Love in the Shadows (15 page)

“Ice will help. Here let me get some
out of the conference room.” Katherine got up and headed down the
hall for the ice. She smiled, thinking of Hugh and Stacey together.
Another Shadow Walker had found his mate.

§

Derek caught Hugh’s gaze and smiled,
happy that his friend had found his mate. Hopefully, their joining
wouldn’t be as difficult as Katherine and his had become. But
knowing Stacey Johnson as he did, he doubted a smooth
union.

Katherine returned at that moment with
a bag of ice and a blue silk blouse. She dragged Stacey to a chair
before helping her put the bag in place.

“You’ve seen this before?” Stacey
asked.

“Yes. Don’t worry. It’s a good thing. I
think Hugh should explain.” Katherine handed her the blouse. “You
can put this on when the pain lessens.”

“Thanks,” Stacey said.

“I think we should move into the
conference room. We don’t want to be caught out here in front of
the elevator when none of us is supposed to be here.” Derek ushered
them all down the hall to the meeting rooms.

Just as they got settled, the elevator
dinged. Katherine rushed from the room to intercept whoever came
onto the floor. A prickle of unease had Derek listening for
Katherine’s voice. She murmured something and chuckled. Derek
turned his attention back to his friends and the planning of
tonight’s trip.

§

Katherine hurried down the hall to her
office. She had wanted to stay and listen to the plan the team
members devised. Joe and Raven hadn’t appeared yet, so she probably
had time. The elevator doors were already closing when she reached
the alcove that held her desk. A man stood with a huge vase of red
roses. So Derek thought he could get away with keeping her in the
dark about tonight and then send roses to soften her up. “Nice try,
love.” She chuckled and shook her head.

“I have a delivery for Katherine
Sloane.”

“That’s me.” Katherine took the vase of
roses from the man and turned to place them on her desk. She felt a
slight pinch at her neck and fell into darkness.

§

Derek’s eyesight began to dim. “What’s
wrong with me?”

Both Hugh and Stacey rushed to his
side. “Sit down a minute. It hasn’t been that long since you got
shot,” Stacey said as Hugh helped support him.

Stacey grabbed a chair and pulled it
over. Derek sat, his knees weak. He leaned his head forward,
breathing deeply, trying to regain his equilibrium.

“I’ll get you some water.” Stacey
hurried down the hall.

Derek fought to stay conscious. This
felt a lot like when he was drugged in the Amazon. Stacey rushed
back into the room with a glass of water. Derek’s hand shook as he
reached for it. He took a swallow before speaking again. “Is
Katherine all right?” Raven had told him how she reacted to his
being drugged in the Amazon. Something wasn’t right. Derek couldn’t
process what it was.

“I didn’t see her,” Stacey said. “Let
me go get her.”

Derek breathed deeply. Where was
Katherine? She normally felt it when he wasn’t well.

Derek, did you authorize
the use of your blue convertible?
Joe’s
voice flooded into his mind telepathically.
I’m down here at the motor pool, and the convertible just
came out of the garage. It’s turning toward Albuquerque.

“Derek, I can’t find Katherine
anywhere.” Stacey stood at the door, wringing her hands.

Derek reached for
Katherine with his telepathy and found… darkness. “They have
her.”
Joe follow the convertible. They
have Katherine.
A flow of adrenaline hit
Derek’s body. He fought back the darkness claiming his mate. “We
need to shadow-walk, now. Hugh do you remember the canyon on the
way to Albuquerque? The one with the old mine entrance boarded up?
You pass by it all the time.”

“Sure, I remember.”

“That’s where we need to
go.”
Joe?

I’m following. I can see
the convertible ahead of me.

We will meet you at the
old mine entrance.
Derek stood up and
walked over to the shadows in the corner of the room. Seeing one
that wavered, he pushed his hands in, palms together. As the cold
of Shadow washed over him, he pulled his hands apart making a
door.

“Holy shit! Derek’s hands are
disappearing.”

“Guess it’s time you knew, Stacey. We
don’t have time to blindfold you this time. Come on. Hold my hand,
and whatever you do, don’t let go.” Derek reached back for
her.

Hugh grabbed Stacey’s other hand, and
they walked into the Shadow dimension. Derek paused a moment while
Hugh closed the portal. Derek pictured the canyon and the entrance
to the mine with rotting boards across it and a sign warning people
to stay away. When he could see it all clearly in his mind, he
moved forward, and the mine entrance appeared out of the swirls and
eddies of mist.

Derek opened a new portal, and they
stepped back onto the Earth plane. Stacey shivered and ran her
hands up and down her arms. She looked at him, her eyes a little
wild.

“Don’t freak out on us now, Stacey.”
Derek closed the door into Shadow.

Hugh enfolded her in his embrace and
whispered something in her ear. She leaned against him, and her
shivering slowly stopped.

“All right, here’s the plan. I’m going
to climb up those rocks, and when the car comes by, I’m going to
drop down on top of it. Hugh, give me one of your knives. I hate to
cut up my baby, but I need to be in the car before I can slip into
Shadow.” Hugh handed an obsidian-bladed knife to Derek.

“What about us?” Stacey
asked.

“Stacey, you stand up on the road and
try to look sexy. Hold out your thumb for a ride. I want the
criminal’s eyes on you when I jump. Hugh, you stay out of sight
until I’m on the car. Aim for one of the tires with your crossbow.
Joe will be here with an SUV. He’s following whoever took
Katherine. Get in your places. They should be here in three
minutes.”

Derek started climbing up onto the
ledge of the canyon. Thank goodness, his speed and agility had
increased since taking Isanti’s healing potion. He reached the top
and ran along the edge until he came to the portion that hung over
the road. He crouched down. The road curved before it came into the
canyon so he wouldn’t be visible to the driver.

Stacey reached the spot up the road
where he had directed her. She unbuttoned her blouse, letting it
drape open, showing her breasts. She fluffed her blond hair before
placing her hands on her hips. If that didn’t make the driver slow
down, nothing would. Derek chuckled. He didn’t see Hugh but knew he
wouldn’t be far from Stacey.

The sound of an engine
could be heard approaching.
Please Great
Spirit, help me get Katherine back.
Derek’s blue convertible drove into the canyon. Stacey
stepped up to the road, smiling and waving her thumb. Derek waited
a split second and jumped.

He hit the top of the convertible, his
knife slicing through the fabric top, and landed in the back seat.
In a moment he slipped into Shadow.

“What the hell?” the driver swore, and
looked up at the torn roof. A loud bang sounded, and the car
swerved to the right.

A litany of curses came from the
driver. Derek visualized the inside of the trunk. In a moment, he
peered into the space. A large canvas tarp sat rolled up inside. He
opened a small door from Shadow into the Earth plane and dragged
the tarp into the Shadow dimension. As he pulled it into the
swirling eddies of mist that made up Shadow, the canvas
disintegrated, leaving Katherine lying unconscious.

Derek gathered her up in his arms and
pictured the inside of the clinic at Isanti, Inc. Holding her
tight, he moved forward through the Shadow Dimension and into the
clinic.

I’ve got Katherine, Joe.
Capture the driver.

Roger that.

Dr. Rick and the nurse rushed forward,
helping Derek support Katherine until they lay her down on one of
the gurneys. “What’s happened?” the doctor asked.

“She’s been drugged. Kidnapping
attempt.”

Dr. Rick nodded as he checked her
pupils and her pulse. “Any idea what they gave her?”

“No, why?”

“Nurse Eschback! She’s
going into cardiac arrest.” Dr. Rick ripped Katherine’s shirt open,
then reached for the automated external
defibrillator
on the wall. “Get her
bra out of my way.”

Derek cut Katherine’s bra with the
obsidian knife as the doctor leaned forward. Nurse Eschback
attached the defibrillator pads to Katherine’s chest.

“Move back, Derek. Clear.”

Derek stepped back. Praying, he watched
the doctor and nurse trying to save Katherine, her body jerking
with the shock to her heart. What would he do if he lost her? Raven
and Cara rushed into the room. Cara held a bottle of Isanti’s
healing potion. She thrust it into Derek’s hands.

“Doc, let me get this into
her. It’ll help.” Derek leaned down as the doctor muttered curses.
Derek lifted Katherine up in his arms, reaching for her
telepathically. He dove into the darkness of her mind, searching
for her spirit. A small flicker of light caught his attention, and
he surrounded it with his brighter light.
I need you to stay with me, Katherine. Swallow this potion
and live for me, baby.

He poured the potion down her throat,
controlling the muscles in her esophagus telepathically. “I can’t
wait any longer, Derek. Get out of the way. Clear.”

Derek stepped back, and
the doctor once more shocked Katherine’s heart. Derek held on tight
to her spirit, feeding her his strength, trying to give the potion
a chance to work.
Come on, baby. Come
on.

There was a blip on the monitor, then
another, and another. They all sighed in relief. Derek wobbled on
his feet. Raven grabbed him around the waist and helped him to a
chair.

“Pulse at 60 beats per minute,
doctor.”

“Get her started on fluids, nurse. I’m
sure Isanti’s potion will take care of the rest.”

Derek looked up at his brother, tears
in his eyes. He had almost lost Katherine. Thank the Great Spirit
that Cara had brought the healing potion.

“Sorry we were late getting here,”
Raven said. “Cara made us stop to get the potion from Isanti.
Katherine’s going to be all right, Derek.”

Derek nodded. Feeling a little
stronger, he moved his chair to the side of the cot and took
Katherine’s hand in his. He still held her spirit tight, and it
began to expand and grow in light.

Sighing in relief, he leaned his head
against the bed and brought her hand to his lips, kissing her soft
skin. Her fingers slowly opened, and Derek entwined their fingers
together.

“Joe brought the driver of the
convertible in. He’s a little banged up. I guess he rolled the car.
Joe says it’s totaled. I’ll have to buy you a new one as a wedding
present.”

“Derek shook his head. “No. That part
of my life is over. We’ll need a minivan. I plan on having children
as soon as Katherine will agree to it.”

“I’m going to interrogate the driver.
Are you coming?” Raven asked.

“No, I’m staying here until Katherine
opens her eyes and looks at me. Raven, I want this stopped today. I
almost lost her.”

“I don’t think they meant for her to go
into cardiac arrest,” Dr. Rick said. “I think she had a reaction to
whatever they gave her. Not that they shouldn’t be
punished.”

“They almost killed her in the car
bomb,” Derek said. “They sent an assassin after us. I don’t care if
they were trying today or not. Find out why they’ve targeted
her!”

“Calm down, Red Hawk. I’ll take care of
it.” Raven ushered Cara from the room.

“If Isanti’s potion works as quickly as
it usually does, Katherine should be waking up anytime now. I’ll be
right outside if you need me. Nurse, it sounds like we have another
patient.” Dr. Rick followed the nurse to the door, then paused,
turning back. He opened his mouth as if he would say something. But
then, shaking his head, he left the room.

Derek felt Katherine’s spirit grow
stronger, until it pushed against his. He released her, his spirit
sinking back into his body. He shuddered and gripped her hand.
Blinking his eyes, he opened them when he heard her sigh. He stood
and leaned over, kissing her on the forehead before he brushed a
lock of hair off her face.

Her eyes fluttered and she looked up at
him. “Derek?”

“I’ve got you, baby. You’re
okay.”

“Derek, you’re crying.”

“Am I?” Derek wiped his
face, surprised when his hand came away wet. “I almost lost you.
I’m still not over it. In fact, I think it will be a long time
before I can allow you out of my sight.”
If ever.

“What happened?”

“You were kidnapped. Rest
now,
tehila
. When
you feel better, I’ll fill in the blanks for you. Don’t worry. I’ll
be right here when you wake up.”