Dominion of the Damned (29 page)

Chris’s mouth moved as he seemed to ask her something, but her ears were ringing too much to hear anything. She crawled over to Alek, who lay with his head in Zach’s lap. His chest, torso and legs were as badly torn up as his back. It looked like every inch of him must be in pain, and Hannah was afraid to touch him. But when she took hold of his hand, he squeezed her fingers and didn’t let go.

A moment later, someone tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the open hatch above. The others were climbing out. Carefully, she, Zach and Chris managed to get Alek out of the tank and into the back of the truck.

THIRTY-SEVEN

Her hearing was coming back. “Oh, man,” she heard Zach say. “He’s hurt bad.”

“
Should we get him to the infirmary?”

He shook his head. “It’s trashed. We need to get him home.”

“
My place is closer,” said Hannah. “Take us there.”

The sky was already beginning to lighten when they pulled up in front of her house. Chris and Hannah half carried, half dragged Alek up the front walk. Paula met them on the front porch with the baby. “What happened? What did they do to him?”

“
They tied him to the wrong side of the fence and left him for the sun,” Chris told her.

“
Let’s get him to the couch,” said Hannah. Once they laid him down, she closed the living room curtains, then headed into the kitchen to close those, too. At Zach’s request, she retrieved a pair of scissors so he could cut away what was left of Alek’s clothes. Hannah covered her mouth to hold in a wave of sickness and panic as she saw the true extent of his injuries. She had thought she’d seen the worst that could happen to a vampire without killing them when he’d gotten burned while rescuing Abby. But this was so far beyond that. His skin hung in shreds, with cuts so deep in some places you could see all the way to the bone.

He was going to need a hell of a lot more than grit and determination to come back from this.

“
He needs blood,” she said.

Chris nodded and started for the door. “I’ll go get some. How much?”

Zach shook his head. “Don’t bother. They broke into the lab and trashed the place. They destroyed the blood bank.”

“
Then we have to feed him,” said Hannah. She stripped off her helmet and vest as she crossed back to the couch, then sat next to him and began rolling up her sleeve. She didn’t let herself think about it. She just kept moving. She had to make him okay.

Zach put a hand on her shoulder. “Not like that.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because there’s a chance he’ll be running on pure instinct. Once he starts drinking straight from the tap he might not be able to stop himself.”

She looked from Zach to Chris. “Then you guys can stop him.”

Zach snorted. “As strong as he is? I really don’t like our chances of going up against a feral version of the doc, even if he is weakened by his injuries.”

Undeterred, Hannah got up and returned to the kitchen, where she took out a tall drinking glass and a kitchen knife. She set the glass on the bar and –
don’t think. Don’t stop. Just make him okay
– ran the edge of the blade across her left palm. Paula cried out, which made the baby start to cry. She heard his sobs retreat as Paula took him to his room. Zach and Chris both walked over to the counter and watched in resignation as blood flowed from her palm into the glass.

“
Did that hurt?” asked Zach.

“
Not really, but I’m sure it will when the adrenaline wears off.” She looked up at Chris. “I’ve got bandages and disinfectant in the bathroom under the sink. Can you get them?”

He went without a word, and returned a moment later with a first aid kit and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. He brought them over to the counter and tore open a large, square adhesive bandage for her. He tore a paper towel off of the roll and dampened it, then handed her that, too. Then he picked up the knife.

Hannah heard the soft hiss of air being sucked through his teeth as he cut his own palm open. She let Zach doctor her cut as Chris bled into the glass, then she dampened another paper towel and cleaned his cut in turn as he held the knife out to Zach.

He stared at it for a moment, turning a shade paler. Finally, he swallowed, and took the knife. Grasping its handle, he muttered, “Anything for Doc, right?” and then let out a small moan as he drew the blade across his palm. He closed his eyes and turned even paler as his blood poured into the glass.

Hannah brought him a stool so he could sit down before he passed out. “You
work
with blood,” she pointed out.

“
Other
people’s blood,” he said. “It’s the sight of my
own
blood that I have a problem with. Oh, and by the way,” he opened his eyes and looked up at her accusingly, “that
did
hurt.”

“
I’ll be sure to tell Alek when he wakes up.” When he finished, she picked up the glass and carried it into the living room, leaving Zach to be tended by Chris. She set the glass on the coffee table and slid out of the rest of her body armor before gently edging herself onto the sofa. She lifted Alek’s head into her lap and helped him sit up enough to drink, then picked up the glass and held it to his mouth. He lay so still, his bruised and torn up body lifeless and cold. Hannah wondered for a second if there was even anybody left in there. She stroked his brow. “Wake up, Alek. You need to drink this.”

He didn’t move, didn’t respond. But as she parted his lips and tipped the glass so that a small trickle flowed into his mouth, he suddenly came alive. His eyes opened, and they glowed a bright white, like crystals illuminated from within. His hands grasped the glass and he drank greedily. “Slow down,” she told him, but he’d already drained the glass.

He licked his lips and let it fall to the floor. “More.” His voice sounded weak and ragged, but at least it sounded
alive
. “Need… need more.”

“
That’s all there is.”

“
We’ll get you some more.” Hannah looked up to see Paula coming out of the hallway. She crossed the living room to retrieve her purse from the end table nearest the door. “We’ll go round everybody up and have an emergency blood drive. The baby’s sleeping,” she told Hannah, “so you shouldn’t have to worry about him for a while.” She turned toward the kitchen. “Chris, you come and help your mother.”

“
Yes, ma’am,” he said, coming out of the kitchen. He opened the door for her, but lingered there, looking at Hannah. His eyes drifted down to Alek, lying in her lap. When they met hers again, they were filled with uncertainty.

“
Thank you,” Hannah told him, and he nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it, and followed his mother out the door. Hannah felt a pang of guilt as she watched him go.

“
I guess I should see what I can salvage from the lab and get ready to draw some blood,” said Zach, coming out of the kitchen. “I’ll send some over once we collect a few pints.”

“
Thanks,” Hannah said as he let himself out. Once they were alone, Hannah looked down at Alek. The progress he’d made seemed to be fading as his breath became so shallow it was barely there. He couldn’t wait for them to organize a blood drive, that was plain to see. Hannah tore the large Band-Aid off of her hand and squeezed the cut until it started to bleed again. She pressed her palm to his mouth. “Drink.”

A shiver went through her as she felt his tongue dart out and taste her cut. But then he turned his head away. “No.”

“
Alek, you have to.”

When he opened his eyes again, the glow was gone. They were back to their usual shade of crystalline blue. He pointed at the glass that still lay on the floor. “Whose?”

“
All of ours. Chris’s, and Zach’s, and—”

“
Yours?”

“
Yes.”

He closed his eyes again and turned his head the other way. “Swore I’d never drink you.”

That surprised her. She looked down at her good hand and realized she’d been absently stroking his hair this whole time. “You didn’t swear it to me,” she said. “Besides, it’s not like you had a choice. You still don’t. You have to drink.” She placed her good hand across his forehead, and pressed the bleeding one to his lips. “It’s okay, Alek. I want you to.”

She felt a soft sigh against her palm as he took hold of her hand. But instead of drinking from her cut, he surprised her by kissing it. Hannah went still, her heart pounding, her breath coming in shallow gasps, as he pressed another kiss to the center of her palm. Then he held her hand to his chest, near his heart. “I don’t need it,” he said.

At first she thought he was just saying that to be stubborn, but as she looked down at his torso she could see that he was telling the truth. His cuts and scrapes were already healing, and new skin was growing over the areas where it had been flayed off. It still looked pink and raw, but that was a big improvement. His breathing grew stronger as well. He lay in her arms like that for a few more moments, his eyes closed. Then he opened them and struggled to sit up.

“
Careful,” she said as she helped him up. “I don’t care how fast you heal, you’ve been through a lot.”

“
Tell me about it.” He swung his legs over the front of the couch and leaned over, resting his head in his hands.

“
Alek, I’m so sorry. Eddie… I never even imagined he would… that he even
could—
”

“
Don’t blame yourself. There’s no way you could have known.”

That didn’t make her feel better. “Carl, and the others… I’m so sorry, Alek. I know they were your friends.”

He leaned back and let his hands fall in his lap. He stared at them as he said, “I told them when they came on board that I’d protect them. From Esme, from the Council… I thought all of the danger came from our own kind.” He closed his eyes and swallowed. “Once again, I failed. I can’t protect anyone.”

“
That’s not true. You’ve done a pretty great job with me and Noah.”

He looked at her. “Why did you come for me?”

Hannah suddenly felt self-conscious as his gaze bore into her. She looked down at her lap and shrugged. “We weren’t about to leave you there.”

“
But why did
you
come, Hannah? The others could have handled it without you.”

She gave a scornful laugh. “What, because I’m a girl? I’m a good shot, probably the best marksman in this whole damn camp. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve gotten pretty good at kicking shambler ass. I’ve certainly had the practice.”

He gave a frustrated shake of his head. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it. You didn’t need to risk your life for me, but you did anyway. Why?”

Hannah’s heart sped up, and her stomach fluttered. This was it, wasn’t it? There was no more denying it, no more putting it off. Still, the words wouldn’t come. She forced herself to meet his gaze. “Don’t be stupid, Alek. You know why.”

“
Do I?” He leaned closer, his eyes searching hers. “The other night, in my kitchen, you were about to tell me something before we got interrupted. What was it? What did you come there to tell me?”

Hannah licked her lips and swallowed. “I came there to finish what you started.” He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in confusion, but before he could say anything else, before her courage could fail her, she took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.

His mouth was both strong and soft, and it responded eagerly, without hesitation. She welcomed his tongue as his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into his lap. He tasted like copper. She realized with a start that it was blood she tasted.
Her
blood, and Chris’s and Zach’s. She pushed that thought away. She knew what he was, what she was getting into, and she was no longer afraid. Kissing him felt too good. It felt
right
.

It felt like coming home.

She tried to be mindful of his injuries as she straddled his lap, but he didn’t seem to care. He wrapped her in his embrace and pulled her close against him. “Hannah,” he rasped as he trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. When his mouth reached her throat, coming to rest near her jugular, she tensed up.

Alek paused, and placed a slow, deliberate kiss on the spot before pulling back to look her in the eyes. His gaze held both a promise and a question. The promise, she knew, was that he would never hurt her. Not on purpose, not like that. She had nothing to fear from him. His eyes also seemed to ask if she was sure, if he should keep going, or if he should stop. In answer, Hannah pulled her tank top over her head.

His eyes roved her body, drinking her in. Then he caught her and pulled her back to him. She let her head fall back, giving him better access as he tasted her, trailing lingering kisses across her collarbone while his hands, strong and large, explored her flesh. She gasped and shuddered as his thumb traced her breast through the thin cotton of her bra, and she reached back to unclasp it just as a knock sounded on the door.