“They’ll allow it. You don’t snarl at them, they won’t go for your throat.”
The vampire eyed Travis a moment longer and then shook his head. “I can’t talk to you when you’re naked, dude. Put some clothes on.”
∞∞∞
Morgan approached the bed carefully, trying to keep her rage contained as she looked upon the unconscious body of one of her best friends. Jamie’s eyes had been loosely wrapped with gauze, the white stark against the blackened flesh that was now shiny with ointment. A thick coating of the same was also smeared around the woman’s mouth from nose to chin to assist in healing where the wires had torn through her skin when Jamie had attempted to scream. What blood Kane had managed to get into her had helped bring down some of the swelling and minor bruising, but he’d been absolutely right that she would need more – more blood, more time. The beating Jamie had endured had been brutal.
Her hands were propped on pillows on either side of her, each finger now splinted and tightly wrapped with bandages so that the bones would mend. Kane had done his best, but the Born was far from a medic and Travis’s plan to bring her to the pack healer made sense. A human doctor was out of the question, but if Jamie ever wanted full use of her fingers again, she’d need more than just a patch job for the bones to knit back together properly.
“This is my fault,” Kane said, his voice riddled with guilt as he came up alongside Morgan. “If I had been with her…”
“Then Rodolfo’s thugs would have found another opportunity to grab her. She obviously stumbled upon something they didn’t want her to see or share.” The specificity of the injuries clearly pointed to that.
“When that redhead showed up at my door, I should have known, should have guessed. She was too desperate to keep me there but I ignored the signs. I was thinking with my dick,” he growled with a disgusted shake of his head. “And Jamie paid the price.”
Nothing Morgan could have said just then would have alleviated Kane’s guilt. Only Jamie would be able to do that when she woke. So, instead, she changed the subject. “We need to get her into the SUV and out to the bayou. The dawn’s coming quick.”
Kane nodded, his eyes still on Jamie. “I heard your man talking to someone named Archer on the phone. I assumed he was either talking to the pack alpha or the healer to let them know we were coming in.”
“Archer Langley is alpha.”
Another nod. “I’ll get her ready to go.”
Morgan blew out a tired breath. A Born had died tonight. One who held a large territory. And potential witnesses could have seen that he was killed by a shifter after an attack initiated by the leader of the Order of Witches. Should the Elders hear of it –whenthe Elders heard of it – war was inevitable. She would have to report it, but the Elders could wait. Her team came first. Always.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Upon reaching the swamps, Jamie had immediately been taken into the healer’s cabin where the pack had gone to the trouble of covering every window with heavy blankets to keep the sun out. Their thoughtfulness, their efficiency, and care despite the animosity between their two species touched a chord inside Morgan. She wouldn’t forget this. They didn’t know it yet, but this pack had just managed to secure a place on Morgan’s decidedly short list of people to whom she owed her loyalty.
“She’s in good hands,” Travis whispered into her ear as he pulled her tight to his side.
Morgan nodded and leaned a bit heavier into him, grateful for both his support and the heat of his body, especially after seeing the mangled mess the healer had revealed when the woman had unwrapped the bandages to inspect the damage done to Jamie’s hands. Morgan had a pretty strong stomach, but still, it had rolled in protest of what she had witnessed.
Needing something else to focus on, Morgan cleared her throat. “Any ideas on how we’re going to get Sophia off Rodolfo’s property?”
“Archer and some of his men are coming with me tonight.”
Morgan’s forehead crinkled with confusion. “Shifters are strong, but not that strong. I don’t think he has enough men to lift her. She looked heavy. Rodolfo probably used a whole crew of vamps to get her in there.”
“These shifters happen to work in construction. We’ll be using some heavy-duty equipment to get her out safely.”
Morgan imagined a scene of bright yellow trucks, flashing lights, and loud beeping as they backed up to retrieve Sophia. “Not very stealthy,” she warned. “And won’t that get you in trouble with your chief or whatever if you get caught removing things from an active crime scene?”
Travis shrugged, “It won’t matter since I won’t be staying with the force.”
“Oh?” Not wanting to get her hopes up, Morgan waited with bated breath.
His hand tightened on hers as he whispered, “This sexy vampire I know offered me a job and I’ve decided to take her up on it.”
Morgan’s grin was wide as she turned and wrapped her arms around Travis’s neck. “Oh, really?” she teased. “And does this sexy vampire have a name?”
His eyes went fiery yellow, striated with black, his pupils contracting as his dragon made its presence known a moment before he tipped his head to kiss her.
Leaning into the kiss, Morgan’s fingers skated into his hair with one hand while the other sunk lower, sliding into his back pocket to grip his backside. His answering rumble was a sexy growl that immediately made her core throb with need.
“Take it outside, you two,” the healer barked. “Your pheromones are messing with my senses.”
Feeling like a naughty teenager caught by her parents, Morgan pulled away from Travis and offered an apology to the healer while trying to get her need under control and her breathing back to normal.
