, but he hadn’t expected an opportunity like this to drop in his lap.
“All right.”
He ducked into the pre-op to grab a set of scrubs to put on. No time to shower, so he washed up at the sink instead. By the time he was done, he could hear voices out in the waiting room. His breakfast churned in his stomach knowing the next hour could very well be the last one of his life. If he let Rafferty die, and Joss figured out it was deliberate, she’d stake him.
He’d thought he was ready to face that possibility, but evidently his will to live was stronger than his need to punish the vampire who’d destroyed his world. And he knew who he could thank for that—Megan Perez. No one could experience what the two of them had shared and think one day like that was enough. But if he was going to die, at least he was going out on a high note.
Joss was hovering over her husband as they carried him in on a makeshift stretcher. She looked like hell and Rafferty looked worse. It didn’t take a medical degree to see why. His right leg was bent at an unnatural angle and jagged bone shards jutted up through the fabric of his jeans. Blood pooled and dripped off the board they’d strapped him to. If he’d been bleeding that badly for long, it might already be too late.
Joss knew it, too. It was there in her terror-filled eyes. “We called for an emergency evac, but they said it would be thirty minutes to an hour before they can get here.”
False comfort wouldn’t help anyone. “He can’t wait that long.”
Rafferty needed immediate help if he was to survive. Even with medical intervention, success was far from a sure thing. Seamus weighed his options. After studying the possibilities, he chose Megan on several levels.
He sought her out in the crowd. “Megan, go put on scrubs. I’m going to need an extra set of hands.”
She backed away. “You need someone who knows what they’re doing.”
“Do you see anyone who meets that description around here?”
They both looked at the cluster of humans, all farmers judging by their attire and the dirt caked on their boots. Megan obviously came to the same conclusion because she handed Phoebe off to Joss.
Seamus nodded in approval. “Okay, we need to get moving. We don’t have all night.”
While he waited, he checked Rafferty’s pulse. It was thready and weak, but the vampire’s eyes opened and looked around until he spotted Seamus. Dazed and wracked with pain, he struggled to talk.
“Don’t waste your energy, Rafferty. You don’t have any to spare.”
Still the vampire fought to speak. Seamus leaned down to listen, knowing his patient wouldn’t give up until he said his peace. Rafferty finally whispered one single word. “Petra.”
Suddenly, Rafferty wasn’t the only one who was having trouble breathing. Seamus stared down at his patient. Their eyes met and held as they both came to terms with their shared truth.
Finally, Seamus nodded. Evidently satisfied they’d reached an understanding, Rafferty gave in to the pain and passed out, leaving Seamus wishing he could do the same.
Chapter 10
Seamus pegged one of the farmers with a hard look. “Call Conlan and tell him to get his ass back here. He may be out of range for a while, but keep trying until you reach him. Tell him what’s happened.”
“Sure thing, Doc.”
“
I’m not a doctor.” Although he really was. “Now let’s get Rafferty into pre-op. We’ve got to get that tourniquet off before it causes more damage.”
“What do you mean by ‘pre-op,’ Seamus?” Joss blocked his way. Every inch of her vibrated with the protective nature of a warrior. “You’re just a medic. Do what you can to stabilize him. That’s all.”
Seamus stared at the bloody mess in front of him. Yes, he could continue this farce of pretending to be less than he was, which would even play into his desire for revenge. It was doubtful that Rafferty would live long enough to make it to the trauma hospital. Without lifting a finger, Seamus could simply let his enemy die.
But that wasn’t going to happen. Somewhere along the line, these people had come to mean something to him. Not just Megan and Phoebe, but also the O’Days themselves and the people who depended on the vampire for their living, for their homes, for the second chance Rafferty had offered all of them.
His decision might come back to haunt him, but his vow to do no harm outweighed his vow to avenge his sister. Time to get moving.
“They can’t get here fast enough, Joss. He’s already lost too much blood. If that doesn’t kill him, the trip will. Let me take care of him. Now, before it’s too late.”
The indecision looked out of place on the chancellor’s face. “He’s all I have.”
“I know, Joss. And if you don’t get the hell out of my way, you won’t have him for long.” Brutal, but it was no less than the truth.
For the second time in less than a minute, he reluctantly made hardcore eye contact with someone and made a promise. “I can do this, Joss. Trust me.”
She drew a shuddering breath and jerked her head in a sharp nod. “What can I do to help?”
“Take care of Phoebe.” Which would give her something to concentrate on besides her husband.
Next, Seamus dragged Megan along in his wake on the way to the pre-op. “Scrub up and put some gloves on. Then start cutting away Rafferty’s jeans while I’ll get him medicated.”
Megan tried one last protest. “Seamus, what if he…”
“There’ll be no if about it unless we get moving.” He realized he was barking at her and softened his voice. “I’ll point at what I need. I just need an extra pair of hands. You’ll do fine.”
Then he glanced at his patient. “You both will.”
With Megan’s help, Seamus had Rafferty stripped, prepped and medicated for surgery in a matter of minutes. Even with his untrained helper, he was able to get IVs started and a unit of blood dripping into Rafferty’s vein. Their species could survive almost any wound as long they didn’t bleed out completely. With transfusions and the right drugs, the older vampire stood a good chance for a full recovery.
Once the bleeding was under control, the next hurdle would be to get the bones realigned quickly enough. Seamus could still try to stabilize Rafferty enough for transport and let someone else take it from there. But left on their own, the bones would solidify as they were, leaving Rafferty permanently crippled. Even if Seamus got them even partly back in place, it would make it easier for a surgical team to try realign them correctly, but as bad as the break was, it was unlikely they’d succeed.
That left one more option. Seamus could come out of hiding and do the complete surgical repair himself. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his decision was made. Time to get started.
Megan studied their patient’s face. “His color looks better.”
“That’s the blood doing its work. Now we need to get him into surgery.”
Together they maneuvered the gurney into the next room and positioned it by the surgical table.
“On a count of three, we’ll lift him over. Are you ready?”
When she nodded, he counted, “One, two, three!”
It was a good thing Rafferty wasn’t awake for that because jarring his leg that much had to hurt like a bitch.
“What next?” Megan kept her eyes focused on Seamus’s face, clearly not wanting to look at the torn flesh and shattered pieces of bone that used to be Rafferty’s leg. He draped the site with sterile dressings.
“Now, we pretend this is a particularly challenging jigsaw puzzle and get to work.”
He pulled the tray of sterile instruments over within easy reach. “Luckily, I’ve always been good at puzzles.”
God knew how many hours later, they were finally done. Megan’s back ached, her head pounded and her eyes stung from sweat. Even so, there was no place she’d rather be than watching Seamus Fitzhugh perform his magic.
She’d known firsthand that he was good at what he did, but watching him put Rafferty’s leg back together was like watching an artist in action. Piece by piece, stitch by stitch, what had been a hideous mishmash of blood and bone fragments became whole again. Right now Seamus was slowly sewing the long incision closed, his tiny black stitches tidy and neat.
“You were amazing.” In so many ways, although right now she meant his gift for healing. “I didn’t know that medics could do something like this.”
Seamus glanced up at her. After a second, he said, “They can’t.”
“But—”
“They also don’t have the training to dispense the kind of medicine that saved your life. Not legally, anyway.”
He went back to his work, leaving her confused about what he was trying to tell her. If medics didn’t do surgery or dispense the medicine he gave her, then that meant…what exactly?
“Come on, Megan, you’re smart. You can figure it out.” Seamus snipped the last thread and dropped the small curved needle back down on the instrument tray.
The truth hit her hard. “You’re not a medic at all, are you? You’re a doctor, and a surgeon at that.”
“Half right. I finished medical school and should have been licensed to practice medicine. However, I lack a few weeks of training to finish my residency in surgery.” He bandaged Rafferty’s leg and then checked his patient’s vitals.
After making several notes in the chart he’d started, he covered Rafferty with a warmed blanket.
She stepped back from the table. “Why pretend to be somebody you aren’t?”
“My reasons are my own.” He adjusted the flow of the IV a bit. “Go tell Joss that her husband came through with flying colors. He’ll be asleep for a while, but she can come sit with him until he wakes up.”
It was clear she wasn’t going to get any more information from Seamus. Whatever was going on in that head of his, he wasn’t ready to share, not even with her. That hurt, plain and simple. She’d seen every impressive inch of him during the past twenty-four hours, but right now she was having a hard time recognizing him at all.
“I’ll go get her.”
The waiting room had filled up since the last time she’d been out there. As soon as Megan appeared in the doorway, both Joss and Conlan were up and moving in her direction. As tired as she was, she let them come to her.
“Is Rafferty—”
When Joss couldn’t go on, Conlan finished the question for her. “Is Rafferty ready to go? The evac chopper landed twenty minutes ago, but we held them off waiting for Seamus to get him ready to transport.”
When Megan started to shake her head, Joss blanched and staggered back a step. Conlan immediately wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulder while Megan hastened to correct herself.
“No, Joss, Rafferty is doing fine. Seamus did an amazing job of putting the pieces of his leg back together. He sent me out to get you so you can sit with Rafferty until he wakes up. Come on, I’ll take you back.”
Conlan followed hard on their heels, his face grim. When they filed into the small surgical suite, Seamus was waiting for them.
“Glad you’re here, Conlan. We need to move Rafferty out of here so I can get the room cleaned up and restocked. I could use your help lifting him.”
“But what about the helicopter? They won’t wait forever.”
“Let them go. They can’t do any more for him than I have and b
eing jostled right now could actually make things worse. If the ride got rough enough, they’d have to operate again. Thanks to his age, Rafferty’s tougher than most. That doesn’t mean he’s invincible.”
The security officer crossed his arms over his chest and blocked the door. “Fine, I’ll call them, but then we need to talk, Doctor.”
That definitely sounded like a threat to Megan, but Seamus only looked resigned.
“No arguments on that count, Chancellor, but not right now. Let’s get your boss situated, and then I need to check if any of that crowd out there is waiting to see me. Once I’ve seen to my patients, I’ll surrender peaceably.”
“Can we trust you with their care?” Conlan kept his voice low, probably out of consideration for Rafferty, but still managed to sound belligerent.
Seamus’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Right now, I’m all you’ve got.”
Joss studied her husband’s pale face and then the bandage on his leg. “Let him, but I want you with him every minute. I’ll stay with Rafferty. Once he’s awake, we’ll decide what to do.”
Then she got right up in Seamus’s face. “And if he doesn’t wake up, you’re dead. Painfully, permanently dead.”
Megan tried to shove her way between Joss and Seamus. She wasn’t sure what all the undercurrents to this conversation meant, but she wouldn’t let them raise a hand to hurt Seamus. No matter what else he’d done, he’d saved her life and Rafferty’s, too.
She dragged her cousin back a couple of steps. “Joss, back off. I know you’re worried and upset. But in case you’ve forgotten, he just saved Rafferty’s leg, not to mention his life!”
Her cousin leaned in close and sniffed Megan’s skin. “Just because you spent the night in his bed doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy, Megan. We both know your taste in lovers is questionable at best.”
Vampire Vendetta Page 13
