his chest while I opened the back door.
“Thanks for not killing me,” he said.
A loud thud sounded from the back and shook the car.
Meeting Jonas’s dreamy gaze, I said, “I would never do that to you. I love you, like a brother.”
He swung his arm over my shoulder. “For a brief moment, I wasn’t sure.”
And I wasn’t certain I knew what to do, but like so many other times, my internal programming took over.
Holding him up by the waistband of his jeans, I helped him into the back. He crawled over the seat and fell sideways.
“Oh man, I feel sick,” he repeated.
“We’ll be home soon.” I tapped his leg. “Just hang on a bit longer.”
Boss opened the driver’s side door and sunk into the seat. After closing the back door, I returned to my spot in the front.
“Here.” Boss handed my dagger to me.
Before retrieving my weapon, I opened the glove compartment and found the cloth balled up inside. I snatched the linen and carefully picked up my dagger. The soiled blade needed a good bath and as soon as I had one myself, I’d clean it. “Thanks.” I laid my number one piece of protection in the glove box.
As Boss shifted gears and sped away, I put Jonas’s gun and the small handgun under the seat.
“How close are they?”
He switched the lights off. “Very.” The engine hummed louder as the car accelerated.
I reached over and strapped the seatbelt across me. Wind flowing in from the busted window blew my hair in front of my face. “So much for interrogating the garguman.”
Boss clenched his jaw. “We’ll talk about it later.”
From the deepness of his tone, I quickly gathered he was not in a good mood. Pressing my lips together, I kept my gaze on the dark road ahead and silently prayed we’d make it back to the house without any more trouble.
* * * *
Steam covered the mirror of the bathroom as I stood in front of the vanity brushing my wet hair. The soft scent of pomegranate lingered from the gel I had used in the shower. I had a pink bathrobe, one of Tabby’s, wrapped around me. My aches and pains had disappeared, thanks to Jonas, but worry gnawed at my heart. The blood I’d taken from him left him weak and sick. I’d never taken so much from him before. My brotherly protector was now bound to the bed.
A light tap sounded from the door.
“It’s just me. Can I come in?” Tabby, my shape-shifting friend, asked.
After I returned the brush to the counter, I opened the door. Her green eyes met mine.
“Boss is still upstairs with Jonas. He’s giving Jonas an injection to help him heal quicker.” She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
“Good. He could use a little boost.” Jonas typically took a shot of Boss’s blood once a year to keep him healthy and young. I doubted an extra dose would do anything, especially since I took quite a bit from him.
“Boss told me what happened,” she said as she straightened and lowered her arms. “How are you feeling?”
The feline shape-shifter stood taller than I did and had a lean frame. Long, black hair complimented her beautiful eyes. The first time I’d met her, she hissed at me–in her cat form.
“Better, thanks to Jonas,” I replied, tightening the cloth belt around my waist.
“Don’t worry too much about him. He’ll be up and running around soon enough. Trust me. He’s had worse days.” She offered a warm smile.
“Really?”
She nodded. “He’s been stabbed and shot on plenty of investigations. Every time he knocks on death’s door, death keeps shoving him away.”
I started to smile, but quickly stopped. A brush with death was not something to appreciate. Jonas was mostly human. At any time, someone could end his mortal life. I dreaded the thought of losing my dear friend.
“I didn’t want to feed from him, but–”
She reached forward and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. He’ll be fine. He’s a tough guy.” She smiled.
I nodded and passed by her,
“Thanks for not killing me,” he said.
A loud thud sounded from the back and shook the car.
Meeting Jonas’s dreamy gaze, I said, “I would never do that to you. I love you, like a brother.”
He swung his arm over my shoulder. “For a brief moment, I wasn’t sure.”
And I wasn’t certain I knew what to do, but like so many other times, my internal programming took over.
Holding him up by the waistband of his jeans, I helped him into the back. He crawled over the seat and fell sideways.
“Oh man, I feel sick,” he repeated.
“We’ll be home soon.” I tapped his leg. “Just hang on a bit longer.”
Boss opened the driver’s side door and sunk into the seat. After closing the back door, I returned to my spot in the front.
“Here.” Boss handed my dagger to me.
Before retrieving my weapon, I opened the glove compartment and found the cloth balled up inside. I snatched the linen and carefully picked up my dagger. The soiled blade needed a good bath and as soon as I had one myself, I’d clean it. “Thanks.” I laid my number one piece of protection in the glove box.
As Boss shifted gears and sped away, I put Jonas’s gun and the small handgun under the seat.
“How close are they?”
He switched the lights off. “Very.” The engine hummed louder as the car accelerated.
I reached over and strapped the seatbelt across me. Wind flowing in from the busted window blew my hair in front of my face. “So much for interrogating the garguman.”
Boss clenched his jaw. “We’ll talk about it later.”
From the deepness of his tone, I quickly gathered he was not in a good mood. Pressing my lips together, I kept my gaze on the dark road ahead and silently prayed we’d make it back to the house without any more trouble.
* * * *
Steam covered the mirror of the bathroom as I stood in front of the vanity brushing my wet hair. The soft scent of pomegranate lingered from the gel I had used in the shower. I had a pink bathrobe, one of Tabby’s, wrapped around me. My aches and pains had disappeared, thanks to Jonas, but worry gnawed at my heart. The blood I’d taken from him left him weak and sick. I’d never taken so much from him before. My brotherly protector was now bound to the bed.
A light tap sounded from the door.
“It’s just me. Can I come in?” Tabby, my shape-shifting friend, asked.
After I returned the brush to the counter, I opened the door. Her green eyes met mine.
“Boss is still upstairs with Jonas. He’s giving Jonas an injection to help him heal quicker.” She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
“Good. He could use a little boost.” Jonas typically took a shot of Boss’s blood once a year to keep him healthy and young. I doubted an extra dose would do anything, especially since I took quite a bit from him.
“Boss told me what happened,” she said as she straightened and lowered her arms. “How are you feeling?”
The feline shape-shifter stood taller than I did and had a lean frame. Long, black hair complimented her beautiful eyes. The first time I’d met her, she hissed at me–in her cat form.
“Better, thanks to Jonas,” I replied, tightening the cloth belt around my waist.
“Don’t worry too much about him. He’ll be up and running around soon enough. Trust me. He’s had worse days.” She offered a warm smile.
“Really?”
She nodded. “He’s been stabbed and shot on plenty of investigations. Every time he knocks on death’s door, death keeps shoving him away.”
I started to smile, but quickly stopped. A brush with death was not something to appreciate. Jonas was mostly human. At any time, someone could end his mortal life. I dreaded the thought of losing my dear friend.
“I didn’t want to feed from him, but–”
She reached forward and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. He’ll be fine. He’s a tough guy.” She smiled.
I nodded and passed by her,
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