Devil Takes His Innocent (10 page)

“
What’s done?”

“
Honey, even without looking at
the wound I can tell you’ll need stitches.” Gabby shook her head. “Yes, Gabby.
Which is why Sharon just gave you a sedative.
Now work with
us and get into the wheelchair so we can get you to a cubicle.”

Standing, Gabby stated, “No, I’m
going home.”

“
Honey, you know as well as I do,
once that sedative starts to kick in, you’ll be a danger to yourself and
everyone else on the road. And I know you would never intentionally put anyone
else in harm’s way.”

“
Damn it, Nikki, you know I
can’t.”

“
Yes, you can,” Sharon said. “If
you can throw yourself over a violent, mentally unstable prisoner who’s trying
to escape, then you can handle this.”

Gabby felt two sets of hands on
her.
One under her good arm, while the other set carefully
hoisted her up under her armpit with a hand putting pressure on the still
gushing wound.
Gabby wanted to fight these two women, her fear demanding
it, but her head had other ideas. It was spinning, making it hard for her to focus.
It was too soon for the drugs to be working, but she knew she was losing a
significant amount of blood from her wound. Add that to what Devil had taken
over the last twenty-four hours, and her body was suffering. Her jumbled
thoughts finally settled on Devil, and she closed her eyes and held on to the
image. She tried to maintain her hold on him while nightmarish things were
being done to her arm.

Chapter
Ten

Devil sped to Gabby’s house,
eager to fuck his woman. He knew Nikki was working a later shift, which meant
they would have the house to themselves. When he pulled into the driveway, he
discovered his mate’s car was not there. Deciding she must have stopped in at
one of the shops on the way home, he waited. Half an hour later, his patience
was wearing thin. He rang the men he had assigned to protect his mate when he
was unable to.

“
Where are you?”

“
We’re still at the hospital,
sir.”

“
What the hell do you mean
still at the hospital
? Gabby should have
finished her shift over an hour ago.”

“
Sir, we have parked two spots
down from her car. It’s still here in the lot.”

After receiving that response,
Devil ended that call and made another. This time he rang Gabby, only her phone
went straight through to voicemail. Both frustrated and worried, Devil planned
her punishment as he walked back to his car. Driving toward the hospital, worry
quickly overtook his annoyance.

Heading straight for the front
desk on his arrival, he asked for his mate. He was then directed to the ER.
Approaching the large nurses’ station, he once again requested to see Gabby.
Before the lady behind the desk could respond, a scent hit his nose. It was one
he knew well but didn’t expect to smell in the hospital. Following the scent of
his mate’s blood, he came across Nikki struggling to get Gabby into a
wheelchair.

“
What happened?” he asked, picking
his overly relaxed mate up into his arms. He pulled her closer into his body as
he listened to Nikki explain the events leading up to Gabby’s current state.
“Does she need to stay?”

“
No, it was only a sedative to
calm her. It should wear off soon enough and as long as someone’s there to keep
an eye on her, it’ll be fine.”

“
She won’t be leaving my sight.”

“
As long as you’re sure,” Nikki
said. “I’ll finish my shift and then get her prescription for antibiotics
filled on the way home.”

“
Thank you, Nikki, for being here
for her.”

“
I’ll always be here for her,
Devil,” Nikki stated. “I’ll go get her things from her locker, as well as some
extra bandages, just in case the wound bleeds through that one.”

“
My car?”
came
the slurred words from his arms.

“
Don’t worry about it. I’ll have
one of my
guys
drive it back to the house.”

“
Okay,” Gabby sighed before
closing her eyes once again.

As he waited for Nikki’s return,
he took in his mate’s body. Apart from the large bandage on her arm and her
paler than normal skin coloring, she appeared fine. So much so, she was
currently snoring in his arms. He wasn’t oblivious to the many heads that came
through the slit in the curtain. People were coming to check on his mate, of
that he had no doubt. He could understand their actions, but there was no
longer a need. She was his to watch over. She had no further need for anyone
else to do so. Though he suspected Nikki wouldn’t agree with his assessment.

As if reading the direction of
his thoughts, Nikki reappeared carrying with her a bag. “Are you sure you’re
okay getting Gabby’s car home? If not, I can ask someone here to help out.”

Swallowing his growl at the idea
of anyone other than his mate and himself driving Gabby’s car, Devil responded,
hopefully in a tone that wouldn’t scare the already skittish Nikki, “Thank you
for the kind offer, but I have men here. One of them can transport it home.”

“
What do you mean
you have men here
? Working at the
hospital?”

“
In a sense,” Devil replied,
kicking himself over his lack of tact. “Look, Nikki, I’ll be honest with you. I
don’t trust Jeffrey. Nor do I trust Gabby’s
half brother
.
Since she arrived home from her holiday, I have had men watching her,
protecting her.”

“
She won’t like that.”

“
I
know,
which is why I’m going to ask you to keep it from her. I won’t allow her to
place herself in harm’s way by trying to lose my men. Her continued existence
has now become my number one priority.”

“
You’re lucky I agree with your
take on Jeffrey and Grant, otherwise exposing your high-handed tactics would be
the first thing I do when she wakes up.”

“
Thank you, Nikki,” he replied,
bowing his head. “I will see you when you get home.”

“
Can I ask you something else
before you disappear?”

“
Of
course.”

“
I’ll walk you to your car,” she
said, holding the curtains open for him to exit. “Why do you call our rental
property home, when I don’t doubt that you have a place you probably own?”

“
Your assumption is correct. But
Gabby refuses to leave you at this stage, and I would never ask her to do so.”

“
Did she tell you why she feels
the need to be near me?”

“
No, she hasn’t betrayed your
trust, nor would I ask her to. But Judge and I picked up on your emotions the
other night. Someone has hurt you. And you have both Judge and
myself
ready to hunt this guy down if ever you wish it to
be.”

With tears in her eyes, Nikki
touched him for the first time. Placing a hand on his arm, she replied, “Thank
you. The man in question is currently rotting in a jail cell.”

“
Alas, our fun will have to wait
for another day,” he said, smiling down at his mate’s best friend. Now nearing
his car, he added, “It’s my turn to ask the question. Why did you send the
flowers I sent Gabby back?”

“
Because even though you were the
first date Gabby had had in a long while, I accepted it when she said it didn’t
work out. Besides, you were associated with Jeffrey, and I don’t trust that
man’s motives. So I protected my friend by discouraging any further contact
from you by rejecting your flowers and claiming not to know who Gabby was.”

Reminding himself that Nikki knew
little of the true reasons behind Gabby and his initial introduction, Devil was
careful in his reply. “Thank you for telling me, Nikki. Though I would like to
point out, Jeffrey Harrison is no associate of mine. He wanted something from
me, something he failed to acquire. Now, I’ll see you at home. Hopefully your
night won’t be as eventful as Gabby’s.”

Devil watched the petite woman
walk back toward the hospital entrance. He was pleased with the progress he had
made with her
tonight,
he just didn’t like the cost to
his mate. Nikki was a wary creature, though it would seem she had every right
to be. He couldn’t imagine any reason to hurt a female. Of all the atrocious
crimes he had committed in the name of the Gods, not one had been against a
woman directly. He didn’t doubt that many had suffered by his actions, but
still the blame lay at the feet of those he was charged with punishing. Had
those people chosen to do right by those around them, then Devil and his
brothers wouldn’t still be walking the earth. He conceded that people had a lot
to learn, and they could learn it from his sweet, kind-hearted Gabby, himself
included.

****

Gabby woke knowing she was no
longer at the hospital. Nowhere in that building did a soft, comfortable
mattress exist. With that knowledge
came
questions.
Was she at home? How had she got there? Was Nikki missing a shift to take care
of her?

“
Are you okay, angel?” came the
sexy voice of Devil. In that voice
lay
her answers.

Slowly opening her eyes, her gaze
met with his darker one. Responding to the concern she saw there, she replied,
“Groggy. How long have I been out?”

“
A
couple of hours.”

“
Really?” she said, trying to get
out of bed. Devil stopped her. “I need to get up. If I stay here I won’t sleep
later.”

“
I will help you sleep. Have no
fear.” Immediately her pussy sprung to life, readying itself for Devil. He, in
turn, shook his head. “You’ve been
injured,
there will
be no playing until you are completely healed.”

“
But, Devil!”

“
No, angel, I have other ways of
helping you go to sleep.”

“
How?”

“
Well, I think it’s time you heard
my story.”

Gabby’s interest piqued and her
foggy mind cleared. “You mean you’re finally going to tell me your age.”

Devil’s deep, throaty laugh
sounded at her question. “As you wish, my mate, though I must warn you, I have
no number to give you.”

“
What, you’re not sure of your
age? Or you’re older than time
itself
?”

“
Listen to my story, and you will
understand. But first drink,” he ordered, handing her a glass. Desperate to
hear what Devil had to say, she guzzled the water down as quickly as she could.
She handed the empty vessel back, raising her eyebrows.

“
Okay, I get the message. First
let me ask, have you heard of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”

“
Of
course.”

“
What do you know of them?”

“
Only
that they were symbols of the disasters that were meant to bring an end to all
of humanity.
And that they were known as Death, Conquest, War, and Famine.”

“
Correct, though I have another
version of the Horsemen that you may be interested in.” Gabby nodded
vehemently. “I can tell you of the one named Death. He lived in a time before
time had a numerical number. He and his family farmed the land, growing only
enough for themselves, as well as a little to sell at the markets. The farmer
worked hard, ensuring he could provide for his family. One day, an offer was
made on the land. It was a generous offer, but not one the farmer wished to
accept, so he rejected it, explaining he wished to pass it on to his son when
he was old enough. As payment for his honesty, the farmer, his wife, and son
were placed in cages and hung from tall pillars. The farmer watched as his wife
and son slowly starved to death, dehydrated and burnt by the sun’s strong rays.
The moment before he breathed his last breath, the Gods appeared before him,
offering him death, though not in the way he had thought. They were giving him
a chance to claim retribution for the greed that caused the death of his
family. He was changed into a vampire. No amount of greed-fueled behavior could
have killed him. When he asked
why him,
they responded that they needed people who understood and had experienced those
things that humans both fear and perpetuate through their own actions. I, along
with my brothers,
were
meant to be a constant reminder
of what greed can create.”

“
By brothers, you mean Judge and
the other two, don’t you?”

“
Yes. Though we share no blood
between us, I view Judge, Viper, and Chaos as my kin. Our joint experiences
made us perfect for the quest bestowed upon us.”

“
What of the stories?”

“
Like many myths, some are true,
others fabricated. The one revolving around the Four Horsemen was created by
us. For a long time our quest to punish greed was successful. That was until
the idea of profits began to control the humans’ behavior. Their fear of the
punishments delivered by us was overshadowed by what they had in their coffers.
Rumors had always circled us, so we decided to start our own. Only this time,
we chose our own names. Death, Conquest, War, and Famine are all brought about
by greed. Over time, humans added to the myth, nurturing it with their idyllic
beliefs and fears,” Devil explained.

“
So you’re okay with the evil
portrayal humans have created around your names?”

“
The truth is, there’s a little
bit of us in each of our names. Death is not foreign to me, just as conquering
is something Viper is known for. His strategic mind and stubbornness have
gained him quite a reputation. Judge and Chaos are just as suited to their other
names as Viper and
myself
,” Devil said, grabbing her
hand. “Together we have done things that many would view as the most heinous of
crimes, in the name of our quest. I cannot now, nor will I ever, claim to be
innocent. I would never declare that everything I have done was in the name of
the Gods, because it wasn’t.”

“
Judge hinted at that when he
asked me to give our relationship a chance,” Gabby explained, deciding that his
honesty deserved hers.