Page 1 of Blood Lost

Chapter 1

Declan

I punched the dashboard, leaving a fist-sized dent. Damnit, Dec, get your shit together. I knew that berating myself would do no good. Neither would destroying my car. Besides, I’d have to bribe Kayden to fix the damage I’d already done. I didn’t have time to worry about that now. Once she was safe, I could deal with all of it if that was even possible. If Steph could save her. I kept playing the scene from the deli in my head.

I should have taken Jones out the moment he stepped inside. Everyone knew Maxwell Industries’ second in command. For the past year or so, he had been different somehow. I hadn’t been around him a lot, but something had changed. I didn’t trust him. I wanted to talk to Viktor about it, but something came up every time we scheduled a meeting. I began to wonder if he was avoiding me. Hell, he probably didn’t even get my messages.

And Eli Strain was just as bad. Seven canceled meetings. His people blamed some personal issues he was having. At least they gave me that much of a reason. Viktor’s people just canceled. I finally gave up on getting a meeting with either of them. I had wanted to form an alliance and get their help cleaning up the city. It seemed they weren’t too concerned with that.

I wasn’t even sure if they knew I had taken over the west side of the city. I didn’t blame either of them. The bombings had taken a toll on everyone. It seemed like there wasn’t a safe neighborhood. Besides, getting the gangs under control had been my priority. My anonymity helped with that but seemed to get in the way of making broader plans.

But when Jones had walked in, I was caught up staring at the pretty little dark-haired girl. She looked terrified, and I tried to figure out what had her so spooked. I would have thought she was waiting for someone, but she kept glancing at the door as if she was terrified someone would find her. What was she hiding from? Or who?

I didn’t even see the gun until it was too late. I smelled her blood before I realized that the pop I had heard was a gun being fired. Of course, I had to scoop her up and try to save her. There was no other option. I had no idea who she was, but her scent was enticing. It was all I could do to drop her into the back seat of my SUV and force myself into the driver’s seat. I wanted to taste her so badly. I felt my fangs click into place the moment her blood spilled.

I trusted my guys to hunt the errand boy from Maxwell Industries down for causing chaos in my zone. He wouldn’t last long out there. Now I just had to focus on saving this girl. There was no way I was going to let her die. Not on my watch. Once that was taken care of, I would talk with Viktor. He needed to know that this type of behavior would not be tolerated. Part of me was jealous that my guys would get to end the prick who’d hurt my girl. What the fuck am I thinking? I don’t even know her, but I’m staking a claim? She might not even survive. If she does, she might not want me.

I growled as I drove toward my base. I slowed down once to try to heal her myself. Maybe if I had acted sooner, it would have worked. I couldn’t get her to drink my blood. What little made it in her mouth spilled out on the seat when I hit a bump. Then she lost consciousness again. That was when I’d called my team. I had medics on standby, and they were prepared for anything. It pained me to hand her over to them. I wanted to be with her.

“Dec, we’ll do what we can. It looks bad,” Stephanie said as Matt carried the girl back to the operating room.

“Let me know if she gets worse,” I barked. The moment they walked away, I started pacing the floor. What options did I have if they couldn’t get the bullet out and stop the bleeding? There may not be another way. Could I really be considering this? Without giving her a choice? It seemed almost cruel how selfish I was being. And for what? I didn’t even know who she was.

I heard the alarms from the operating room and raced in, my instincts taking over. “What’s going on?” I heard myself say as I reached for the unconscious girl, gripping her hand in mine. Steph should have screamed at me for entering her sterile field. The fact that she didn’t say a word when she saw me told me what was happening before she had a chance to speak. The girl wasn’t going to make it. She was going to die. Unless I turned her. Almost as an afterthought, she spoke.

“She’s coding. I don’t think we got to her in time. She’s lost too much blood. I’m sorry,” Stephanie was shoving Matt out of my way. It was as if she knew what was about to happen and didn’t want to stop me.

“What’s he doing?” Matt asked, trying to get around Steph to stop me. She shook her head and pushed him against the wall. “He can’t do this. We have laws for a reason.” Before he could talk me out of it, Steph clamped her hand over his mouth.

I pulled the dying girl to my chest, taking in a deep breath of her scent. This wasn’t a decision to be made lightly, but there was no time to debate the pros and cons or even consider what she would want. If I were going to save her, it had to be now. My eyes met Stephanie’s, and she nodded slightly, encouraging me. My fangs clicked into place once again, and I bit down on the soft skin of the girl’s neck.

It had been a long time since I’d tried to transform anyone. But it was like riding a bike. I felt my venom flow into her as I tasted the sweetness of her blood on my tongue. By the time I released her, I could feel both Matt and Stephanie’s eyes boring into me. I realized that I had held her to me for longer than I should have. Fortunately, she had already been getting a transfusion, so there was little chance of me making things worse. I gently placed the girl back on the bed, avoiding their eyes. I wiped the blood from my mouth, adjusted my boner, and walked out of the room without another word.

I stormed through the waiting area and locked myself in the bathroom. I knew that Stephanie would let me know if it had worked. And that they would keep the girl sedated until I was ready for her to wake up if she survived. If she survived. There was a chance her body would reject the change. If hers didn’t, we would have a lot to deal with.

A newly turned vamp would have to adjust to the hunger, or blood lust would take over. She would need guidance the same as I needed answers. I hoped that saving her wasn’t a mistake. I was on the verge of losing control the moment my fangs touched her. And now, here I was jerking off in the hospital bathroom because I had tasted this girl. Talk about losing control. Once I settled myself, I hunted Stephanie down. I was sure I didn’t want the lecture I would get when this was over. What I’d done was reckless. What’s worse was that I would do it again, without hesitation. That idea scared me.

“How is she?” I asked, unable to meet her eyes. I was surprised that the lecture didn’t come.

She touched my arm to make me look at her. The kindness in her blue eyes shocked me. I was confident that my lack of control would be a problem. “She’s going to be fine. I have her sedated but can bring her out in the morning. You can sit with her if you’d like. I know you won’t be leaving anytime soon.” Stephanie pointed me toward a private recovery room, where the patient appeared to be resting comfortably even with the restraints.

“Her wound?” I couldn’t bear to look. She walked past me and lifted the hospital gown. The girl’s stomach looked as if she’d never been shot.

“As I said, she’s going to be fine, physically. Mentally might be different, but we’ll find out tomorrow.” Stephanie gestured to a recliner that had probably been brought in just for me.

“Did I do the right thing?” I hated that the girl didn’t have a choice in this, almost as much as I would hate myself for ending her if she didn’t want the hassles of her new life. I stared at my best friend, waiting for her to tell me that I was the monster I feared becoming.

“We’ll find out soon enough. Don’t beat yourself up over this, Dec. You saved her life.” Stephanie turned and walked out, leaving me alone with the newly turned vamp.

I pulled the chair closer to the bed then sat in it. “What am I going to do about you? It seems you’ve already gotten under my skin. And I don’t even know your name.” I knew the dangers of getting attached, but there was something about this girl that drew me in. Even in her unconscious state, I was pulled to her in a way that I couldn’t explain. In my mind, I had already started referring to her as mo chroí, which meant my heart. I didn’t even know her name, but I felt like this girl was a part of me.

When I thought she was dying, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. It was like the world was imploding. I wasn’t one for poetry, but I finally understood all the broody, depressing stuff that Stephanie had shared with me over the years. I felt as if my existence would end if this girl died. I was anxious for her to wake up, so I could learn her name and make sure that she didn’t hate me for the selfish thing I had done.

I watched her sleep, wallowing in the guilt of what I’d done, yet knowing that if I had it all to do again, I wouldn’t change any of it. I would do anything to protect her and prove I was good enough for her.

Chapter 2

Eli

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