Page 15 of Eternally Bound
“What?”
Ronan strode past Killean without bothering to respond to his question. He carried Kadence toward the other end of the alley, away from the humans. “Killean, call Saxon and make sure he takes care of those bodies. Lucien where’s your vehicle?” he inquired.
Killean stared at him before slipping his phone out of his pocket and hitting a button. He walked away as he spoke into it.
“There.” Lucien arrived at Ronan’s side and pointed to a black SUV in the parking lot beside the club. “You can’t take her. The hunters—”
“What would you have me do, leave her on the street?” he demanded.
“Ronan—”
“The human workers are here. She cannot stay, not with these wounds on her.”
“Saxon is taking care of it,” Killean said when he hung up the phone. His gaze focused on Kadence. “We will obscure her wounds.”
“Noone is touching her again,” Ronan growled.
“The hunters will come back for her,” Lucien said.
“They may not find her before the humans do, and we don’t know where the hunters are. She’s coming with us,” he said. “And I don’t want to hear one more word about it.”
Lucien nodded briskly. Killean opened his mouth to reply, before closing it again. Declan remained silent as he walked beside Lucien. Something about the way Declan watched Kadence caused an uneasy feeling to settle in the pit of Ronan’s stomach. With every step he took, he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling there would be no turning back from this decision.
***
Ronan laid Kadence on his bed, careful not to jar her injuries. She hadn’t moved since they’d left the alley, but her breathing and heartbeat remained steady. “Get me some bandages, towels, and water,” he ordered.
Declan rushed out of the room. Killean and Lucien stood by the doorway, their disapproval evident on their stony faces. “The hunters are going to be really pissed off when they realize we have one of theirs. A woman no less. They’ll tear this city apart looking for her,” Lucien said.
“Then they shouldn’t have left her in the alley,” Ronan replied.
Killean snorted. “Noneof us knew she was still there. We all assumed she’d retreated to safety.”
“We should leave her somewhere they can find her,” Lucien pressed.
“I’m not leaving her somewhere unprotected!” Ronan snarled.
Lucien’s raven eyes narrowed, but his head bowed in acquiescence and he stepped back. Declan returned with a set of towels slung over his shoulder, a pot of water, bandages, and medical supplies in hand that Ronan’s friend, Marta, most likely kept somewhere for her and her husband, Baldric. Declan set the supplies down on the nightstand.
“Leave us,” Ronan ordered gruffly. He didn’t look up to make sure his command had been obeyed; he knew it would be.
Lifting one of the towels, he wet it in the pot of warm water. He sat beside Kadence on the bed and carefully cleaned the jagged tears on her neck. Her bleeding had stopped, but the alluring scent of her blood teased his nostrils.
He took a deep breath to calm his thirst for her and wiped away the last of her blood. She stirred only once while he worked on the wounds already showing signs of healing. Tenderly holding her chin, he sprayed some antibiotic on the injury and taped a bandage over it. Her shoulder remained out of place, but that would have to wait until she was stronger.
Leaning back, he studied the healthy pink color creeping into her cheeks. Her breathing grew stronger with every passing minute, and the solid beat of her heart sounded within her chest.
When he ran his knuckles over her cheek, her head turned slightly toward him. He held his breath as he waited for her eyes to open, but she still didn’t wake. If she’d been human she never would have survived the amount of blood Joseph had taken from her.
Reluctantly pulling his hand away from her, he rose and walked to the end of the bed. Careful not to move her too much, he untied her boots and pulled them off. He set them beside the bed before gently removing her coat. A smile curved his lips when he spotted the small arsenal tucked within. He removed the weapons and tossed them into the hallway. If someone else didn’t take them away, he would throw them away later.
He draped her coat over a chair in the corner before turning back to her. The collar of the turtleneck she wore had been ripped during her attack, but it still hugged her willowy frame and handful-sized breasts. He deliberated taking her clothes off to make her more comfortable, but it would most likely frighten her if she woke and realized he’d stripped her.
Reluctantly, he pulled the blankets over her slumbering form and ran his fingers over the end of her braid. He didn’t understand this strange effect she had on him. Not only did he crave her body, but he also wanted to hold her throughout the night and keep her protected. However, he didn’t think she would be pleased to wake up next to a vampire after everything she’d been through tonight.
The desire and tenderness she evoked in him were two things he’d believed himself long ago deadened to. He didn’t know how to handle their resurgence. His life was neat and orderly; it had to be if he was going to keep himself from succumbing to the bloodlust. This woman made him feel anything but orderly. Just by being here, she’d upset his structured life. He should resent her for it; instead he found himself craving more of her.
Rising, he moved into the bathroom. A cold shower was exactly what he needed. After pulling his clothes off, he turned the shower on, slipped his glasses off, and stepped beneath the chilly spray. The water washed over him as he tried to drown the need for her pounding through his body.
