Page 19 of These Deadly Dreams

“Do you guys need anything before I take you home?” Allie asks. “Or I can drop you off first and then get anything you need. Either way, I’m happy to help.”

“Thanks, Allie. But I think we’re good,” Cade says. He glances into the back seat and smirks. “Cozy back there?”

“I should have made you ride bitch, then you wouldn’t be laughing.” I glare at Cade, but keep running my hands through Kai’s hair.

His occasional groans break my heart, and I just want to take his pain away. He tenses and quickly sits up.

“Oh fuck. Allie, pull over.” His words are muffled by the hand he slaps over his mouth.

Allie complies, and the car has barely come to a stop when Kai throws the door open and heaves more of his stomach contents onto the pavement. I rub his back until his stomach settles and he collapses back into the seat, pulling the door closed. A sheen of sweat shines on his forehead and his hand is clammy when I grasp it in mine.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I scan his face, concerned by his grayish pallor and pain-filled expression.

“Yeah, just have to wait for this other blood to leave my system. It’s just my body's way of rejecting it.” His head lolls to the side, and gives me a pathetic grin. “Hey, at least now we know for certain you’re my beloved, if there had been any doubts.”

I’m too emotionally drained to react. This morning started with me learning the guys are my Shields, then the accident, Sterling freaking out, and now Kai doing … this. And to top it all off, I got no sleep the night before. I’m exhausted.

When Allie pulls up the long driveway to Kai’s place, I’m almost too tired to move. Cade and Sterling have to help Kai inside, he’s too weak to make it on his own. The sight reminds me how close I was to losing them.

“I can still feel that, you know,” Kai mumbles as the guys lead him to his room. “We’re all fine, stop worrying.”

“Stop reading me,” I grumble. “It’s rude.”

“Hard not to when you practically shove your emotions down my throat.”

I rush past them and open the bedroom door, closing and locking it behind us. Kai flops onto his bed and moans.

“Gods damn,” he groans and bends forward, clutching his stomach.

I kick off my shoes and sit next to him on the bed. “Arms up,” I say.

Cade has to help him lift his arms, and I pull his shirt over his head.

“Lay down. Both of you.” Cade says, nudging both of our shoulders.

I collapse behind Kai, who curls up on his side again as soon as Cade gets his pants off. Reaching over him, I place my wrist by his mouth.

“Drink.”

He shakes his head. “No. I don’t want to take too much.” He tries to push my arm away, but he’s too weak to even manage it.

I press myself against his back. “Please, Kai. You need to feed.”

He swallows and groans.

“She’s right, Kai. I’ll make sure you don’t take too much.”

Kai sighs heavily before turning to face me. His fangs have already elongated, and his eyes are red rimmed. He watches my pulse flutter in my neck with intense hunger, and my heart beats faster. I angle my head so he has better access, and the red in his eyes grows, swallowing more of the gray.

He presses a gentle kiss to my mark before sinking his fangs into my neck. There is no pain this time, no pleasure. Only a sense of calm as he pulls deep on my vein. There is something deeply sensual about this, even though there’s no overwhelming sense of desire. The connection between us flares brightly, burning hotter than a flame. We are one and the same, in this moment, as Kai uses my life force to heal himself.

Cade settles behind me with an arm around my waist as he monitors us, and the sense of rightness settles within me. It’s not complete, though, not yet. I have a feeling I won’t feel complete until I accept the bond between me and Sterling. But this? This is everything I have ever dreamed of. All those nights spent crying in my bed, laying next to a monster I couldn’t defeat, hoping and praying for someone to save me. And they did. They saved me in ways I will never understand, and I’ll be forever thankful for them. My mates.

Dimly, I realize my vision is growing fuzzy. Blackness creeps in, swallowing the light. I hear Cade tell Kai he’s had enough. A tongue laps at the puncture marks. A kiss on either cheek. And I contentedly fall asleep.

The red carpet under my feet squishes with each step. Red carpet? I glance at the rug in confusion. It’s supposed to be cream with flowers. Why is it red? I take another step and watch the crimson ooze between my toes. It’s thick and sticky, and cool against my skin.

My gaze follows the rug, climbing the stairs. More red is puddled on the treads. I step in each one, fascinated by the contrast of the bright color against my tan skin. At the top of the stairs, two bodies lay sprawled on the wooden floor, a floor now soaked in the same red liquid.

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