The Blood King (6 page)

He didn’t answer and she saw that he'd fallen unconscious.

“We’ll take him to your suite, Dahn Emily,” Theo said. “Run ahead, see that he has clean clothing. Have Jambu fetch bandages and warm water. Go on. We'll bring your Rajni.”

****

She felt useless when they stripped the ruined clothing from his body. Aodhan had called for a doctor and a blonde woman arrived five minutes later.

“He’ll need blood,” the doctor said after stitching the worst injury. “But he should be fine in a few days, a week at most. He was lucky. If you’ll excuse me, I need to assist with my brother’s Rajni.”

Aodhan turned to Emily. "Go to your cousins, Dahn Emily. They have need of you."

"But he—" She wanted to go to her cousins, to be with Josey, but Rydere looked so vulnerable.

"We will care for him." Aodhan smiled reassuringly. "And when he is settled we will come to you. He needs much blood, and we know our feeding is still uncomfortable to you. Go."

His hands were insistent as he nudged her toward the door. Theo was just visible leaning over Rydere. Emily left.

****

Mickey and Mal waited outside the suite Josey had been sharing with Cormac.

"Em!" Mickey threw her arms around Emily and held tight. "Oh God, we were so worried. Are you ok?"

"Bruises. Josey?"

"The doctors, healers, are with her." Mal rubbed the chill from her arms as she stared at the closed suite door. "They won't take her to a hospital, Em. They say it would be too hard to keep Josey safe there after blood tests have been ran. That the human doctors can’t help her now anyway."

"Have either of you seen her?" Emily shoved the thoughts of her and her cousins not being human away.

When they shook their heads no Emily opened the door. No one stopped her, and she hadn't expected anyone would. Rydere had said she was their queen, after all. "Come with me."

Cormac stood by the head of the bed, his face harsh and pale. Terrified. The female doctor—healer—and another hovered over Josey.

"How is she?" Emily asked.

"Hanging on," the blonde woman said. "She's young and healthy and seems to be fighting to stay with us. She has a chance."

"Just a chance?" Cormac demanded, his eyes still trained on Josey's blood and dirt-streaked face.

Her cousin looked so young and vulnerable on the green silk comforter.

"I won't lie, Cormac. You could lose her; they intended to kill her in the most painful way possible and they got a good start. If she had been alone in the gardens, we wouldn't be here now. Whatever—whoever—distracted them saved her life. See she's fed as often as she will take it. Keep her wounds clean, and she should pull through. Her recent humanness is in her favor. You're looking at a month minimum recovery time. Probably closer to twice that."

An hour later the doctors left, after having examined Cormac's injuries. He sat by the bed, his eyes trained on Josey the entire time his hands were being stitched.

Aodhan and Theo arrived shortly after. Mickey threw herself into Theo's arms, sobbing. He rocked her until she calmed. Aodhan's hand rose to hold Mal's shoulder and pull her closer; for once she didn't pull away.

Emily was afraid to ask the question on the tip of her tongue. Aodhan seemed to understand. "He's...better. He's sleeping, now. But he asked me to check on you one more time."

"I'm fine, just bruises." They'd almost died, just that quickly, and she had only bruises to show for it. "I need to change clothing. I need...I need...to see..."

Mickey hugged her. "Go, Em. I'll stay here with Josey. So will Mal."

****

The suite had been darkened, only one light burning when Emily entered. Guards had been posted outside their door and bars covered the windows.

Rydere slept, stretched over the center of the bed. His large body took up so much of the space. Large and strong. Thank God or the goddess he was always mentioning. Cotton pants rode low on his hips, barely covering anything. His bandaged chest rose and feel with even rhythm. His body was strong, healthy, toned.

She shuddered as she remembered how he had looked fighting the wolves; how fiercely he'd battled. How he'd yelled at her to get inside where she would be safe. Was that why he'd rushed outside? To save her?

Instinctively she knew it was. Her fingers were gentle as they ran over the bandages, over the damage he’d gained while protecting her and Josey.

His body stilled beneath her exploring hands. She looked at his face, seeing his eyes burning as he stared at her. He lifted his hand to her face, rubbing at dirt she hadn't realized she'd missed. "Emily, my love? Are you hurt?"

"No."

"How is your cousin?"

"They say she should pull through." Emily's breath shuddered out as she pulled her hands back. "In time."

"Guess you won't be leaving soon, after all." His words were soft, his hand gentle as it traced the cut on her lip. "If I could, I'd kill those Lupoiux bastards all over again for what they've done to you and your cousin."

"What were they? And why...Werewolves."

"Lupoiux. We've fought with them for millennia. I knew you'd be a target as soon as word of your existence got out. I'm sorry, Emily. For not keeping you safe. I should have."

"You couldn't have predicted what happened."

"Your home wasn't safe from me, was it?"

"No." And it hadn't been, but she understood him now. It might not have been noble, or honorable, what he'd planned for her, but she understood it now. Wasn't she now feeling her own stirring for vengeance against the creatures who'd harmed her cousin, harmed her…harmed Rydere? "But I almost understand why you did it. My grandfather must be stopped."

"And I had no right involving you in my battles with him."

"But if you hadn't, we wouldn't be here right now," Emily said.

"No." He tightened his hold on her hand. "I wouldn't have found you. I wouldn't have known I had my Rajni in this world. I cannot regret that, Emily. I regret what's happened between us, that I've hurt and frightened and taken from you. That your cousin was unprotected and nearly killed because I failed you. But I cannot regret having found you."

Emily didn't doubt he spoke the truth. It was in his eyes and the tension of his body. She'd moved closer as he spoke, until she was curled against him. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No. But you can't stay long." His tone was filled with regret as he brushed his lips over her forehead.

"Why?"

"Because I am not strong right now, and I need you too much."

Emily tensed, then before she could stop herself she leaned closer and covered his lips with her own. He jerked in surprise. His hands wrapped around her upper arms and he pulled her over his chest, careless of the bandage. He took control of her like he'd done from the very beginning.

Emily didn't care. He was alive, she was alive, and she wanted to feel it.

Her hands slid into his hair, pulling his head closer to her.

He tried to pull away. "Emily...I won't be able to stop myself again."

"Shh. I don't want you to." She recovered his mouth with hers, then pulled back when he shifted to lean over her. "But don't hurt yourself."

"I won’t hurt myself by loving my Rajni." He pulled her tunic over her head, then flicked open the front clasp to her bra.

His hands were just rough enough as they cupped her breasts and squeezed. Emily arched against him, hungry for him to take her in his mouth. He obliged.

“Do not stifle how you want your Rajni, my dove. Tell me. Better yet—show me.”

Emily did just that.

********

Coming Fall 2011…

ReAwakening

Chapter One

Hours of planning would culminate in just a few moments, and Rathan Malickus felt the tension and adrenaline coursing through his body. It had been years since he'd had any such adventure.

"You are sure this is who you seek, then?" he asked of the second man waiting upon the mountain that overlooked the small town of Dardano, Colorado.

"Yes." Rand Taniss kept his lupine eyes focused on the headlights traveling away from the town. Only one car was visible on the small highway for many miles. That car was their target. "Jambu said these two are the closest to the king and his advisors."

Rathan nodded. "Vengeance is entertaining, is it not?"

"That's not what I would call it."

Rathan shrugged. He viewed things differently than the once-human Rand. Demons lived for things such as vengeance. That it wasn't his vengeance, but Rand's that he sought mattered little. "Ah, but you are Lupoiux, not Demon."