Blood Judgment (Judgment Series) (23 page)

She pulled free. “I think I’d better hit the sack. I’m exhausted and you must be too.” She gave his shoulder a little squeeze and eased from the sofa.

“But…” He didn’t want her to go.

“What were you going to say?”

“Nothing. Sleep well.”

Chapter Twenty

BANKS COULDN’T believe that asshole Framer had such piss-poor security that a pack of vampires had marched in and taken a prisoner from right under his nose. And killed three guards and one peon worker in the process.

But, believe it or not, it had happened. The incompetent weakling. He didn’t have grounds to fire the man, at least none that could be put in writing. Getting rid of someone on the government tit was almost impossible. Getting rid of someone up to his eyes in a plot to commit genocide
was
impossible.

The little bastard vampire would have been executed if Framer hadn’t fucked up. And he had fucked up big time. If the juvenile survived and someone untangled the elaborate web of deception they were weaving… No, he reassured himself, no one would put things together.

The vampires were smart sons of bitches, but they didn’t have the necessary information to cause trouble. And even if they did figure things out, no one would believe them anyway.

And if he didn’t have enough on his mind, Alex’s mother wanted an increase in her
child support
. His hand cranked into a tight fist. The dirty bitch was already bleeding him for two thousand a month. Calilla had him by the balls. As long as Alex lived, she had Banks trapped. If only he knew where she and her bastard lived. But she was elusive as smoke.

He stroked his chin. Perhaps he should switch his focus to Alex. The kid was sixteen years old. He would be running the streets with his friends. No matter what Calilla tried to tell him, he was still a kid and kids did stupid things. If Alex was separated from his mother…

Banks took a large, calming breath and paced in front of the row of windows in his high-rise apartment. Usually, the night view soothed him, but he was too keyed up to enjoy the spread of lights. He angled to the bar and poured himself a stiff drink, downing it with one tilt of his wrist.

The stress of dealing with Calilla was a close second to the little vampire who, thanks to Framer’s laxness, had been rescued by his buddies.

What had become of the little fucker? And what latent symptoms would he develop, if any? Assuming he hadn’t died.

Banks fiddled with his empty, then poured a refill.

And who would the homicidal little vampire take his aggressions out on if he survived long enough to become a threat?

If he attacked other vampires, would the virus spread? And in what form? Too many what-ifs lingered.

None of the test subjects were supposed to survive. Now, who the hell knew what would happen?

AN INCESSANT beeping at the edge of Vali’s consciousness had annoyed him for a while, though he hadn’t been with it enough to fully wake.

The beeping picked up tempo.

Where was he? How had come to be there? White. Everywhere. White walls. White bedding. White floor.

He was sick. Bad sick. Perhaps close-to-death sick.

He shifted and tried to get comfortable. Wasn’t happening. Fever roasted him as he lay in a tangle of sheets. He shoved the covers down to his waist and discovered some kind of hospital gown.

Fear closed on him and locked icy hands around his throat, choking the breath from his lungs. He didn’t know why he was afraid which frightened him even more. He tried to move, but his legs lay like dead weights.

He yanked the covers away. His leg sported a large bandage. How had he been injured? What had they done to him at the Security Center? Panic bit him with sharp teeth and gnawed on partial memories and half-truths.

His stomach cramped with hunger. A combination of bloodlust and terror gripped him in a familiar yet foreign, mind numbing need to attack and feed from the first living thing he got his hands on.

The mechanical beeping crawled under his skin. He growled at the machine parked somewhere behind him.

An IV leaked fluid into the back of his left hand. His right arm was locked within a splint. He didn’t remember breaking his arm, but a deep ache confirmed a cracked bone.

He growled at the IV, then grabbed the line and yanked it out. Blood spurted and splattered the sheet. Heat surged through his body. He grabbed the IV stand and flung it over.

Footsteps approached. A man in a while coat came into the room. “Vali? What in the world?”

Vali’s heart seized. His stomach knotted. The men who’d first tortured him had worn white coats. They’d hurt his hand and arm. Burned him. He hissed through clenched teeth.

“Vali?”

He shrank back in the bed and growled.

“Don’t you recognize me? I’m Jason. I’m a doctor. I’m trying to help you.”

Vali hissed again. Jason? He didn’t know any Jason. Where was he? Where was his family? Why had they left him with some stranger?

Jason moved closer and something flashed in his hand. He sprang forward, grabbed Vali’s arm, and jabbed him with something sharp. Vali lunged, but his attacker moved too fast and leapt aside.

His arm tingled and his head swam. The tingle spread throughout him. As he struggled to gain control over his body, he slid toward terrifying blackness.

WHEN VALI woke, restraints frighteningly similar to the ones he’d been forced into at the Security Center, chained him to the bed. His insides lurched.

An IV had been reinserted and dripped clear fluid into his arm. A tube ran into his nose. It irritated his throat and made him want to gag. A bag of blood worked its way through the tube. He would have yanked it out, except the binds on his wrists held him prisoner.

He tried to move his legs. Couldn’t. Tried again. His heart thundered against his ribs and his stomach squirmed.

He was paralyzed.

Jason came in. He had the kind of expression doctors wore when they didn’t want the patient to know things weren’t just not in order, but were fucked up beyond repair.

Vali’s blood whooshed through his ears. “Jason? Why am I tied up? What’s wrong with me?”

“You’re back.” Relief showed in Jason’s eyes.

“Why am I strapped down?”

Jason hurried to his bedside. “When you came to, you didn’t recognize me and you were violent. I’ll release you now that you’re lucid.”

“I can’t feel my legs.” His voice trembled, on the verge of full-blown panic.

“I know. I’m doing all I can for you. There’s no sign of a neck or back injury, so I think it’s temporary. Once you get some nutrition in you, it should help you heal. You’ll be okay, in time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t worry. Just concentrate on getting well.”

How the hell was he supposed to not worry when Jason looked as though every word he uttered was a lie. The doctor didn’t wear falsehood well.

“How about removing this tube? I can feed myself now.” Vali indicated the feeding tube. He focused on Jason’s throat. He turned his head away, afraid of the sudden urge firing his blood and hoping Jason hadn’t read it in his eyes.

“Give it a few days. Let me take care of you. You had a close brush with death and you’re still fragile.” Jason patted Vali’s shoulder in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture. It set his teeth on edge and he had to work to keep from baring his fangs.

What in the fuck was wrong with him? Jason was a friend.

“You need the nutrition and the tube is in place. I want you to leave it alone when I remove the restraints.”

“It’s irritating my throat.”

“I know. But it stays. Trust me. Let me help you.”

Vali nodded even though he didn’t appreciate being treated like an invalid.

His stomach tightened and the truth crawled through him like fast acting poison. Jason was treating him like an invalid because that’s what he was.

Chapter Twenty-one

SARANNA HAD Julian to herself and she didn’t want Ashton and Slade showing up and taking him out with them. They probably wouldn’t. Ashton hadn’t completely recovered yet, but she wasn’t taking any chances. “Walk with me.”

She pulled on her jacket and waited for him to get his. She admired his broad chest as he pulled the garment on. He had good blood in him. No doubt about it. The wound in his arm had mostly healed, though he was going to have a scar. Considering the condition of his arms, it wasn’t a big deal.

He followed her outside and took her hand. “Where do you want to go?”

“No place special. I just wanted to get out of there for a while. It’s so small and cramped.” She needed to move, be distracted.

“It’s cozy. I like it.”

“You like sleeping on the floor or the sofa?”

“I’ll take what I can get.”

“I wish I had more to offer you.” She couldn’t sleep with him. She wanted to, but every time she thought about having sex, she panicked.

He gave her hand a little squeeze. “It’s okay. You’ll know when you’re ready.”

God, he had the most incredible eyes. The dazzling blue-green evoked images of the sea and white sand beaches. How she would love to walk on a beach with him. Maybe someday things would be different and they would be free to make it a reality. But now, all they hoped for was to survive. And maybe find a little happiness along the way.

“Saranna?”

She looked into his fabulous eyes. He’d probably seduced a lot of women when they fell under the spell of his gaze.

“Don’t let it destroy you.”

“I won’t. I’ll be okay. Just give me a little time.” She tightened her grip on his hand, thankful he wasn’t repulsed after those pigs had used her body so many times.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away.

He stopped and drew her up short. “There’s no rush.” He folded her into his arms and stroked her back in a soothing caress. “No one will ever hurt you again. I won’t allow it.” He brought her hand up and kissed the palm.

Wrapped in the warmth of his embrace, she believed him. She stretched up and kissed him. His body tightened and she quickly pushed back a little. “Thank you, for caring.”

“Come with me. Let me take you someplace nice for a little while.”

They walked hand in hand, but she noticed he never let his guard down now.

After walking for what seemed like forever, he led her along one of the winding paths of an inner city garden. “Want to sit for a little while?” He indicated an iron bench situated before a lovely fountain surrounded by flowers.

She sat and relaxed, enjoying the fragrance of the blossoms and the tinkling water as it splashed from the fountain back into the pool below. “This is beautiful.”

He sat close beside her. “I thought you’d like it here.”

They sat until a fine rain began falling. She inhaled the fresh scent. They would have to leave soon or get soaked. “You won’t break my heart, will you?”

“I’d never hurt you intentionally.” He slipped an arm around her.

Maybe he wouldn’t hurt her on purpose but if something happened to him she would be worse than hurt. She’d be devastated.

She wasn’t a fool. He wanted in the Resistance. Slade didn’t want him, but it was Ashton’s decision. If Ashton accepted Julian and someone killed him… But his being killed in the line of duty wasn’t as horrifying as the thing she didn’t want to consider.

If Ashton accepted him into the Resistance, Slade would have easy access to him all the time. She didn’t like the idea of them being alone together. Slade was too possessive of her, to the point of inappropriateness.

Maybe she should shut Julian down and end things before they went any further. If Slade killed Julian because of her, she didn’t think she would be able to stand it.

“Did you always want to be a musician?” she asked to get her mind on something more pleasant.

Sadness settled over his face and she wished she hadn’t asked.

“Music was the only important thing in my life. Our neighbor was a teacher. I guess he felt sorry for me and took me on out of pity.”

“What do you mean?”

“After my father left, Mom was … absorbed with the loss. She didn’t have time for anything but her grief.” He shrugged. “I spent most of my time by myself. So I would sneak over to his house and listen to him teach. Eventually, he invited me in. Asked if I wanted to play violin. I was six.”

Six years old and left alone? Almost the same age Slade had been when their parents vanished.

“He gave me a tiny violin and showed me how to hold it. I was awful, but he said he could teach me. I went there almost every day until I was sixteen. He said I was the best student he’d ever had.”

“Why did you stop going?”

“All those years, he was like the father I didn’t have. He saved me. If I hadn’t had him…” He looked away and continued, “Then he dumped me. Like everyone else.”

She took his hand again. His fingers were cold and he gripped her hand painfully tight. “What happened?” Her heart ached for him.

“He was old. Told me he was tired of teaching and wanted to rest. I begged him to keep me on as his student. He refused.” He shoved his hair from his face. “When I was little, I stole a tiny ceramic frog from his house.” He laughed but it sounded forced. “Something to always remember him. I went home and smashed that frog into powder. Stupid, huh?”

“You were hurt.”

“I was, yes.”

She squeezed his hand in a comforting gesture. He’d been through a lot. How many wounds festered inside him?

Parental abandonment was life shattering for a vampire. Slade was proof, though he worked hard to keep anyone from knowing it had affected him. He didn’t fool Saranna. Not for a minute.

She’d been lucky, a baby. She’d never known the people who’d thrown them away. As far as she was concerned, Ashton’s parents were her parents.

“It’s okay though. I’m over it,” he said as if he had an inkling of her thoughts.

She didn’t believe him any more than she believed Slade. The scars on Julian’s arms spoke volumes. But she sure as hell wasn’t going call him on it. His scars ran deeper than the cuts in his flesh.