Born to Love (The Vampire Reborn Series) (Entangled Ignite) (20 page)

Chapter Thirty-two

Diana’s warning echoed in Ryder’s ear, filled with fear and concern, but not for herself.

Never for herself.

If Jefferson made it above ground, she’d be there to stop him.

Hell
, no.

“Ryder,” Maggie said beside him. “David won’t let Diana hit the street alone.”

Jefferson swung his head toward them, muzzle snarling, his eyes glowing an eerie red-yellow in the dark of the tunnel. At the sound of Jesus approaching, gun drawn, Jefferson looked his way. Calculating.

Ryder started toward him, but Jefferson turned and jumped straight at Brendon, sending the two wolves careening dangerously close to the third rail and death. At the last second, Rafe threw himself at Brendon’s back, keeping him from stumbling into the deadly electrical line. They landed in a sprawl on the tracks on top of one another.

Which Ryder realized provided Jefferson with just what he needed. The rogue wolf leaped, using the two other bodies as a springboard, and launched himself up against the skylight.

Glass shattered and rained down on Ryder as Jefferson clawed at the glass and metal, breaking through it then snarling and ripping at the grate above. In a flash, he dislodged the final barrier and managed to get hold of the edge of the cement walkway above. His claws scraped against the walls around the skylight, seeking purchase.

Maggie and Jesus opened fire.

Uncaring of the bullets, Ryder took a mighty leap, aiming for the wolf’s hind end, intending to drag him back down into the tunnel. But as he grabbed hold of one leg, the wolf kicked back savagely with the other, his claws raking deep into the flesh of Ryder’s arm.

Pain lanced through him, but he held on, his grip slippery from the blood oozing from the werewolf. At least one of the bullets had hit home.

It wasn’t enough. With another punishing kick at his arm, the wolf broke free.

Ryder plummeted to the ground. The landing knocked the wind out of him, but it was Diana’s loud cry in his ear that paralyzed him with fear.

“FBI. Freeze or we’ll shoot!”

…

Diana aimed at the werewolf crawling out from the skylight above the abandoned subway tunnel. In the moonlight, black patches of blood were visible along his hindquarters. The animal favored one leg as it hunched by the grating, sides heaving from exertion.

Its red-yellow gaze danced between her and David. About twenty feet separated them. They had formed a triangle with the van in front of them, limiting the paths the shifter could take to freedom. The animal understood. It would have to take one of them out to escape.

“We will shoot to kill,” she warned.

With a wolfy grin and what might pass for laughter, Jefferson said, “I know.”

The boldness of that challenge threw her for a moment. As did the wolf’s move toward David.

She would not let her partner be hurt again.

Diana ran toward David, determined to protect him, but instantly, Jefferson turned and launched himself at her. She aimed and fired, catching him mid-chest, but he kept on charging.

She braced herself and fired again, striking him mid-torso once more. That bullet slowed him for mere seconds as his legs buckled. But he quickly recovered and came at her again.

Fear gripped her, but she was not about to let him get away to kill more humans.

From the corner of her eye, she saw David move in, blocking Jefferson’s escape. So did Jefferson. His muscles bunched and he leapt at her again.

Instantly, David threw himself out of his chair, landing between her and the dangerous jaws of the werewolf. His pained cry split the air, and the two went down in a snarl of bodies. The wolf’s low growls mingled with the sickening sound of something crunching. David moaned. Then came the muffled report of his weapon, followed by a wolfish whimper of pain.

Diana was pinned beneath them, unable to move. She couldn’t get to her gun. The heavy bodies struggling on top of her forced the air from her lungs and pushed painfully against the baby.

Dark spots danced before her eyes.

She shoved off the ground with her heels. She needed to get free of them!
Her baby
… She forced her hands to move, millimeter by millimeter, to reach her belly. She twisted her body, fighting desperately to protect her baby from the jostling of the two locked in a death match above her.

She had to get out from under them.

Reaching deep inside for her last vestiges of strength, she shoved harder with her heels, slowly, agonizingly, pushing herself from beneath the struggling men.

She somehow managed to squirm out with part of her body, and finally breathed free.
Thank God.

Suddenly, she spotted David’s weapon. It lay on the ground beside him, useless. She grabbed it and twisted around.

David had the wolf’s head trapped in his hands, struggling to keep those vicious, snapping teeth away from him.

In her ear she heard Jesus run up and curse. “I can’t get a clear shot.”

Followed by Maggie’s panicked, “I can’t either.”

But Diana could.

The wolf’s fur was soft against the barrel of David’s gun in her hand.

She pulled the trigger.

The warmth of blood splattered against her, but the wolf continued to fight, lunging wildly past David’s shoulder at her, and nearly reaching her.

A second later, Ryder was there, grabbing at the wolf’s head. He and David twisted it backward, exposing its throat and midsection for just the few seconds she needed.

She fired again.

Above her, the wolf’s eyes widened in surprise. Then a long, harsh exhale
whooshed
from his lungs. His last.

He collapsed, and Ryder shoved the body to one side.

She eased from beneath him as Ryder gently helped David to lie more comfortably, offering him a heartfelt, “You did good, David. Thank you.”

Her husband glanced worriedly at her, and she gave him a shaky smile as she knelt to examine her wounded partner’s injuries. Pain radiated all over her body, but she fought back her own distress as she helped David. All along his shoulder and arm, his sleeve was ripped to shreds from the wolf’s bite. She undid his windbreaker and vest, slipped her hand beneath the fabric.

And felt the warm, slippery wetness of blood.

“I’m so sorry, David,” she said, an agony of regret rushing through her. Tears brimmed over and streamed down her face. She had let him down again.

From behind, Ryder laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

David gritted his teeth, but offered a weak smile. “Well. At least it’s not my shooting hand.” He reached out tentatively with his good hand and gently touched her belly. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, not wanting to worry him or Ryder. “I’m fine.”

Maggie flew to their side a second later, followed by Jesus. She grimaced at David’s bloodied arms and chest, but he calmed her with a smile and grasped her hand.

Diana gave his arm a more careful look, and she realized that beneath the tattered cloth and blood, his wounds were already healing.
Shit, no
.

Maggie glanced apprehensively at her, seeing her expression. “Diana?”

She swiped at her eyes and offered her a reassuring smile that she was okay. But then a contraction tightened her belly and she flinched in pain.

“Sure you’re all right?” Maggie asked.

She nodded and sent her a don’t-worry-about-me look.

Jesus came to stand beside them and called for an ambulance as well as a backup squad to haul in the two prisoners down in the tunnel. She assumed Brendon and Rafe were guarding them for now.

Maggie turned to David and ran her hand tenderly along his cheek, then took over from Diana, bending to examine his wounds, tracing the line of his collarbone, her movements gentle. “Your clavicle is broken.”

“Hurts like a bitch. Feeling woozy,” he said against gritted teeth.

The team shared a worried glance over his head. Jesus crouched down, handing her a large pocket knife to cut away David’s jacket. While she steadied his arm, Maggie sliced off the sleeve, exposing the savage puncture wounds from the bite.

Luckily the artery had not been compromised, but after Maggie ran her hands all along the injuries, it was clear to everyone the bite had shattered both bones in his upper arm.

“I can’t move my arm,” David said, his voice wobbly.

“It’s broken, too, love,” Maggie told him.

David managed a dry grin before wincing. “Don’t worry, Mags. It’s nothing a body cast won’t fix.”

She brushed aside a lock of his sandy hair, took off her windbreaker, and laid it over him.

As she watched, a small contraction wrapped around Diana’s belly and up her back. Ryder tightened his hand on her shoulder, so Maggie knew he was aware of her discomfort and was probably worried, too. Despite her concern for the baby, Maggie forced herself to focus on David and his injuries.

“Don’t think this will get you out of helping with the report on the case,” Diana kidded David, reflecting the humor he always used to downplay bad things, even in the most dangerous situations.

Nodding and apparently relieved, he finally let his guard down, closed his eyes, and moaned. His body curled high off the ground as he said, “I’m feeling weird. My arm. Back. Legs.” Another long, powerful moan spilled from his lips and his body began to tremble.

“Easy, David. You’re getting shocky,” Maggie said. “The ambulance will be here soon.” She also took off her jacket and tucked it in around him. She grabbed hold of his good hand and held it tightly until he relaxed a bit.

The sound of the ambulance registered in the distance, and everyone sighed in relief that David would soon get proper attention.

Diana rose and faced her husband, pressing a hand into the side of her belly as another small ripple moved through her. She walked into his arms.

“I’m okay,” she said against his chest, feeling the tension in his body and trying to reassure him.

“All I could think about was you having to go up against that,” Ryder gritted out, jerking his head at Jefferson’s body.

Diana glanced over to find their suspect had morphed back to human form in death. His naked body lay sprawled on the park pathway, his midsection riddled with bullet holes. She also saw that the approaching ambulance was drawing attention, pulling curious people closer to the crime scene—normally a fairly deserted area at this time of night.

“We need to secure the scene,” she called to Jesus, then looked back at Ryder. “Sorry. I need to finish this.”

“I understand, darlin’. I’ll be in the van, out of the way,” he said, and began to walk away.

She grasped his hand and pulled him close, rising on tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips. One filled with gratitude…and promises for later.

He smiled as he walked away, passing Jesus who had climbed from the back of the van with a blanket to cover Jefferson’s body, and yellow tape to mark off the perimeter of the crime scene.

As Jesus handed Diana the tape, he said, “You know this isn’t over, right?”

She looked to where Maggie kneeled by David and nodded. The wounds the werewolf had inflicted weren’t life-threatening, but they’d be life-changing.

In a month’s time, both her friends would become werewolves.

She knew Jesus also meant the other weres down in the tunnel and those who had escaped. Killing Jefferson had ended the problems he was causing in the human world, but the half-blood coup he had engineered might still push onward.

With a nod, she said, “Yeah. But we’ll deal with it, Jesus. It’s what we do.”

Her boss looked to Maggie and David, and to Jefferson’s body. He released a heavy sigh and put his hands on his hips. “Somehow, I had never imagined all this was possible, Reyes.”

“Join the club,” she said wryly, and snagged the blanket from his hand. “Help me cover him. We’ve got eyes on us,” she said, referring to the lookie-loos gathering as the ambulance jerked to a halt a few feet away from Maggie and David.

Together they unfurled the space blanket and laid it over Jefferson’s corpse. At the sight of the bullet wounds and the pool of blood beside him, it occurred to her there would be some explaining to do to the ME about the number of shots, and the silver bullets.

Hopefully they could make it credible on some level.

Chapter Thirty-three

Diana watched as the ambulance pulled away with Maggie and David. The ME had yet to arrive to examine and take away Jefferson’s body. Jesus had called in Detective Daly to take care of the suspects in the tunnel, allowing Brendon and Rafe to leave.

A nagging pain had been riding low in Diana’s back, sending shards of agony into her belly every few minutes. She sucked in a breath at a knifelike pain, and splayed her hand against her belly, applying gentle pressure to try and ease the distress. Dread gripped her hard as worry about the baby slammed into her yet again.

As David and the wolf had struggled above her, she had battled to protect her partner, herself, and more important, her child. What had finally given her the strength to get free had been her need to safeguard her baby. But as another pain swept over her, she was terrified she had not done enough.

“Take five in the van, Reyes,” Jesus ordered, frowning at her apparent distress.

She didn’t argue. Ryder was there. Although he’d said he was fine when she asked about his injuries earlier, she wanted to see for herself that he really was. Maybe when she did that, and sat down for a minute, it would help to stop the pains across her back and midsection.

Pressing her hands at her sides to dampen the spasms wrapping around her, and rubbing them over the baby to quiet her nervous kicks, she walked stiffly to the van.

Ryder was pacing the small space when she walked in. He stopped and dragged a hand through his hair in relief, then hurried to her side.

“I’ve been going crazy watching you,” he said and jerked his thumb at the monitors. Then he laid his hands over hers on her belly. In response, the baby did a little jump, as if in recognition. “I can see you’re hurting. What’s going on?”

“I’m just tired.” And false contractions were a normal part of being pregnant, nothing to worry about. At least she hoped that was all it was.

He caressed her belly, the touch soothing. Beneath his hands, the baby moved, as if pleased, and settled down. The contractions quieted, too, bringing her some measure of peace.

She leaned into him, grateful for his presence here. For his presence in her life.

She ran her hand across the slashes in his clothing from the werewolf’s claws. The fabric was stiff with blood, but as she moved aside the windbreaker and shirt, the skin beneath was perfect. Healed.

“I was so worried about you down there,” she confessed, replaying in her mind the images that had come across the monitors.

He wrapped her tight in his arms and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I really thought I’d lose you when that wolf escaped through the skylight.”

With just her and David to face a psycho wolf like Jefferson, she’d thought the same thing. She’d really thought she might die. Or lose the baby…

With that thought, a spasm ripped through her again.

Ryder rubbed her belly soothingly. “You’re both okay. That’s what matters.”

But it wasn’t okay. Not yet. The half-blood coup would go on, possibly bringing danger in the future. And David had been hurt. Again.

“I need to go see how David is doing,” she said after a few minutes of calm in his comforting embrace.

She looked at the monitors. Outside the van, Jesus stood next to Detective Daly and a duo of uniformed NYPD officers were taking the were-rats into custody. It was unlikely they could make any charge stick against them. Daly might know the truth, but he could no more report what had really happened than the weres could. Chances were good they’d have to cut them loose.

But she suspected the were-world would mete out a much harsher punishment than the human one ever could. As wrong as it was, there was little they could do to protect the rogue shifters in the future.

Ryder wrapped a supportive arm around her waist. “Let’s get to the hospital and check in on your partner.”

They stepped from the back of the van and saw Jesus striding their way, concern etched on his face.

“You look like shit, Reyes,” he said, eyes narrowed as they traveled over her, lingering too long on her pregnancy belly.

“Just concerned about David,” she replied, unwilling to admit to the worrisome spasms that had awakened and refused to go away. “We’re headed for the hospital.”

“While you’re there, have the docs check you out.” Jesus ordered. He met Ryder’s gaze, and said grimly, “I thought you’d both be safe here. I’m sorry.”

Diana skimmed a reassuring hand across his suit jacket lapel. “I thought so, too, Jesus. Don’t beat yourself up over this. Let’s just see how David is doing.”

With a curt nod, he gestured down the block. “I called the office. We’ve got a ride waiting for us just around the corner.”

He strode away ahead of them. But Diana couldn’t move as quickly. With the adrenaline leaving her system, her legs were rubbery, and the sharp, jabbing pains embracing her midsection stole even more energy. She glanced at Ryder and instantly knew he sensed her weakness, and was concerned that it was more than just the usual post-raid adrenaline crash.

She leaned into him as they walked, grateful for his assistance. Hoping that by the time they got to the hospital, whatever was going on with the baby would settle down.

“If we get there and you’re still feeling like this—”

“I’ll let you call Melissa,” she said, having no problem with Melissa checking her out, just in case. This involved their baby. She wasn’t about to take chances.

…

Maggie stood and stroked a careful hand over David’s chest as he groaned and shifted nervously in bed.

“Maggie,” he whispered softly and opened his eyes, searching for her almost instinctively. And yet he seemed surprised to find her there.

“I’m here, love.” She twined her fingers with his and sat on the edge of the bed.

He cracked a half-smile. “For a moment I thought it was all a dream,” he said, his voice slurry with the pain meds the doctors had put him on to deal with his injuries. Injuries that, like hers, were not nearly as bad now as they’d been at the crime scene.

“More like a nightmare,” she muttered, and he grunted, then winced with the action.

He turned his blue-eyed gaze on hers, his pain clearly visible in them, but hope also mingled there. “We survived, Mags. That’s what matters.”

Was it? She wasn’t so sure.

They’d gone through so much together to get to this point, but she had no idea where they would go from here. She fervently hoped they’d be going together and not apart.

“I love you, David. I want to be with you, no matter what. I hope that’s what you want, too.”

“It is, Maggie. I love you. I can’t be without you anymore.” He lowered his gaze. “I know I’m not the man I used to be—”

“You’re a better man, David. Stronger. A hero. What you did tonight—”

“Is going to make things harder, isn’t it?” He looked up, his expression a poignant mix of courage and dread.

“No.” She bent and kissed him. When she broke away, she whispered, “We can—we
will
—handle this together.”

A knock at the door pulled her away from him.

Rafe, Brendon, and his wife Anna stood there, hesitant. The two men had washed away evidence of the raid, although a few pinkish scrapes lingered on both their faces from the life-or-death battle. Anna stood with her hand in her husband’s, her relief evident.

Maggie understood what she was feeling. They had eliminated the main challenge to their family’s safety.

“Can we come in?” Brendon asked.

They had just entered when Diana, Ryder, and Jesus appeared at the door. Unlike the two wolves, Ryder’s tattered shirt beneath a fresh FBI windbreaker gave testimony to the fierce battle they had survived.

“Are we having a party?” David joked at the sight of them all, then grimaced as a fresh bout of agony hit him despite the meds.

“You won’t be hurting much longer,” Brendon said as he walked over to the bed and held out his hand for a firm shake, first to David, and then to Maggie. Anna did the same, but hugged Maggie hard. Brendon said, “Thank you for your help. You may be half-bloods, but I won’t forget what you’ve done.”

Rafe shot an intense look at the alpha werewolf. “Does that mean we’re welcome in your pack?” he asked.

Brendon nodded his head with the kind of regal aplomb one might expect from a leader. From the Adalwolf.

“You’ve earned a place with us, if you want it,” he said, his sincerity banishing any hesitation that any of them might have.

Then Brendon looked at David, as if evaluating him. “You risked your life for your partner. For the pack.”

David shrugged, again wincing at the movement. With a choked laugh, he brushed off the pain and the praise. “No big deal. It’s my job.”

“It’s more than that and you know it, David,” Diana said, and walked over to his side. She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

The pack leader continued, his light manner at odds with the severity of the situation. He and Anna smiled broadly as he said, “You know what will happen in a month’s time.”

…

“Yep,” David answered. He had never been one for the whole hero gig. It just wasn’t his style, and he wasn’t about to start now. Nor was he one to display his emotions to the whole world. He said drily, “Furriness will occur.”

“And healing. With more than just your current injuries,” Brendon said as his benevolent gaze traveled over David’s legs. Anna’s smile grew even broader.

David blinked. Was the alpha saying what he thought he was saying? “You mean…”

“Yes. Your legs.”

David looked down in disbelief. He had long ago abandoned any hope of physical normalcy. Just being able to stand on his own and take those first baby steps had been all he could have wished for. What the pack leader was now saying awoke a dream he had long thought dead. Could it really be true that he’d regain full use of them?

As he glanced at Maggie, he saw his surprised optimism mirrored in her eyes.

“Are you sure?“ she asked Brendon, seemingly as afraid to believe it as he was.

“There are only a few wounds the shift won’t heal,” Brendon said, and absentmindedly rubbed at the scars on his chest. Silver-poisoned injuries, David recollected.

Anna said, “Don’t be scarce once they send you home from the hospital. Come visit us at the Fort. We’ll arrange for you to meet with the other pack members,” she offered. “Just as we did with Rafe.”

Brendon added, “We’ll be with you on your first shift, too, if you want. Help you through it.”

David couldn’t find his voice to thank them, but Maggie did. “We appreciate your welcome, Anna. Adalwolf. We’d both very much like to have your help.”

“Please, call me Brendon,” he said with a friendly nod, and turned to Ryder, Diana, and Jesus. “You, too. If you need us, we’ll be there. We owe you an immense debt of gratitude.”

“Thank you. But you know the coup may not be over yet,” Diana warned.

“Not by a long shot, but at least we know what we’re facing. And who we can count as allies.” After shaking hands with all of them, he and his wife left the room, arms wrapped around each other, the strength of their love plainly obvious.

Rafe stood there, clearly uncertain, and for a moment, David pitied him. While David had the support of Maggie, Diana, and the others, Rafe was alone in all this. So he let go of his earlier jealousy and reached out to the firefighter, “Can we count on you to help us with whatever fallout comes down on us in the future because of this case, Lieutenant Lazaro?”

“You…want me to be part of the team?” Rafe asked hesitantly, and glanced around at them.

“One can never have enough friends,” Ryder said, and offered the firefighter his good hand.

Rafe shook it with an eager, two-handed hold, then did the same with all the others in the room. Afterward, he jammed his hands in his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Well, I guess I should go. I’m on duty tomorrow and need some shut-eye.”

With a wave good-bye, he turned and strode from the room, leaving David with his three old friends, and his lover. He peered at Maggie and saw the smudges of fatigue under her eyes. “You should go get some rest, too.”

He looked past her to his partner and his ADIC. Diana looked… fragile, and as he watched her features tightened briefly, as if in pain. Knowing her, she was trying to hold it together, to spare them any worry. She needed to get home and take care of herself, but he knew she wouldn’t, not until she was sure he was okay. So he said, “I’m beat. I think I’d like to get some sleep now.”

“Okay, we can take the hint,” Maggie said, leaned close, and kissed him deeply.

After a long moment, Jesus’s wry cough drove them apart.

Ryder and Jesus offered manly thumps on his good shoulder. “Take care, man,” Ryder said, and Jesus gave him an encouraging smile.

Diana came to his bedside, sat down, and grasped his hand. “Whatever you need, we’re all here for you.”

He squeezed her hand. “I know. And I’m here for you, too, Di. I should never have pushed you away.”

Diana shook her head and shot a quick glance at Maggie before saying the words she had owed him for so long. “I was wrong to keep the truth from you. I just didn’t know how to say it. How to make you believe that I wasn’t crazy.”

He let out a sigh. “Even after seeing it all for myself, I still wonder if I’m not in some weird nightmare.”

Diana chuckled. “I’ve often wondered the same thing.” Rising from the edge of the bed, she gave him a tired smile. “Just remember you’re not alone. We’re here with you.”

“Thanks. Me, too.”

Suddenly, she gasped. She grabbed her stomach and doubled over.

“Di, what’s wrong?” he asked in alarm as the others rushed to her side.

Her knees wobbled and she leaned against his bed for support. She opened her mouth, but only a moan came out . She looked down at herself, and her eyes widened.

He looked down at her belly, then lower. Between her legs, a dark stain was quickly spreading over her pants.

“Oh, God,” she cried out hoarsely. “The baby!”