BloodSworn (33 page)

He retreated and spit out the chunk of rotted flesh.

The vampire glared at him then smiled and stared past him.
“Kill her.”

Merrick turned to see Glenda and Trina locked in battle.

When he took a step forward, Trina snapped at him. “He’s
using me as a distraction.” She slammed her elbow to Glenda’s cheekbone. “Mind your
own fight.”

Glenda’s swing was clumsy compared to Trina’s smooth grace.
She was right. She could handle Glenda on her own. If he let the King go, Trina
would never be safe again.

He turned to see the vampire preparing to leap. Merrick
tackled him, aiming his claw at the King’s throat. Only to have the vampire
wiggle away, Beasts talons raking down the bastards back instead.

* * *

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Trina dodged Glenda’s inept
attempt at a punch. “We just have to wait until the vampire dies, and you’ll be
free.”

Tears ran down Glenda’s face, and she sobbed. “I’ll never be
free, not after what I’ve done.”

The floor vibrated under their feet, and Trina glanced up in
time to see Merrick struggle to rise. She tightened her grip on the knife,
wanting desperately to go to him.

A sound behind her caused her to whirl.

Glenda threw herself at Trina, much too close for her to
leap out of the way. She fell backward to lessen the impact, and Glenda’s
weight slammed into hers.

The blade slid into Glenda’s body. Her eyes widened, and she
sucked in a startled breath.

“What did you do?” Trina quickly caught Glenda’s weight.

“What needed to be done.” Glenda tried to smile, and her
legs folded under her. Trina eased her to the floor, cradling her body in her
arms, desperate to stop the flow of blood. She put pressure around the knife,
knowing not to remove it or Glenda would bleed out all the faster.

Glenda had no such qualms. Trina grabbed for her wrist, but
too late. Glenda had already yanked out the blade.

“Go help your Merrick win.” Breathing hiccupped in her chest
and then she stopped moving. Her pupils dilated and grew fixed.

Trina dropped her arms, staring at her stained hands. Then
her gaze landed on the knife.

She scrambled for it then snapped her head up.

Merrick and the King circled each other. Blood stained Merrick’s
beautiful hide, but the King was in much worse condition. He must have known it
as well, growing reckless.

The vampire lunged past Merrick, striking out with his nails.
They never reached past Beast’s thick mane. Merrick clamped his teeth down on
the vampire’s hip and shook his head, stripping away a layer of flesh.

The vampire bellowed in pain, but he got what he wanted.
Instead of turning to face Merrick and finishing the fight he had no hope of
winning in his condition, he launched himself at Trina.

“You bitch. You’ve ruined everything. I’ll be damned if I
die and don’t take you with me.”

Trina heard Merrick roar, but all she saw was the King’s
outstretched hand fly toward her throat. She felt the nick of his nails
brushing against her neck and down her shoulder when Merrick’s body barreled
into both of them.

She went flying, smacking the floor hard enough to lose her breath.
She reached up with shaky hands, trying to assess the damage.

Her hand came away with sticky with blood.

She applied pressure. When she turned, she found the vampire
King lying next to her, the blueness of his eyes already fading as he stared at
her. Even with death hovering near, he reached out, clawing himself closer to
finish her off.

The six hundred pound beast reared up and landed, crushing the
King’s chest. Two-inch claws disappeared into his ribcage before tearing down
the length of his body, efficiently eviscerating him. The cat’s fangs lay
threateningly against the King’s neck.

Then the large cat gazed at her and lifted his head, tearing
out the King’s throat in a river of blood.

Bloody and injured, the lion growled and slowly stalked
toward her, leaving behind a gutted corpse. Trina saw no recognition in his gaze
and struggled to sit.

As the lion drew near, she reached out for the one man who had
never abandoned her. “Merrick.”

 
Chapter Thirty-six

A
t
her touch, Beast eased back in his mind. He brushed against her, nearly
knocking her over before he changed back to his human form.

“You have your beast back.” Her voice was an awed whisper.

Merrick shook his head. “You gave him back to me. You’re
touch healed us.” In seconds, he had her in his arms, scolding her. “Don’t you ever
scare me like that again. Do I need to chip you in order to track you when you
get into trouble?”

Trina laughed but quickly sobered. “They’ll keep coming.”

Merrick nodded, his hold tightening, feeling her slipping away
from him. He angled her chin up, pulling away her hand and studied the wound on
her throat, unable to face her as she plotted to leave him again.

This time, he feared she would succeed.

The wound was three inches long and just missed any serious
damage. The bleeding had already stopped. Had he been a second too late or she
even an inch closer, she would’ve died with him standing there.

She glanced at him, her eyes bright with a look that didn’t
bode well for him. “Not if I’m dead.”

Merrick stilled, and then his hands swept over her body, searching
for injuries. He wouldn’t let her die on him. She wouldn’t get away from him
that easy.

She caught his frantic hands. “I lost enough blood to be
convincing. If I were dead, nobody would search for me anymore.”

A breath exploded out of him in understanding, and a painful
hope filled his chest. “But you would be giving up everything…again.”

Trina tightened her grip. “Not everything. I would still be
your concubine. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Merrick swore his heart stopped for a second as she dangled
everything he’d ever wanted before him. “And that would be enough for you?”

Trina cast him a secretive smile that made him hard just
looking at her. “Are you kidding? The pack will keep us both so busy we’ll
probably never see each other.” Then she hesitanted, biting her lip. “I know
our deal was only for two weeks.”

A squeak escape when Merrick straightened, drawing her up
with him in a hold so tight that it cut off her air supply. “I never had any
intention of letting you go.”

Trina squirmed against him, relishing the way his body
reacted to hers even under the circumstances. “Why do I have a feeling that you
decided that long before our deal was ever struck?”

His look gave nothing away. “You were mine the minute you
stepped on my property. It just took you a while to figure it out.”

He slowly released her, tracing the red highlights in her
hair. “What do you need me to do?”

Trina smiled a little wickedly. “First, you need to put on some
clothes. Not that I don’t enjoy it, but you sure do know how to ruin a girl’s
concentration.”

Merrick’s grin said she was going to pay for that comment
later.

A girl could hope.

She watched him dress, enjoying the flex of muscles in his
ass when he bent to pull up his pants, growing a little lightheaded at the
display. Trina turned away and tried to remember how to breathe.

And stopped short when she saw Glenda’s body. It saddened
her that the doctor had died by her hands. The woman was probably brilliant,
but she’d let her fear steal everything from her.

Then her mind kicked into gear. “Glenda created a serum from
my blood that knocked me on my ass. There was some left in the syringe. Drew
said it kept everyone out of his head, so no one should be able to read if I’m
alive.”

Trina hurried back to the room and went to the side table.
She pawed through the surgical tray, avoiding looking at the metal slab were
she woke tied down and helpless. Her blood still stained the floor.

When she found the serum, she turned and hurried to the
door, almost running smack into Merrick.

He stared at the steel table unblinkingly, his expression so
stark she’d swear he had been the one taken. She touched his chest, drawing his
attention toward her. “It’s all right. You made it in time. I’m right here.”

Merrick snagged her hand, reeling her in closer as if he
couldn’t stop touching her to convince himself she was alive. Trina snagged the
door and shut it behind her to block his view. She fingered the syringe.
Without giving herself time to hesitate, she shoved the needle into her thigh. She
could at least spare Merrick this.

Still weak from the last dosing and her recent injuries, the
serum hit her faster than she expected. The strength drained out of her legs,
and she slumped against the warm comfort of his chest.

“Trina?” Merrick caught Trina up in his arms as she
crumbled. A syringe fell from her fingers, and her eyes slid closed. Her
breathing slowed, nearly stopped. She was a dead weight in his arms.

Seeing her that way destroyed his control and memories
flashed back to seeing her lying motionless underneath the body of the dead
vampire, her blood pooling beneath them. He had to remind himself and Beast
that she was alive. It didn’t help. He cradled her to his chest, devastated to
see her so still.

If things had been any different, this would have been his
future. Merrick walked down the stairs and outside, never once taking his eyes
from Trina.

The fighting had stopped, the vampires knowing the instant
their King had died when the blood connection between them had been severed.
Any loyalty to the old king had vanished.

The vampires would be in turmoil for the immediate future
until a new king was selected. He saw a number of vampires linger, taking note
of the body he held.

They quickly vanished when they confirmed that the last BloodSworn
witch was dead.

The car was waiting for him. No one said a word as he
settled in the back seat with Trina cradled in his lap. Weston sat behind the
wheel and drove them to the Den.

“Should I take you around back?”

“You know?” Merrick stared at the mercenary a little closer.
If he hadn’t been holding Trina, he would’ve never guessed the ruse.

Weston shrugged. “If your mate had died, we would’ve never
seen you again.”

* * *

“Not many can say they missed their own funeral.” Eden
stopped at her side. “It was a beautiful service.

Trina shivered. “It’s creepy.”

Judith and Weston were in beds next to each other, bickering
as they had for the last week. Each demanded to return to duty, but the spells
and silver bullets had slowed their healing. They had one more day before she could
release them.

That was if they didn’t murder each other first.

Or if she got to them before that.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Eden gave her a
doubtful look, indicating the infirmary. Like any other witch, Eden couldn’t believe
that Trina would stay with the shifters instead of returning home.

Trina didn’t understand her sister, but she knew one
thing…she’d come when she needed her the most. “I belong here.”

Eden nodded as if the answer made sense to her for the first
time. “They will keep you safe.”

An awkward silence filled the space between them. “You could
visit,” Trina nodded toward Drew, “in the pretense of training the new pack
Familiarian.”

Eden stared at her then looked to where Drew sat talking
with the first recovering CreedMark patient. “It could take a while.”

Trina repressed a smile. “He has some raw talent, but no
training at all. It could be a long while.”

Eden avoided her gaze. “You always were the brave one, the
daring one who would risk everything for what you thought was right. I was always
jealous of you.”

Trina shook her head, poleaxed by the unexpected confession.
“I thought you blamed me for not being able to protect our parents. I didn’t
want to let you down, too. You were the perfect daughter, the best witch. I
could never live up to you.”

Eden turned to face her, the earnestness in her eyes so
painfully that it hurt to see. “I never blamed you for what happened. I
couldn’t have been more proud that you’d survived. Had it been me, I would’ve
died that night. Even if by some miracle I had survived the attack, I would’ve
never had the courage to live in the outside world without magic the way you
did and thrive.”

Eden gave her a tentative smile then quickly walked away as
if embarrassed by her emotions. Dorian squeezed her hand. “Thank you. For
everything.”

Trina watched them leave with more hope than she’d felt in
ages. She wandered to where the CreedMark room used to be. The wall had been
knocked down, the whole room repainted to add colors, and decorated with pictures
of large animals in the wild.

It no longer smelled of failure and fear.

The youngest patient had awoken yesterday, while a few of
the others were showing signs of waking as well. The tests were underway for
the inoculations. It would be weeks, months yet, but there was hope.

A roar echoed down the hallway, startling her so badly she
jumped.

Beast.

Trina took off running, fear nearly swallowing her as she
rounded the corner. She skidded to a stop when she found Merrick waiting for
her in beast form. The humongous hallway felt dwarfed by the lion. “Damn it,
Merrick. If you need me, use the intercoms like everyone else!”

Those large claws tapped on the granite when he pawed the
ground, and he snorted at her.

Trina backed away, laughter bubbling up her throat. “Don’t
you dare.”

Another roar spilled out of his mouth, and he leapt forward.

With a squeal, Trina spun around and took off running. If
possible, he looked right at home in the old manor. Her heart picked up speed
at being stalked, the lion easily keeping pace with her strides as if toying
with her.

He brushed his shoulder against her side, guiding her up the
stairs. That tail of his curled around her arm, the soft brush of fur causing
her to shiver.

When she veered away, she felt the wicked nip of his teeth
on her ass. The pinch startled a yelp out of her, and she swatted at him. “Bad
kitty.”

The lion’s lips curled up as if smiling, flashing all those
teeth at her, and she backed away. Beast crept forward again, and Trina shot
down the hallway.

The soft breath of air on her neck made her shiver. Just
when she neared the safety of their room, strong arms caught her about her
waist, sweeping her off her feet and into their bedroom.

“I’ll always need you.”

The kiss scrambled her thoughts, and she pushed him away
after a bit. She tried not to think about him being naked or the way his body
reacted so willingly against her. She was already having a hard enough time
remembering that she was supposed to be doing something. She cleared her throat.
“Don’t you have work?”

His mischievous smile made her heart skip a beat. “We’re
playing hooky today. Victor is learning the ropes and has the reigns.”

She fluttered her lashes up him. “Whatever will we do all
day?”

“I think we can figure out some way to keep busy.” Merrick
tossed her on the bed, and a burst of laughter escaped when he landed next to
her with a bounce. His fingers gently brushed her face then proceeded to kiss
her as if he never intended to stop.

 
The End