BloodSworn (7 page)

They both knew he wasn’t healing properly.

“With your luck, she’ll turn out to be the one the vampires
want.” Victor appeared unrepentant and crossed his arms. “She’s a complication
we don’t need right now with the pack so unsettled.”

Merrick didn’t say a word. What Victor said was all very
true, but Merrick had given his life up for the pack. He’d be damned if he gave
her up for them as well.

They owed him that much.

There was a light knock. With a shove that shot Victor out
of the way, Merrick jerked the door open. Glenda’s smile wilted when she saw
him, but his attention latched onto the woman behind her.

Her pack dangled from her fingers, but the bulky clothing he
associated with her was gone. All but that damned hat, as if she were still trying
to hide from him. He itched to remove it, but forced himself to remain still
and allowed his eyes to trail lower.

The image of her had him nearly swallowing his tongue. No
wonder she hid. She was exquisite, someone no one would forget once they saw
her. Her eyes were so deep he fell a little into them, getting lost in the
vibrant golden-brown color that hinted she was a little more than human.

And he was right about her clothes. The snug white shirt
revealed a body that made him want to take off his own to cover her.

She wasn’t overly developed. Her breasts were more on the
small side. It was the nip in her waist, the swell of her hip that accentuated
her perfect figure, all sleek muscle and toned body. But just because the blood
was gone didn’t mean she was healed.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Those words were a mistake.
Images of her sprawled out, waiting for him in his bed invaded his mind. He couldn’t
say he regretted asking the question, but she sensed his reaction and looked ready
to flee.

Then her chin came up and fire warmed her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Then why don’t we begin negotiations.” Merrick stepped back
and smiled. “Alone.”

“Negotiations?”

“Alone?”

Victor and Trina parroted in unison.

Trina saw the extra-long canines in Merrick’s smile and gulped.
Worse, she didn’t like the pitying look on the other man’s face as he walked
toward the door. The last thing she needed was to be alone with a lion in his
den.

If she had any hope of gaining ground with him, she’d have
to work fast. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the amulet she’d stolen
off the wolf. “Let’s start with why our attackers would wear a spelled amulet
then attack a leader of their own clan.”

Both men halted in their tracks. Any softness in them disappeared,
and she heard Glenda’s steady footsteps squeak as she picked up speed in the
hallway.

Away from danger.

If Trina had any sense, she would’ve followed.

“Where did you get that?”

Trina shook her head. “Negotiations. What will you give me
for this information?”

She half-expected him to reach over and rip the necklace
from her grip. He didn’t. If possible, his expression darkened even more. The
warrior had returned, his shirt stretching tight as his chest swelled.

She noticed the previous cuts had melted into bruises, making
her eager to explore the rest of him. The way shifters healed fascinated her. She’d
bet that the curative was located in their blood, and she’d love to be able to
get her hand on some and run a few tests while she was there. Would love to
compare their blood to her own.

There had to be a connection, something that she could use
to repress her abilities and allow her to remain hidden long enough to rescue
her sister.  

“What do you want?” Those massive arms of his crossed over
his chest, and her eyes automatically swept over him with a delicious shiver of
lust and danger.

She licked her lips, nervous as the tension in the room
built. “Two more weeks at the Den then another week before you tell anyone I
was here.”

“Done.”

Trina blinked at the automatic reply. When he went to swipe
the amulet, she pulled her arm back. “The magic wasn’t destroyed completely.
You have to be careful how you handle relics.”

“What do you know?” The suspicious tone from the second man
pissed her off. There was an uncompromising hardness to him when he looked at
her, those cold eyes of his had her sidling closer toward Merrick. His straight,
shoulder-length hair was longer than most shifters, almost unkempt, as if it
were trying to defy him and not quite succeeding. If he’d been the one who’d
caught her on the property, she wouldn’t have been escorted through the front
door and definitely not conscious.

“I didn’t plan the attack, if that’s what you think. They were
trying to kill me, too.”

“And you didn’t have any trouble protecting yourself.”

Trina’s lips tightened. “What was I supposed to do? Allow
them to skewer me? Oh, that’s right. They did.” She took a step toward him. “Where
the hell were you during the attack? They were waiting behind the wall for us.
It’s not my job to protect the Den.”

Victor flinched as if she’d struck a blow. She wheeled
around to face Merrick. “A female wolf was the leader. The magic in this amulet
hid them somehow. If you give it to your Familiaran, they should be able to run
a trace and track.”

Trina felt bad trading faulty information, but she hadn’t
exactly lied to them either. They wanted to know about the attack, and she told
them.

She just didn’t tell them that the ambush was set for her.
It was just too coincidental that two magical attacks came within hours of each
other.

If Merrick hadn’t been with her, she wasn’t sure she
would’ve sensed them soon enough to run. Witches, maybe. Not shifters. They
would’ve eventually hunted her down and taken her unless she resorted to using
magic. She gingerly touched the ache in her side, surprised at how fast she was
already healing. She should be grateful, but it meant that either the bonds
holding her magic were loosening or her powers were growing stronger. Soon,
there would be no hiding.

“Why don’t you do it?”

“What?” Trina glanced at Victor.

“Trace and track?”

Trina shook her head. “I’m not that kind of witch. Your pack
witch should be able to track the amulet to the wearer and back to the one who
created it.”

A slow realization sank in at their blank expressions. “You
don’t have a witch.”

“Can’t you ask one of your cursed friends?”

“No.” Merrick was all Leo when he replied to Victor, and she
realized he was protecting her, living up to his part of their bargain already.
Only she wasn’t sure she believed that completely. “We don’t associate with the
coven, but if we ask, they’ll do it.”

Silence descended with a heaviness that pressed on her
chest. Breathing became difficult, and she fidgeted, wishing this whole, awful
evening was over.

Being hunted the last few weeks had left her on edge for too
long. She was exhausted. All she wanted was a night of sleep, a few days without
the fear of discovery hanging over her.

“Then we’re good? Negotiations are settled?” She thrust out
her hand, self-conscious when he made no move to reciprocate.

His smile was all teeth. “Not by a long shot.”

 
Chapter Eight

“
I
’ll
stay in the shed.”

Leo just shook his head in the implacable way she was coming
to associate with him.

It pissed her off.

“You’ll stay in my apartments.”

Trina wanted to deck him. They’d been arguing for the last
twenty minutes, and he wouldn’t budge his stubborn ass an inch. Any nerves or
self-doubt had long since been burned away by his arrogance.

“I need to do my research. I need a lab.” What she needed to
do was rescue her sister. Getting to Eden would be the easy part. She could
walk through the front door, and the vampires would welcome her. But first, she
had to formulate a plan to get them both out alive.

She’d rejected dozens of scenarios. How did one sneak into
the vampire king’s lair, steal his most precious jewel and leave again all
without being caught?

But she’d managed to live nearly two weeks under the
watchful eye of the Den with no one the wiser.

Well, anyone but Merrick…er, the Leo.

She mustn’t forget his title. It would help to remind herself
who he was and that she needed to keep her hands to herself.

“If you can’t use the lab in the basement then I’ll knock
down a blasted wall and build you another, but you will not set foot outside
this Den.” The prospect of working in a fully functional lab again nearly made
her drool, but his answer gave her pause.

She wanted to stay hidden and under the pack’s protection,
but why did he want her to stay so badly? He was suspicious, his second-in-command
was even more so. They didn’t have a Familiaran, so her famous family name
would remain secret longer with no one to out her.

He leaned over the massive desk that dominated the room and slammed
his palms down. Everything on top jumped and clattered, and she was
half-surprised the solid form held under the assault.

His anger in no way frightened her, only serving to ignite
her own. Not willing to concede so quickly, she leaned over the desk until their
faces were inches apart. The scent of wildness and fresh air invaded her lungs.
This close, his hair appeared to stand on end, tempting her to reach out and
test the texture. It couldn’t be as soft as it appeared.

She narrowed her eyes as an insidious suspicion smacked her upside
the head. Once the thought entered her mind, she wasn’t able to rid herself of
it.

His eyes were shaded golden, a bit on the wild side.

“You’re enjoying this.”

He only blinked.

She sighed, and the events of the day caught up with her.
She was running on steam and in no condition to be negotiating. “You’re not
going to concede, are you?”

“No.”

“So, I would be a prisoner.” Trina shoved away from the desk
and paced to the window.

Only to have a perfect view of the shed taunt her. She
wondered how long he had known she’d been there. Probably from the very
beginning, if she had to guess.

Part of her mind whispered that he’d planned the whole thing
to trap her, but that was ridiculous. When he looked at her, she saw no
recognition of who she was in his gaze.

What could he hope to gain?

She turned away and crossed her arms. “That’s unacceptable.”

“You would be protected.” The speculation in his eyes sent
her stomach flip-flopping. She had to offer him something so tempting that he couldn’t
say no to her. Something so big, that he wouldn’t notice what she really wanted.

Just protection.

She had to throw him off. She would not have him digging
into her past. She couldn’t afford it. Her heart wasn’t able to take another
betrayal if he turned on her, too. So she’d keep her secrets for now. She had
too much to lose to demand anything, and he knew it.

Clever of him to dangle the labs out to her, seduce her into
doing his bidding. It tempted her. If she had the use of a lab, she might be
able to engineer a weapon against the vampires. Hell, she’d drain herself dry
if she thought it would help.

“What have you to offer?” His voice oozed enough sex that it
took her brain precious seconds to shake it off and figure out how to use her
tongue again…and not the way her mind was telling her what she should do with
it.

“I can heal you.” Everything in his face froze, and she
wondered if she’d made a tactical error.

That her specialty was blood really didn’t matter. Her
hematology background could only be a plus when studying shifters. She’d had
plenty of job offers after her residency.

“I’ve done some successful studies on shifter physiology.”
But only a few cases as most of the normal world knew little about the truth of
their kind. It was only by chance that she’d found the injured shifter and
saved his life. Ever since, he’d brought his mates to her house for medical
assistance.