ShadowsofNight (18 page)

“Make sure you hold her still. If she thrashes, it might
cause the bullet to go deeper. I’ll try to get it on my first try.”

Christian nodded as she inserted the instrument into the
wound and gingerly felt around. Emma moaned and started to fight against his
hold and Lena lost her grip.

“Well?” Christian growled, sensing the pain this was causing
Emma.

“It’s really deep. I tried to grab it but it’s slippery from
all the blood. Let me try again.” Lena slowly reinserted the instrument. Emma
let out a bloodcurdling scream but this time, Christian made sure she didn’t
move.

“Stop, please! What the hell is she doing to me?”

“It’s okay, Em, Lena’s trying to help you,” he said soothingly.

“Got it!” Lena exclaimed.

Blood seeped down Emma’s side but she stopped fighting him
as soon as the metal-and-wood projectile was out. Christian leaned forward and
licked the wound to seal it.

“She needs to feed more in order to heal. That wound is very
serious. Don’t let her out of your sight until she finishes going through the
change.” Lena threw the bullet into the fireplace.

Lena’s cellphone rang and she quickly answered it.

“Hello…?” She listened a moment then glanced at Christian,
her expression grim as she nodded. “It shall be done.” She hung up and placed
the phone back in her pocket.

“Who was that?”

“Marcus, he’s on his way back.” She appeared distracted.

“I’m in your debt.” Christian placed his hand on Lena’s shoulder.

“No debt owed between friends. I must go prepare.”

“What’s going down?” He looked at her again. Something was
wrong.

“Marcus will fill you in when he returns. In the meantime,
take care of her.”

“Tell him I said thank you.” He’d always been a good leader
and friend. Sometimes a little difficult to deal with but tonight his loyalty
proved unwavering.

“Of course. I’ll leave her to your care.” Lena stepped away
and quietly left the room without another word.

“Emma,” Christian murmured, “can you hear me?” He gently
caressed her cheek. Fear rode him hard over the thought of losing her.

“Christian…” Her voice was weak as her eyes fluttered open.

“Yes, I’m right here. Hey.” He smiled and relief flooded
him.

“My side really hurts.” Her eyes shifted around the room.

“I’m sure it does. You were shot. Lena had to dig the bullet
out so you can heal.”

“Guess he got me, huh?” She struggled to sit up.

“Don’t, you need to rest. Just lay there. It will be a few
days before you can get up.” He didn’t want to talk about why she’d left. Going
there would only make him angry.

“Okay…” Her voice sounded groggy and out of sorts.

“You need to feed again so you can regain your strength. You
can drink from me if you’d like.” He didn’t like seeing her like this.
Actually, he hated it.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for that again. I-I’m really tired.”
She gave him a pained look.

“Your body needs it.”

“It’s still strange to think about drinking blood,” she
whispered.

“Would it be easier if you took it from a bag?”

Emma nodded. The hurt in his eyes made her wince. If she
apologized for leaving, would he accept it? Her body ached all over and that
damn wound smarted like a bitch. Thank God the sun had been shining and she got
away before Dorian’s henchmen were able to catch her.

“I’ll be right back.” He left the room and a minute, later
returned with a few pints of blood. “Here, drink.”

She took them from him. “I shouldn’t have left.”

He didn’t respond. Could she blame him? She sighed, bit into
a bag and drank deeply. It tasted good, which both surprised and revolted her,
but she couldn’t stop. She felt her strength slowly returning and the wound
fusing together.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“Yes.” She watched him nervously.

“Dorian knew the moment you got close to him that you were
mated.” He grabbed the empty bags and threw them into the fire.

“He mentioned it.” She swallowed hard.

“I don’t understand.” He rubbed his hands down his face.

“I couldn’t take a chance…”

“On what?” he asked.

“Anything happening to you because of me.”

“So you took off without me. What a brilliant fucking plan.”
He shook his head.

It had been an emotionally charged decision on her part, she
knew that. “I just needed one shot.”

“Vampire senses are highly acute, he wasn’t fooled.”

“I almost had him you know. Nailed the bastard in the chest
with a stake. Unfortunately I missed his heart.”

“You’re lucky to be alive, Em.”

“It would’ve been worth dying if I took him out with me,”
she muttered.

“And what about
me
? Did you think about that?”

She cringed at his words. “It was a rash decision.”

“Walking right into the lion’s den wasn’t much of a strategy
and it didn’t show any concern for how I’d feel if something happened to you.”

“I know I made a mistake, but at the time I thought it
seemed right. My plans never included this life, Christian.”

“Sorry you feel that way.” His eyes flashed with anger.

“That’s not what I meant…” Emma glanced up at him but he
wouldn’t look at her.

Christian walked over to the window. “If you really don’t
want a life with me, Em, I’ll release you. I’d never force you to be with me if
that’s not your wish.”

“I didn’t ask you to release me.”

“You could’ve fooled me. I’ll leave you to rest,” Christian
said quietly.

“Where are you going?” She didn’t want to leave it like this
between them. She could tell her words had stung him. Not to mention the fact
that she’d taken off and almost gotten herself killed. She was never good when
it came to relationships. Her fierce independence made it difficult for her to
rely on anyone other than herself.

Christian’s phone beeped and he looked at it, then cursed. “Dorian
has declared war against the Order. Marcus needs every able body. I have to place
a few calls. We’ll talk later.”

“Christian, wait…this is because of me, isn’t it?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me. I’ll leave.”

“It’s too late for that. Whether you stay or go won’t make a
difference now. He’ll still come. I have to go. Stay here and rest.” Christian
left the room.

Dizziness slammed into Emma in waves as she tried to stand.
This
sucks.
She fell back on the bed. Her body was still so weak. She needed
what only Christian could—

She cut off the thought. He was mad at her, and rightfully
so.
I have to get up.

Emma took a few deep breaths as she settled her weight on
her legs. Thankfully, the dizziness didn’t hit her again, but the pain in her
side was still there. She needed more blood.

Maybe Lena’s downstairs.
Emma moved slowly toward the
door, using the wall to keep from falling. Tracing was simply out of the
question at this point. Her equilibrium was too whacked to even think about
trying it. She made it out into the hall, continuing to use the wall for
balance until she reached the stairs and grabbed the bannister to steady
herself on the way down. It took her several minutes, but she finally made it
to the bottom. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a male walk by.

“Excuse me,” Emma called out. Maybe he could help her.

“Yes?” The male paused.

“I’m looking for Lena, do you know where she is?” She
started to sway and her side throbbed.

“Are you okay?” He walked toward her.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

He helped steady her. “Are you sure? Maybe you should sit.
Are you injured?” He gave her a worried look.

“It’s just a scratch. Nothing a little blood won’t fix,
right?” She laughed nervously.

“You must be Emma,” he said.

“That’s me. And you are?” She gazed up at the handsome blond.

“My name is Ta’breyian Wolfe, my lady.” He bowed slightly.

“It’s nice to meet you.” She swayed again, feeling woozy.

“You’re not well. Here, let me help you over to the couch.”
He glanced in the direction of the living room.

“No, I’m fine. I just need some blood.” She hesitated.

“You look very pale. Shall I get you some from Marcus’
supply?”

“That would be great. Thanks.” She swallowed hard, still
having trouble with the idea that her life now depended on blood for
sustenance.

“Wait here.”

He returned in minutes with a couple of pints. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” She grabbed them from him.

“Should I go get Christian for you?” His expression showed more
concern.

“No, I’m okay,” she lied, feeling her heart squeeze
painfully.

“You should let me get him so he can attend to your needs. I’m
sure it would be more beneficial for you to drink from him than that bag.” Ta’breyian
pressed his lips together.

“He’s busy at the moment. I’ll just drink these and go back
upstairs.” That was going to be difficult. Maybe sitting on the couch
was
a better plan.

“You need your mate’s blood,” he persisted, pointing to the
bag she was lifting to her lips.

“It’s okay.” She took a sip.

“His blood is more potent and will help you with the change
your body is going through.”

“How did you know?” She looked at him suspiciously.

“It’s not hard for someone like me to determine you haven’t
been an immortal very long. Your scent screams ‘newborn’.”

“Oh.”

Lena appeared a few feet away. “Emma, you should be resting!
Where’s Christian? How come he left you alone?”

“He told me he was going to speak with Marcus. It’s okay. I just
needed more of these.” She lifted the bag of blood. “And, uh, Ta’breyian was
kind enough to get me some.”

“Ladies, I’ll let you two talk,” Ta’breyian bowed, “while I
go find him.”

“War room,” Lena replied. Ta’breyian nodded and left. Emma leaned
forward and rested her forehead on the bannister. She was really dizzy. The
transformation part sucked, literally.

“You don’t look well, Emma.”

“I just need to rest my head for a few minutes. I’ll be
fine.”

“We should get you back to your room. I’ll help you.”

That sounded like a great idea after all. Emma nodded,
draping her arm around Lena’s neck for support as she helped her climb the
stairs. She hated feeling helpless; dependency on another was hard to get used
to. When they finally got to the room, Lena drew back the covers and eased her
onto the bed before stepping away.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Lena said as she drew the blankets over her.

“I hear Dorian has declared war on the Order.” She figured
maybe Lena would at least fill her in on some of the details of what had
transpired.

“Yes. Marcus refused to turn you over to Dorian out of
loyalty to Christian.”

“I’ve made a mess of things,” she sighed as she rested her
head against the pillows.

“Do you love Christian?”

There was a long silence. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Because he loves
you
, and it pains me to see him
waste that love on a female who cares so little for herself or him.”

Emma closed her eyes as tears slid down her cheeks. Lena’s
words had a solid ring of truth that tore into the protective wall Emma had
built around her heart to keep everyone out. “He deserves better.”

“You’re wrong. What he deserves is your love in return.”

“I don’t know how to give that to him.” She’d never learned
how.

“Trust me, you know. Quit fighting what you feel for him. He
needs you, and quite frankly, you need him too.”

“I’ll try to do better. Thank you.” She
did
want to
try. But did Christian still? “How much time do we have before Dorian arrives?”
Emma wiped the tears from her eyes.

“No telling. We don’t suspect it will be long.”

“Maybe if I’m healed enough I could help.” She felt useless
lying here.

“You can’t, not in your present condition.”

“Is there any way to speed up the healing process?”

“Christian.” She smiled.

Great plan, but…
“He’s mad at me right now.”

“He’ll get past it. Give him time.” Lena patted her hand and
turned to leave.

“I hope so.”

She paused at the door. “It surprises me that you can’t see
how much he cares for you.”

“I know he does.” Emma bit her lip and looked away.
No
tears. God, I’ve turned into a pathetic sap.

“I must go.” Lena quietly closed the door, leaving Emma to
her own thoughts.

And there was so much to think about, especially when it
came to Christian. He was important to her, there was no denying it anymore.
Is
this love?

She took a deep breath and expelled it, feeling the fear
that always seem to come whenever she allowed her thoughts to travel down that
path. She wasn’t sure how to interpret an emotion like love, since it was
something she’d never experienced with anyone in her adult life.

Emma rolled over onto her stomach. Her side still ached, but
she ignored it. Another ache was more pressing.

Her heart knew what it wanted. If only she could let go of
her fears.

* * * * *

“You okay?” Marcus asked.

Christian didn’t answer right away as he stared out the
window, lost in thought. “I don’t want to lose her,” he said.

“Your female had to build walls around her heart to survive.
Those walls aren’t so easy to tear down you know.”

“In a lot of ways, she handles her emotions like a male
would.” Christian ran his hand through his dark curls. “I hate it.”

“We all deal in our own way, male or female, it makes no
difference.”

“How do you hold on to someone who doesn’t want your help?”

“I’m afraid I have no answer for you, my friend. You’ve
mated with this female, so walking away will be difficult if you’re faced with
no choice in the matter. Give her more time to adjust. A lot has changed for
her in a very short period of time. My suggestion is to give her space.”
Marcus’ expression was full of concern.