Checkmate (22 page)

“Don’t come any closer or I’ll slit her throat.”

Eli had to take a gamble. “I thought you said she was dead?” He swallowed before speaking again and sent up a prayer that Nikki couldn’t hear him. “You’re going to slit her throat anyway, aren’t you? You don’t want to be the only one leaving here in a body bag.” His hands shook. “You want her to be your last hurrah.” He took another step.

“Stop.” The man’s hand tightened on the scalpel.

Eli caught the metallic stench of blood and even in the gloomy confines could see the drop of Nikki’s blood well up on the edge of the scalpel. He jerked to a standstill, freezing in his spot.

Inhaling deeply, he hoped he hadn’t pushed too hard, and made a serious error in judgement.

“Let’s make a deal. You don’t kill her, I won’t kill you?”

The man laughed again, the sound grating on every one of Eli’s nerves. His wolf howled silently, begging to be let loose. It was harder than anything he’d ever done not to shift and rip out the bastard’s throat. But to do that would be a death sentence on his people. Too many would witness his change and condemn him to a life of scientists and possibly ferret out the rest of the pack. He wouldn’t let that happen.

“Death is better than prison any day. Life is like a prison, isn’t it? You say I’m a murderer, I say I’ve released all these souls from their prisons.” His thumb caressed her cheek again.

He was relaxing. Stupid fool. Keep him talking, get him off-kilter and go in for the kill.

“Wouldn’t you want her to have better than her prison of a life?” he continued.

Fucking demented bastard. Less than five feet separated them. Eli could take him out, but with how much risk to Nikki?

“I saw you with her earlier. You had your tongue down her throat.”

Nikki moaned.

“Is she a good fuck?”

With an animalistic growl and superhuman speed, Eli lunged at him. A girlish scream erupted from Nikki’s attacker who’d been unprepared for the assault. He reacted instinctively, just as Eli hoped he would, dropping his hold on Nikki to defend himself.

Nikki slumped to the floor with a soft whimper. In their scuffle, Eli’s foot connected with something soft and he cringed. They came together, arms raised, grunting with the force of the impact.

Eli felt the cold steel of the knife slice through his forearm, but didn’t release his hold. They stayed upright, the killer trying to stab Eli, and Eli trying to club him with his gun.

Caelan yelled. “Get down, E.”

Several other shouts of “freeze” or “don’t move” penetrated Eli’s one-track mind.

Out of his peripheral vision, Eli saw someone move closer and drag Nikki to safety. With her body out of the way, the two men found themselves falling in the freed space, like a wall had disappeared.

Eli tried to gain the upper hand by twisting in midair so the other man would be beneath him. It didn’t work. They landed hard on the ground, Eli on his right side, with a whoosh of air and a groan of pain, neither one of them surrendering their hold.

Eli’s head hit the concrete with a sickening thud, making him see stars for a split second. The killer took advantage, thrusting his blade upward.

The knife plunged into Eli’s abdomen with a tight, hot pinch. Someone yelled. Eli fought to bring his gun hand up from underneath the bastard’s body, but it was pinned to the floor.

Warmth flooded his belly along with a burn that wouldn’t quit.

Eli heard a volley of shits, and fucks and get-out-of-the-ways. There wasn’t enough room for many other people and certainly not enough to get a shot off.

His right temple throbbed, threatening to cut off his grip on the world. He lifted his head in time to see Caelan charging closer. The killer raised his arm, anchoring his body off the floor with his left elbow and giving Eli the chance he needed.

Eli twisted his wrist and squeezed his finger. His ears rang. The man’s body collapsed over him, heavy against Eli’s battered body. The last thing he saw was Caelan standing over them, looking grim.

Chapter Nineteen

Grogginess cluttered Eli’s mind and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. Pain wracked every inch of his body. The last time he’d felt like this, he’d been face down on the concrete being accused of killing… Fuuuucckk.

He inhaled and started to stretch his aching muscles, but stopped short when the strong smell of antiseptic abraded his nostrils. Where in the hell was he? Eli lifted one eyelid to inspect his surroundings, wincing when the dull light from above shot arrows through his brain.

When the pain dissipated, he tried again. Must be a hell of a hangover. He reached for Nikki, seeking her warm, soft skin, but his arm refused to obey.

Oh hell, not again. If he was handcuffed to a fucking bed again—

“Hey, glad to see you’re back amongst the living.”

Caelan? In his bedroom?

No. Not his bedroom. They’d been at the hospital and Nikki had been in the arms of that bastard. He lunged upward, instantly grabbing his side when a knifelike pain radiated through his abs. Eli toppled over onto his back again then rolled and tried to bring his knees up. The movement made the pain worse.

“Take it easy.” Caelan’s hand landed on his shoulder and aided him in turning back over.

“Where is she?” Eli gasped. “Where’s Nikki-Raine?” He didn’t care about the pain anymore, only getting to his mate. He struggled to sit up and again Caelan forced him down.

“She’s asleep, moron, and you’ll wake her up if you don’t control yourself.”

Eli’s eyes widened. He twisted to see her. She was lying on her side in another bed, facing him, her knees pulled up to her chest, one hand tucked beneath her cheek, the other on the pillow beside her. An ugly bruise stretched across her cheekbone.

“How is she?” he whispered, wanting more than anything to get up and go to her, shield her from life itself.

“She’s fine. Better than you anyway. A few bruises on her throat, the one on her face. Doc said her larynx wasn’t crushed, just bruised.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he snapped, his gaze tracking the skin he could see.

“He tried to choke her, E. Her throat will be sore for a few days, but other than that, she’ll be fine.”

Eli reached an arm toward her, ignoring the fire pulling at his side.

Who cared if he woke her up? He had to hear her voice, to know for himself she was okay.

“Nikki-Raine, I’m here, baby.”

She didn’t move and Eli felt a stab of worry.

“Why won’t she wake up?” he growled.

Caelan snorted. “Doc had to give her a mild sedative to help her sleep. After she woke up from passing out earlier, she wouldn’t let anyone look at her because she didn’t know how you were. When we’d finally convinced her you were going to be okay, she relented. But only after she demanded to be in the same room as you.” He shuffled his feet and muttered, “Stubborn-ass woman. No one wanted to face the charging bull.”

Eli had to smile. A charging bull for sure. Horns, attitude and all. He wiped a hand over his face, trying hard to overlook the pain enveloping his body. Not an easy feat.

He sighed. “I almost died when I saw her in that bastard’s arms.”

“You almost died from him stabbing the hell out of you. By the way, you left a nice bruise on Nikki’s thigh when you kicked her.”

Eli winced. “Damn.”

“At least it’s over. He’s dead and the police have already been to his house. Word is he’s been killing for quite a while. Morales said he even has a big box of mementos so hopefully some loved ones will finally get some closure.”

“Jesus. How did he get away with it?”

Caelan shrugged and blew out a big breath. He looked almost uncomfortable.

Eli cocked his head. “What’s wrong?”

Caelan cleared his throat. “Nothing. I mean, I need to get out of here, get back to Tieran.”

“Shit, Cael, get. Go. What the hell are you still standing here for?”

His twin reached up and scratched his head. “I will. Now. I couldn’t leave without knowing you were okay.”

“I’m fine. Tell me about my nephew then get lost.”

Caelan laughed and rubbed his hands together. “He’s huge.” He spreads his hands apart, way bigger than any baby could be. “Weighed eight pounds, ten ounces.”

Eli lifted an eyebrow. “Impressive.”

“Tieran wasn’t too impressed, but then she’d just pushed it—”

“Stop right there,” Eli groaned, showing his brother the palm of his hand. “Don’t need to know that much.” He paused. “He’s doing okay? You give him a name yet?” Caelan and Tieran had only been fighting over it for nine months.

Caelan’s grin took over his face. “He’s perfect. For a shriveled-up, slimy, red-skinned…thing, I guess. Ten fingers, ten toes, one penis.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“As for the name.” Caelan shrugged. “Tieran hasn’t decided yet.”

“You’re leaving it to her? Good God, Cael, my nephew might end up as a Josephus Jehoshaphat if you give her control.”

Caelan’s bark of laughter made Nikki stir with a moan.

“Get out of here,” Eli hissed, “before you wake my mate up.”

“Oh, now he doesn’t want her to wake up,” Caelan said, heading for the door and shaking his head. He stopped in the doorway and braced his hand on the frame. “I think you guys are being released the day after tomorrow, and so will Tieran, so I’ll drive everyone home.”

Eli turned, trying to get in a more comfortable position. “That’s so nice of you, bro, you being the only one able to drive.”

“I love you too, E. Get some sleep, smartass.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled, turning to face Nikki again. He’d come so close to losing her. At that one moment, when her life literally hung in the balance, when she was a few short breaths away from death, he’d felt it. Deep in his soul like someone ripping his insides out.

There was color in her cheeks at least. Dark circles smudged the skin beneath her eyes, blending in with the black lashes lying against them. Her eyes would probably be bloodshot, a result of the strangulation. Eli’s breath hitched just thinking about it.

If the fucker wasn’t already dead, Eli would make certain he never lived to see another day.

Nikki was too far away. He wanted to go to her, but Caelan was right. He was hurting like a son of a bitch.

What the hell. He eased the metal rail down and gingerly sat, testing the various parts of his body. An IV clung to his hand. He hadn’t noticed it before. Following the tube, he saw two bags of fluid hanging from the stand. No time like the present. Eli swung his legs to the side, twisting himself up in the blue material covering his body.

Yanking at it didn’t help. The thing was still stuck under his ass. It tightened around his thighs as he slid off the mattress. Damn thing was possessed and trying to prevent him from getting out of bed. He groped at it, freeing it from whatever held it captive, and finally stood on wobbly legs.

He was weaker than he thought. Probably still drugged out of his mind too, even though drugs normally left his system quickly. How much had they given him? Cold air washed down his back. “What the…” He angled his head, and stared at his naked ass. Nice. They’d put him in a fucking dress and hadn’t even bothered to tie it shut.

A tingle shot down his spine. Eli half-expected to look up and see Nikki smiling at his predicament. She hadn’t moved.

Slowly moving the few feet that separated them, he paused and watched her breathe. Damn she was beautiful. And he loved her. With every fiber of his being.

An urgent need to kiss her took hold and he bent painfully over the railing and laid his lips on her forehead, inhaling her perfect scent. Standing back up proved even more painful and he discovered he had another pressing need.

He glanced up longingly. The bathroom looked about a mile away.

“Fuck. I can make it to the john on my own, damn it.” It took him twice as long as he thought it would because his feet and legs didn’t seem to want to cooperate and he had to lug the stupid IV pole with him.

Once inside the tiny room, he let the gown fall to the ground. A fucking dress. He shook his head again. Not that he hadn’t been in one before, he had. Nine months ago, in fact. Still, it made a man not feel like a man.

A square white bandage covered the left side of his abdomen. A few spots of red seeped through, probably from when he nearly launched himself off the bed earlier. He’d have them look at it in the morning. No use disturbing Nikki for something like this. Another bandage adorned his left pec. Hmm. He didn’t remember that.

Eli shrugged, wincing at the pain.
Like you didn’t just see the damage done there?
“Moron.”

His left arm was also wrapped in white. That one he remembered. Popping the muscles in his neck, he performed the necessary functions, flushed, washed his hands and stared at the blue puddle of fabric on the floor, contemplating it.

Fuck it. If the nurses hadn’t already seen all of him, they more than likely would at some point, changing the bandages. Besides, he knew how much Nikki-Raine liked to be against his skin.

He yanked the pole over the threshold and made his way back to his mate, leaning heavily on the damn pole, much to his disgust. He was weak as a baby.

Speaking of babies, his poor baby still hadn’t moved. Fortunately, whenever she’d rolled to her side, she’d left plenty of room for him to get in with her. Unfortunately, she was on the wrong side for him. He’d have to lie on his left side this way, and that wasn’t going to happen.

Eli hated having to move her and risk waking her, but damned if he was going to go back to his own bed. He had to hold her, to make sure she was really alive and not some figment of his imagination.

After tugging the blanket off her, he somehow managed to roll Nikki to her other side without her stirring. Feeling heavier and heavier by the minute, Eli eased onto the side of the bed and maneuvered himself behind her. He reached back and yanked the rail back into place and pulled the covers over both of them.

Sweet, sweet heaven. Nikki instinctively wiggled to get closer, burying her ass in his crotch and making his cock come to life.

Aah. This is what he needed. Eli laid his injured arm over her belly then nestled his nose into the crook of her shoulder and inhaled.