Page 88 of Sergi
Chapter Thirty-Two
I woke with a start,my eyes flashing open to darkness. Not complete darkness. From somewhere, a low, orange light flickered. I didn’t move, trying to recall where I was.
The hard surface I lay on reminded me of my cell. Panic seized me. For a moment, my breath stuck in my throat. Then I remembered there had been a battle. When the fight with the wild shifters slammed into me, the air rushed out of me, and I reached for my shoulder.
The pain that had increased with each step as I followed Sergi through the dense forest was gone. I ran a hand over my right shoulder again, positive that was where the wolf had bitten me. I checked the left side. There wasn’t a wound. Wait. There was a scab, thin and flaky. I scratched it off and tried to remember what happened after the fight.
Where was I?
Somehow, in my waking daze, I’d missed the strong scent of a wood fire. I lifted my head and looked toward the orange glow, but I couldn’t see the source. A naked body blocked my view. Sergi lay flat, his eyes closed, and his chest rose and fell in a deep rhythm.
I immediately glanced down and was relieved to see I was wearing a guard’s shirt. Nothing else, but at least my privates were covered. We were on a rock shelf, and I glanced up. Plenty of room to stand. I rose slowly, waiting for other signs of battle to make their presence known. Surprisingly, there was no pain. Not one ache. I pulled my knees to my chest and then stretched my legs, repeating the motion several times. I lifted my arms and bent my elbows. Not one single sore muscle.
In fact, now that I was fully awake, I felt good. Like, run laps good. My first thought was that Sergi had given me some of his blood, but unlike humans, vampire blood did nothing for a shifter. I must have shifted at least once since I was in human form.
The memory slammed into me like a bullet train.
Sergi had found a cave, and I’d limped in, agony twisting every nerve ending. I waited for him to settle so I could go outside to shift. I didn’t want him to see my injury. Though, now that my mind was clearer than it had been in days, hell, months, that seemed idiotic. Like he wouldn’t have noticed me limping.
I never left the cave. He stopped me and then sat by me. His rough hands were gentle as he stroked my wolf’s back. She quieted quickly, enjoying the pleasure of his touch. My cheeks heated at the memory, as vague as it was. He’d calmed her as if he were an Alpha signaling she was safe. And then I’d shifted.
He’d carried me to a warm pool. My nose wrinkled, recalling the metallic smell of minerals, but beneath that was the light mix of freshly cut wood and musk. The scent of a male.
The water had been warm, and though we were both naked—and I clearly remembered the touch of his skin on mine—I didn’t feel cold when he carried me back to the cave. Then I remembered nothing at all.
I stared into the low flames, and, without disturbing Sergi, I navigated around him and dropped to the floor. I added two logsto the fire then searched for the lab coat. I hadn’t been wearing it during the fight, but I had to make sure nothing had been trampled when things got messy.
I spread out the vials and sighed when they were all accounted for. Then something caught my eye. Probably just a shadow from the sparking flames. I picked up the vial of BP-X and flipped it over and back. I picked up a second vial of BP-X and compared it to the first. Then I did it with the third vial. The first one was only three-quarters full. It had been full when I took it from the lab. I knew it to be true as well as I knew the sun rose in the morning.
I bit my lip. Drops of something on my tongue. I couldn’t remember anything else. Had Sergi given me Blood Poppy? Why? All I needed were a couple of shifts to close the bite wounds. I touched the back of my neck. I’d forgotten I’d been bitten there, too, but there wasn’t even a scab.
I don’t know how long I stared at the vial, knowing I was missing part of the puzzle. Eventually, small bits returned. I must have been delirious with a fever. The pain had been increasing, as if my natural healing abilities had been nullified.
Had he saved my life again?
I’d never considered vampires would show such honor for shifters. And he hadn’t just saved me. Once I’d freed him, he could have easily left the facility. He said he needed evidence. Was releasing all the shifters from their cells simply a diversionary tactic or mercy? Carlos had believed in his honor.
A flash of dark, mahogany-colored eyes touched with a red glow made my skin flush as a warm shiver ran through me. Soft skin behind the tribal tattoos of some long-ago culture. Lust ran through me as I remembered the soft curve of his lips when he smiled. The touch of his hands as he washed the blood from my body made the soft hairs on my arms buzz with energy.
Tomorrow, we’d reach civilization and a freedom I hadn’t experienced for months. I’d go home to the pack. Sergi would go home to his House. That would be the end of anything between us. And therewassomething there, wasn’t there? A spark of heat.
A shifter and a vampire had nothing in common. We’d been mortal enemies for centuries. Yet, my uncle didn’t think all vampires were bad.
What was one night? Who would know?
It had been so long since anyone had held me. Since anyone had made me feel alive. Once I was home and the horrors of the experiments settled in, it could take months to overcome whatever post-traumatic memories would resurface. They were always close. And when I was alone, they pressed on me.
I placed the wrapped vials in the lab coat and laid them on my other clothes. The fire drew me to it, and as the flames heated my body, I stared up at the naked vampire.
He had turned on his side, resting on an elbow as he watched me. He’d awakened while I’d been lost in my thoughts. The red glow of his beast washed over me, inflicting emotions I didn’t understand or chose not to.
He took my breath away.
Not a muscle twitched on his sculpted body as I walked toward him. The red glow intensified and stirred butterflies. I wasn’t a shy female, and the way he devoured me with nothing more than a look made me shiver with anticipation.
At this moment, I didn’t see him as vampire, even though the tips of his fangs showed when he licked his bottom lip. I grinned like a cat luring easy prey as I climbed onto the shelf.
All I could think was…mine.
