BloodSworn (22 page)

The kid hastily stepped back, fear brightening his eyes,
then he straightened. “She’s leaving.” Then his gaze dropped to the weapons,
and he relaxed. Almost smiled. “Keep her safe.”

Merrick grunted as the kid disappeared at a run down the
hallway. The boy was loyal to Trina and that was enough for Merrick. He shut
the door behind him then quickened his steps, anxious not to be late.

Slipping outside was easier than it should’ve been. He
covered the ground quickly. The few men who’d spotted him nodded and kept their
distance. Merrick scaled the wall and waited in the shadows.

 
Chapter Twenty-four

T
rina
drew the last vial of blood and put it in the fridge with the others. It was
all she could spare and still stay standing. As for fulfilling her end of the bargain,
it was pathetically little.

She wanted to stay, finish her research and see where it would
lead. Chances were she’d never know, and she swallowed the ache at the back of
her throat. She took out the note she’d written and set it on the desk for
Glenda with detailed instructions on what to do to extract a vaccine.

She scribbled Merrick a dozen letters, but tore up each one.
There was nothing she could say that would make him understand.

Trina lingered in the room almost like she wanted to get
caught. It took more strength to walk away from the Den than it had taken her
to leave the coven so many years ago. She could’ve made a spot for herself here
if circumstances were different.

With her heart heavy, Trina headed outside. She clung to the
shadows, timing the guards. It took close to twenty minutes to cover as many
feet, Merrick’s increase in guards, making things tricky.

By the time she reached the outer wall, she was sweating. Freedom
had never felt so empty. The hollow sound of her footfalls landed on the
sidewalk. The walk turned into a run, anything to get away from the wild urge
to head back to the safety of Merrick’s arms.

She rounded the corner and skidded to a stop when a form emerged
out of the darkness.

Someone had been leaning against the wall, the shape so hauntingly
familiar that her heart leapt in her throat.

Big man.

Broad shoulders.

A deadly predator in wait

She wanted to see Merrick so badly that her mind was playing
tricks on her. She took one step back when Merrick’s scent reached her, and her
body refused to retreat.

He had come for her.

She wanted the good-bye kiss that should’ve been hers, but
she feared she wouldn’t be able to leave if she dared indulge now. Then she saw
the bag. The pleasure of seeing him dressed in mouth-watering black dimmed as fear
for his safety rose.

“Merrick.” All that came out was a breathless whisper of
pure want.

He straightened. His face was so hard she realized it was
the Leo and not Merrick before her. “I’m going with you.”

Her heart leapt in excitement and dread. She wasn’t sure how
to feel about his declaration. “Is there anything I can do to convince you to change
your mind?”

“No.” Such a simple answer broke her heart.

“Your pack…” She was speechless at everything he was
giving up for her.

“You are my pack.”

Those four words devastated her resolve. She walked up to
him, unable to look away, and leaned her forehead against his chest to hide
tears. “Thank you.”

His arms hesitantly came around her, and he rested his cheek
against the top of her head. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

She nodded against his chest. It was an easy answer. She
didn’t have the strength to leave a second time.

He pulled out something from his pocket, and she found her
missing hat plopped onto her head. She gave a watery laugh. His hands skimmed
down her arms in a distracting way, and he laced their fingers together. “So
what’s your plan?”

Trina snorted. “Plan? The only things I can think about are
getting my sister back and not getting caught in the process.”

“So we’re going into vampire territory.” He sounded almost
cheerful.

When he said it aloud, it didn’t sound like the brightest idea
she’d ever had. It terrified her to drag him into her mess without some
reassurance that he’d remain safe. She rubbed her arms, conscious of being out
in the open where anyone could spot them. “We should leave.”

Merrick hitched his bag on his shoulder and took off down
the street. She scrambled to catch up. “Where are you going?”

“If I was searching for you, I would have people watching
the Den and Oz. We need to get off the street.”

“We could go to the gym.”

Merrick shook his head. “If those two incompetent witches we
first ran across found you there, we have to assume others have worked it out
as well.”

She shivered at how close they’d come to finding her, and she’d
been unaware until she nearly stumbled over them. She reasoned with herself
that she would’ve disappeared if Merrick hadn’t been there, but to be truthful,
she was tired of running.

Five blocks later and closer to the city, Trina glanced over
her shoulder.

All she saw was darkness.

“That’s the third time you glanced back.”

Trina shrugged, unable to rid herself of the disturbing
feeling she was missing something. “I keep feeling we’re being watched, but I don’t
sense any threat.”

Merrick wrapped an arm around her back and, despite the
danger, lust heated her blood. He increased his stride until she had to run with
her much shorter legs to keep up with him. “Yeah, like this is not
conspicuous.”

Merrick slowed his pace. When they passed a dark alley, he
jerked her into the opening, nearly startling a scream from her.

“What—”

“Shhhh.”

The wrist he grabbed was her injured one, but instead of pain,
she felt an all-consuming need to rub up against him. She held perfectly still,
barely breathing for fear that she would put action to her devilish thoughts.

They waited in silence. She was very conscious of Merrick’s
body pressed against hers. With him wrapped around her, she felt safe for the
first time since the night of her parents’ murder. Unable to resist, she leaned
into the temptation of Merrick’s body, thrilled to hear the little growl that
escaped him.

She shivered at the touch of his breath on her neck, his
arousal pressed so intimately against her. Attraction wasn’t anything new to
her. She understood pheromones. She understood reaction to adrenaline. Her
scientific mind rationalized it as a normal reaction.

But what she felt wasn’t in any sense of the way normal. They
were in an alley that stank of trash and urine. The brick wall at her back scratched
her through her clothes. Temperatures were dropping, they were being followed, could
possibly die, and all she wanted to do was pull him behind the dumpster and
demand that he give her the kiss he’d been taunting her with since they’d first
met. His direct touch made her forget everything, including her name.

“Merrick…” Her lips brushed his throat, and he jerked away,
dropping her arm as if he were afraid she would strip off her clothes and demand
he take her up against the wall.

“You keep doing that, and I won’t be responsible for the
consequences.” Cool air circulated between them, but to know that he was as
deeply affected as she was helped take away the sting of his rejection.

When a shadow passed the opening, Merrick whirled, snatching
up the person and slamming him against the wall.

On shaky legs, Trina circled around them, keeping her
distance for fear of a relapse. Then she got a good look at their follower.

“What are you doing here?” Exasperation had her looking down
the street to see if the whole pack had decided to follow them.

Weston gazed at her as if he wasn’t being held by his
throat. “I gave my word I would keep you safe.”

As if he said the magic words, Merrick slowly released him.

“But the pack—”

“I promised to protect you, not the pack.”

Trina was overwhelmed by both men, and their willingness to
give up their lives to help her and her sister.

Weston peered into the street. “We have to keep moving. I
know a place where we can stay tonight.”

Merrick nodded and shouldered his pack again.

“That’s it. We just take him with us?” Trina crossed her
arms, not happy to be leading another person into her personal hell. “I will
not be responsible for dragging you both into danger.”

Merrick turned swiftly and cupped her chin. The sting of her
anger faded at the scorching heat in his eyes. “Don’t you know by now that you
can’t make a shifter do anything they don’t want to do?”

“But it’s insane. What can the three of us do against the
vampire nation? They can’t afford to kill me, but that doesn’t apply to either
of you.”

Weston stepped closer, angling his body to see the alley
entrance and her. “Move now, talk later.”

Some of his urgency infected her, and she nodded. She gazed
at Weston and realized how he’d found them.

Her.

A subtle smell of magic rose from him, and she suspected he
used the blood she left behind to track her.

They moved from shadow to shadow, drifting from one street
to another, avoiding the densely populated areas in favor of vermin infested
allies.

The fast pace allowed her mind to shut down to focus on
crawling through garbage and climbing over walls. They paused at the end of a
dead alley, and Trina glanced at the high walls. “Where to now?”

Weston put his shoulder against a decrepit dumpster and pushed.
The rusted wheels shouldn’t have worked, but the monstrous metal box shifted
without a sound.

“Watch your head.”

Merrick ushered her forward. She expected to see a wall, but
was greeted by a black hole. Curiosity edged out exhaustion. With one last glance
at Weston, Trina stepped into darkness.

 
Chapter Twenty-five

H
ands
grabbed her from the darkness. Trina jumped, but then recognized the zing she
always felt at Merrick’s touch and allowed him to draw her farther into the warehouse.

Matches struck, sulfur scented the room, and she saw Weston
light some storm lamps. Nothing ran on batteries as they lose their charge
after a while. The warehouse was abandoned, but there was evidence that someone
had cleaned the area. A small kitchenette was against the far wall, a bed that
was nothing more than a cot and a couple of bottles of water.

Nothing luxurious, but it had all the comforts of home with
Merrick next to her.

“We’ll rest here for the night. I’ll take the first watch.”
Without waiting for them to answer, Weston scaled the ladder behind him and escaped
through the skylight, leaving them alone in the silent gloom.

It shouldn’t have been cozy, and if she could see beyond the
puddle of light, she was sure it wasn’t. There was something about the intimacy
of being alone with Merrick, without interruption, that sent her pulse racing.

Trina puttered around the makeshift room, trying to avoid
being near him, which was laughable in such a small space.

The room had three walls. Two were created from the bricks
of the building, while the last wall was partition consisting of a line of boxes
that had seen better days. The floor was cement and the celling disappeared
into the darkness.  

When there was nothing left to explore, she finally allowed
herself to sneak a peek at her silent companion. Merrick’s paleness concerned
her, his limp had returned in the last hour. After today, he had to be
exhausted.

She watched him retrieve at least a dozen knives from his
person, setting them within easy reach. He pulled out another one, which meant
he more than likely had another half dozen hidden on him.

“I think you should take more blood.”

“What?” Merrick whirled to face her.

“My blood helped you heal. In fact, your limp was gone until
you pushed yourself. The next few days are going to be taxing.” She unwrapped
her wrist and held her arm out to him.

“You don’t know what you’re offering.” His voice was gruff,
those eyes of his devouring, and she couldn’t prevent herself from shuffling
closer.

“I know enough. I’m not willing to lose you because you’re
stubborn.”

He took a step toward her, snatched her hat off her head and
tucked it into his pocket. Her heart thundered in her chest at his nearness and
the intensity of his gaze when he looked at her. Instead of taking her arm, he
cupped her chin and kissed her.

The unexpected, raw emotions knocked her on her ass. The
kiss was rough and anxious, as if he thought she would protest at any second.
It devastated her defenses. Her fingers fluttered, and she half expected to be
scorched if she dared touched him. Her hands slowly settled on his chest, and she
crept closer, lured by the heat and the promise of his deceptively simple, but
potent kiss.

When he pulled away, she teetered and almost followed him
when he held up his hand. “Wait.”

He was speaking, but she didn’t understand a word. It was
like he’d shut off her drip of morphine and expected her to be coherent.
“What?”

“Do you know how shifters claim their mate?”

This answer was important, but she couldn’t make sense of his
urgency, not when her body craved another taste of him. “No.”

She took a step toward him, and he backed away as if she had
the bubonic plague.

“There are three stages to claiming a mate. You and I are at
the last stage. If I take you, you will be mine.”

She knew she should be concerned, but being claimed by him
sounded like the best idea they’d had all day. “Okay.”

Her answer seemed to stupefy him for a moment. His eyes
darkened as if he could see them together then he shook his head to clear those
images from his mind. Desperation flavored his next words. “It’s the bite mark.
My touch makes you crave me, makes you more susceptible to my advances.”

Trina studied the oh so innocent wound. The puncture marks had
scabbed over but were still sensitive to the slightest touch. She looked at
Merrick and shook her head. “Your logic is faulty. I wanted you before you bit
me.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. “I want you, I
won’t deny it. If I touch you or take more of your blood, I won’t be able to
stop myself from claiming you fully. Think about this before you do anything
you’ll regret. Once we take this step, I will never let you go.”

Trina didn’t smile, didn’t move. “And does that make you
mine?”

“Completely.”  

Part of her knew this was wrong, that he was an alpha and
should be mating with a shifter, but she was selfish. For the first time in
years, she wanted something for herself.

Merrick.

She would not give him up.

She remembered Weston’s shame when he mentioned his
connection to a Familiaran. She wouldn’t regret her choice, but part of her
wondered if he would.

Disappointment clouded Merrick’s face when she didn’t immediately
answer. He turned and grabbed his pack, avoiding her gaze. “Take the cot and
get some sleep.”

Sleep was the last thing on her mind. Part of her recognized
that the bite had heightened her emotions and her desire for Merrick, but those
emotions had already been there long before his claim.

She wanted to protect him, but they were long past
protection. In the next few days, they would be heading into vampire territory.
He was willing to offer aid without any thought but to keep her safe. She’d already
given him what she could to cure CreedMark.

He came here just for her.

No ulterior motives but the need to be with her.

Unable to speak past the lump in her throat, she walked
toward him and laid a hand on his back. She almost lost courage when he stiffened.
“I know nothing about love. I’ve never loved anyone before, but I know that I
want you. That I can’t think beyond you. My life feels empty and barren without
you at my side. 

“I had feelings for you long before you ever marked me. I’m
not sure what this claiming means for the pack. I don’t want to cause you more
trouble than I already have or cause you to do something you might later regret.”

She slipped her hands along his ribs until she was hugging
him from behind. “But I do know that I can’t stand to lose you just when I
found you.”

She lifted her arm to his lips, silently offering her blood
and more if he wanted it.

Merrick’s large hand engulfed hers, lifting her wrist to his
mouth. She tensed, bracing herself for the pleasure/pain of his bite.

Only to feel his lips brush against her skin. She shivered, her
body melting closer to his.

He turned around in her embrace, his eyes both green and
gold. “Be sure.”

Rising to her toes, she slanted her lips across his. Her
heart pounded against her ribs in a crazy tattoo as she waited for him to
decide.

She nipped at his bottom lip, wanting another taste, and
found herself lifted off the floor and devoured. She enjoyed every minute of
it.

His large hands cupped her ass, and she eagerly wrapped her
legs around his waist, gasping to feel him flush against her.

When he deepened the kiss, she forgot about their
surroundings, their pasts and how improbable it was for them to even try to make
something out of this undeniable attraction.

But she didn’t care, not with the taste of him on her lips,
the heat of him pressed up so intimately against her. Needing more contact, she
reached between them…and found a weapon.

She broke away and pulled out the wicked blade.

Merrick took it from her and tossed it absently on the bed,
kissing her again. When she wrapped her arms around him, she came up with two
more blades. Without a word, she sent them sailing in the general direction of
the cot.

“You’re booby-trapped.”

Her hands swept over him, determined to get him naked
despite the arsenal. When she didn’t stumble across any more weapons, she
yanked up his shirt, eager to touch just him. He juggled her weight as she
eased the material over one arm than another.

By the time she had the blasted shirt off him, she was panting.

Then lost her breath at the sight of him.

Sure, she’d seen him without a shirt, even touched him. But
everything changed now that she was up close and personal and allowing herself
the freedom to feel the emotions that she’d denied for so long.

With a desire that frightened her, she splayed her hands
across his chest, ducking his kisses. He stiffened, but she ignored him, wanting
to see what had been revealed. He was so strong he made her feel safe and desired.
She felt home.

She wanted to return that feeling to him. She bet he was so busy
being the boss that he didn’t allow others this close.

Closing the distance between them, she brought her lips to
his shoulder. His skin burned under her kiss. She couldn’t resist stealing a
taste, her tongue darting out and licked him.

The simple gesture caused him to shudder. Glancing up at him
from under her lashes, she didn’t think he even breathed. His grip tightened on
her ass as if he thought she would try to leave.

Silly man.

“Don’t you think I’m wearing too many clothes?”

Her words broke whatever control that held him in check.
Between one breath and the next, she was stripped down to just pants.

“Unbutton your jeans.”

It was a demand, as if he couldn’t bear to release her to do
it himself.

With shaking fingers, she did as told, fumbling with the
stubborn buttons. A growl rumbled up from his chest, and she sighed,
exasperated. “I’m working as fast as I can.”

“Work faster. Or I will take them off of you.” As if to
emphasis his point, the tips of one claw snagged the waistband of her pants.

Threatening.

Only she didn’t feel all that threatened. “They are my only
pair.”

“Then you better hurry. If they aren’t off of you in three
seconds…” One claw trailed gently up her spine, and the delicious sensation
had her arching her back into him.

He leaned over, capturing her breast in his mouth.

She sucked in a sharp breath as he pulled her to the edge of
her sanity. “That’s cheating.”

Then she didn’t care if she had anything to wear, she just
wanted him to touch her everywhere. Her feet brushed the ground as he slowly
lowered her. When he straightened, she whimpered with the need to get his mouth
back on her.

She expected the last of her clothes to be ripped away. She
even grabbed the waistband to help matters along when he knelt at her feet. The
unexpected image stopped her short.

He reached behind him and two more knives went skidding
across the floor and out of the way. There was a slight shake to his fingers
when he brushed away her hands away from her pants and eased down the zipper.
Her mouth dried at knowing she affected this proud alpha to that extent.

As he removed her pants, he caressed every inch of exposed
skin along the way. Breathing became difficult at the slow torment. The draw of
slightly calloused hands against the sensitive inside of her thighs caused her
stomach to clench with desire. By the time he’d dragged the pants to her ankles,
her legs shook.

He eased one of her feet up, kissing the inside of her knee
and then repeated the gesture with the other leg. Being completely naked with
him at her feet should’ve made her feel uncomfortable. She was no sexual diva.
She was used to bodies and the mechanics of them, but his touch made her see
them as so much more.

He trailed his hands up from her ankles, lingering at the
back of her knees in a way that did funny things to her stomach, and she
reached out to steady herself against his shoulders. “Merrick.”