Delilah Devlin - My Immortal Knight 04 (11 page)

Now a second wolf, slightly larger than the monster that held her,
stalked toward them. His coat glistened like polished coal in the moonlight and
rippled with the flex of his powerful muscles. Believing the next few seconds
would be her last, Pia’s thoughts skipped to Max. She prayed hard that he was
safe, and harder still that he’d find happiness.

The black wolf growled and snapped its teeth, and suddenly, she was
released. She hit the ground and rolled to the side. Searing pain took what
little air she could suck into her lungs. Slowly, she came to her knees.

The black wolf sidled toward her, answering the golden one’s growls
with a rumbling roar that emanated from deep inside his chest. The sound sent
shivers up her spine. He stood between her and the golden wolf now.

Despite her pain, Pia tried to edge backward, but the black wolf turned
and nudged her with a cold nose—an oddly tender action that confused her. Had
he just told her to sit tight?

Dimly, Pia grew aware of shouts from the direction of the boardwalk. If
she could have drawn a deep breath she would have screamed, but the effort of
breathing was quickly diminishing her strength.

Then the black wolf raised his head and howled.

“Over here,” Quentin shouted.

The golden one snarled and darted forward, snapping at the black’s
front hocks.

The black answered with a lunge and sank his teeth into the neck of his
foe.

The two, well-matched in size and strength, rolled in the sand, their
snarling growls growing deeper, their gnashing teeth inflicting more vicious
wounds by the second.

Pia tried to retain her mask and vamp bulk, but she felt her strength
seep from her body until her human form slipped to the sand, panting to ease
the pain burning her lungs.

The pounding of booted feet hitting the sand drew nearer, and the
golden wolf wriggled free of the black’s hold before dashing away into the
darkness.

Then the black wolf turned back to her, his fur glistening now from
saliva and blood. He padded toward her, his head down, his chest heaving, until
his face was inches from hers.

“Pia, hold very still. We’re going to take him out.” Quentin’s harsh
monster-voice echoed as if rising from a deep well.

She stared at the wolf, drawn by the unblinking gaze of his gold eyes.
He was magnificent! Larger than any wolf she’d ever seen in a zoo. His head was
broad, his neck thick, and his chest wide and deeply muscled. His black coat
looked soft and lustrous. Slowly, she lifted her hand beneath his snout, half
expecting he’d bite it off.

Instead, he gently nudged her palm with his nose and lowered himself to
the sand.

“Don’t hurt him,” she whispered, raking her fingers through the matted
fur around his face. He smelled like a dog—fresh, slightly musty, except for
the tangy scent of the blood on his neck and shoulders. “He’s a friend. He
saved my life.” She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but the certainty grew
stronger as she stroked his fur.

“We have to destroy him, Pia,” Quentin said. “He’s part of the pack
that’s been murdering humans and vamps.”

“Not right,” she gasped to get the words past her lips. “He…wasn’t
inside. Came later.”

“Anyone seen Max?” Joe asked.

Pia peered up to see Joe and another officer, Phil she guessed, join
Quentin. Their weapons were raised and pointed straight at the dark creature
beside her. She struggled to her knees and crawled in front of the wolf.

“Dammit, Pia. Get out of the way.” Quentin stepped forward, but the
wolf’s growl halted him.

Grasping his fur, Pia leaned into the wolf. “Go!” she whispered. “I’m
safe.” She wasn’t sure he understood.

He whined and nuzzled his snout against her neck.

She turned slowly to the men. Their faces were hard, determined. They’d
shoot him without a second thought—unless she pulled out a bigger weapon.
“Shoot him, Quentin…and I’ll tell Darcy…exactly where that bullet hit you…and
who dug it out of your ass.”

“Pia!” Quentin’s voice rose in warning.

“I’m not kidding.”

Quentin’s mask melted. “For fuck sake. He’s a goddamn werewolf—not a
lapdog. He’s dangerous.”

“I can start with where the surgery was performed…”

Quentin blew out a breath. “Lower your weapons,” he said, his voice
sounding as disappointed as a child denied his dessert.

Pia shifted back to the wolf. “Go!”

But he lay there, and his tongue lapped at her fingers.

Tears filled her eyes. Her chest burned like fire and this stupid
lupine was quickly losing his chance to lift his leg on another fire hydrant.
“Go!” she shouted, shoving him as hard as she could manage.

Finally, the wolf rose to his feet. With a glare at the men standing
beyond her, he turned and loped into the darkness.

Quentin stepped forward and knelt beside her in the sand. “Are you all
right?” he asked, reaching to tuck her hair behind her ear.

Fighting to keep from crying like a baby now the danger was past, she
asked, “Did you get the other two wolves?”

“Yeah,” Joe said, as he joined them. He reached for the fastenings on
her jacket and stripped them open. “What the hell happened with the
light-colored one?”

“Blackie chased him off.”

Joe’s eyebrows lifted and he gently shoved the jacket off her shoulders.
“Blackie? You want a pet that bad, why don’t you move in with Max?”

“Max isn’t housebroken.” Pia winced as she pulled her arms from the
jacket. “Where is he, anyway?”

“That’s a good question,” Joe murmured. “Quentin, you want to go back
and see where he went—he might have followed another trail. If that yellow dog
circles back…”

“Do I have to save his ass?” Quentin asked.

“You do unless you want me to tell your secrets, Quentin,” Pia said,
working her face into a scowl.

Cursing, Quentin swiped her flak jacket from the ground and headed back
the way they’d come.

“You must be feeling better if you want to boss him around,” Joe said.

“I am.” Thank God for a vamp’s rapid healing. She could actually draw a
deep breath. “Just help me to my feet.”

“You are one stubborn woman.” Joe bent to place his shoulder beneath
her arm and helped her rise to her feet.

Pia swayed and then pushed away from Joe. “We have to look for Max.”

They walked back to the boardwalk. Joe assisted her as she climbed the
steps. A crowd of black-clad SU officers hovered outside the Piki Tiki. The
first of the body bags passed out the door.

Pia scanned the crowd, anxious to find Max to know he’d escaped injury.
But she was disappointed when she didn’t see him.

“He can take care of himself,” Joe said, quietly.

“Is it so obvious I’m worried about him?”

“You’re biting your lip.”

“Who are you worried about?” Max asked, from directly behind her.

Pia screeched and whirled. She launched herself against his chest,
throwing her arms around his neck to hug him hard. “Where the hell have you
been?”

“Hunting.” He hugged her back.

Pain shot through her side and she gasped.

Max dropped his arms and tried to step back.

Pia wouldn’t let go of his neck and snuggled close to his chest again.

“Are you all right?” His arms closed gently around her this time.

“Mmmm. Fine now.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her hands up and down
his back. His bare back. Tilting her head, she gazed up at him. “What happened
to your jacket and shirt?”

“I wrestled with a wolf—they stink.”

Something in his eyes told her there was more to the explanation. But
she’d kept secrets. In fact, she still had one, so she figured he was entitled
to a few of his own. She snuggled close to his chest and inhaled. He did smell
like a dog—just like Blackie had.

“Next time, let someone know where the hell you’ve gone,” Quentin said.

Pia lifted her head to watch his approach. When she did, she noticed
for the first time the angry red scratches on Max’s torso and the deeper cuts
on the side of his neck. “Why the hell did you remove your flak jacket?”

Max’s smile was strained. “So I could move faster.”

“You need to have those seen to.”

“Later. We have some clean-up here, before I can leave.”

“For fucksake, get out of here,” Quentin said, waving him away. “Stow
your gear in the SU van. Joe will make sure it gets turned in. Go to hospital.”

Max stiffened.

Pia reached for his hand. “He’s right—even if it’s Quentin saying
it—you need to go to the hospital.” She tugged to pull him along.

Max walked stiff-legged behind her. When they reached the car, he
pulled the keys from his pocket.

“You’re not driving,” Pia said, holding out her hand, palm-up.

Max planted his hands on his hips—and intimidating look from such a
large man. “If your driving is as dismal as your shooting, I want to be behind
the wheel.”

She jutted her chin. She wasn’t backing down from this one. “You’re not
driving. You could pass out on the way to the hospital.”

“I’m not hurt that badly—and what about you? You need to have those
ribs seen to.”

“I’m a vampire. I heal fast.” The way the blood zoomed through her
veins now, she was well on her way to recovery. Arguing with Max ought to be
prescribed for pain-relief.

“I’m only scratched.”

“Those don’t look like scratches to me,” she said, pointing at his
neck. “Give me the keys.”

He sighed and looked toward the star-bright sky, stubborn tension
bunching the muscles of his arms. “You’re not going to leave me alone, are
you?”

Pia grew still. “Is that what you want?” she said softly.

Max lowered his gaze. He stared at her for a long moment.

So long, Pia worried he would tell her something she didn’t want to
hear.

Instead, he laid the keys in her palm. “Take me home.”

She closed her hand around the keys and dragged in a relieved breath.
“To the hospital, you mean.”

“I have supplies at home. You can take care of me there.”

Taking him home meant he wanted to have sex. Her heart leapt at the
prospect. “Is your tetanus up to date?”

“Last year. And werewolves don’t carry rabies.” He raised her chin with
a finger, and his thumb caressed her lower lip. “Take me home, Pia.”

Although framed as a demand, his voice held invitation. A warm, softly
feminine feeling, a feeling she hadn’t known for a very long time, settled
inside her chest.

But the wounds on his neck were blood-encrusted. He might not think he
needed a hospital, but she couldn’t bear it if something bad were to happen.
She pushed his head up to get a closer look at his neck. “Were you bitten?”

Max’s expression shuttered. “I’m fine. Take me home, Pia.”

She jerked open the car door. “Fine. Get in the car.”

Max let himself into the car and leaned back against the seat.

She started the car, and then looked over at him. “You’d tell me if one
of those bastards bit you, wouldn’t you? I wouldn’t want you going all furry on
me.”

Max leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes, shutting
out Pia’s face. Her worry warmed his heart.

If she only knew…

Pia pushed Max into a chair in the kitchen, and busied herself with the
contents of his first aid kit. If she thought he might let her, she’d just lick
the wounds until they closed. But she was pretty sure Max would be funny about
vampire “gifts”.

“You don’t have to do this,” Max said quietly. “I’ll get a shower.”

“Just stop, will you?” She grabbed cotton gauze and peroxide and
hurried back. “Is this a macho thing? You have some ugly scratches.”

His hand closed over hers. “I didn’t bring you here to nurse me.”

“You didn’t bring me here—I did the driving.” She uncapped the bottle.
“These scratches could get infected.”

Standing between his open legs, she poured some of the peroxide on the
gauze and wiped at the bloody wounds on his chest. “I should really be pissed.
You made me wear that heavy vest, but you couldn’t keep yours on for five
minutes.”

“It got in the way,” he murmured.

The blood dissolved, and she used a fresh piece of gauze to blot the
rest of the dark brown smears from his chest and neck. When she was finished,
she drew back her hand. The wounds were nearly healed. Only faint pink tracings
remained on his skin.

Her mouth gaped and she looked up.
How was it possible?
Her gaze
locked with his.

Max’s mouth curved into a feral grin. “I told you I didn’t need it.”

She swallowed, suddenly uneasy. His stare was too intent—too predatory.
“You heal fast.”