Blood Moon (Skye Morrison Vampire Series, #5.5) (13 page)

She uncrossed her arms and flung them down to her sides in anger as she stomped one foot.  “I attacked a rival female, which is well within my right as a pack member!  You want her and I want you.  I did what I had to do to eliminate a threat.  No one stands in my way!  Every other bitch around here knows that, and it was time the new bitch learned it, too!”

“
Nikki
.
Is
.
Not
.
Pack
!” I screamed, staccato, getting up in her face.  “You can’t challenge someone who isn’t pack!”

“Willy let her tattoo the new initiate,” she blanched, crossing her arms again as she tried to steady her voice.  “We all saw it.  The only way he’d ever let someone who’s not pack tattoo someone is if they are being trained to take over for him in the future, and you know it.  And to do that, she’d have to be made wolf.  That means she’s pack.  I’m not stupid.” 

My muscles rippled as extreme anger started to overtake me.  I was dangerously close to shifting and killing the bitch.  I loathed how she was talking to me and was itching to put her in her place.  “Until a human takes the pack mark and shifts for the first time, they’re not a werewolf.  As it stands, Nikki St. James is a human and you attacked and nearly succeeded in killing her!  If I hadn’t gotten there, she’d be dead right now!”

“I know,” Roxy sneered.  “Thanks for fucking up all my hard work.”

My fist pulled back involuntarily as a fierce snarl ripped itself from my chest.  I was going to hit her.  Once I realized, I took a step away and turned my back on her.  I needed to get a handle on my emotions fast.  In wolf form, I could discipline my wolves any way I saw fit.  But, as a human, I had a moral responsibility to act like one.  As such, I could and would never lay a finger on a woman.  I abhorred losers who did.

After taking a few deep breaths, I’d regained most of my temper, so I turned back to her.  “Regardless of why you attacked her, you still did,” I said between clenched teeth.  “Attacking a human without the approval of your alpha is a serious crime in this pack.”

“I had a right!” Roxy screamed over me.  “I had a fucking right!  It’s my destiny to be alpha female of this pack and everyone here knows it!”

Staring straight into her fuming green eyes, I continued.  “Roxy Herring, you are accused of the attempted murder of Nikki St. James, human and friend of this pack.  You will be held until your trial, which will take place at the next full moon.”

“Are you kidding me?” she shrieked, her hands fisting her hair.  “This isn’t fair!  You’re mine, Dean Cruz!  I was just making sure she knew that!  This is ridiculous!”

I laughed heartily and crossed my arms over my chest as a few other males joined in.  That was the funniest shit I’d heard all year.  “Roxy, I’d rather die than end up mated to a psycho bitch like you, and that’s the god’s honest truth.  You’ll
never
be this pack master’s alpha female.  Never.”

“Uh!” she scoffed indignantly.  “So, what, are you going to make that human your mate?  As if!”

“Maybe,” I shrugged one shoulder, “or maybe not.  But it sure as shit has nothing to do with you.”  Looking to my second and third, I commanded them to put her in the underground holding cell.

“You can’t do this,” she said, her voice suddenly pleading.  “Please, Dean!  I’m sorry.  I’m sorry!”

Ignoring her pleas, I turned around to face the rest of my pack.  Most of them had changed back into their human forms.  “You’re all free to resume your run, if you choose.  I hope you’ll forgive me if I take the rest of the night off.  I need to check in with Micah and see if we’re taking Nikki to the hospital.  You all heard what she just went through.”

“No problem, sir,” Fitz spoke up.  “Go take care of your girl.”

I paused momentarily to see if anyone had a problem with his statement, but most everyone seemed accepting.  If they did take issue with Nikki potentially being my girl, they didn’t dare show it in front of me.

Nikki

“Ow,” I cried out.  “Mother of hell…that’s too tight!”

“I know it hurts,” Micah said gently, “but we have to wrap your ribs.  You’re lucky there was only one fracture.”

“I feel like I’ve been kicked by a horse,” I complained, gritting my teeth.

“And you will for a few weeks,” he answered sympathetically.  “As soon as we finish this, I’ll give you a shot for the pain and then we’ll set your nose.”

“I can’t believe what happened,” Holly said, wringing her hands with worry.

“Uh, let’s not talk about that right now,” Micah piped up as he secured the bandage under my breasts.  “Holly, reach into my bag and get out a large and small ice pack.  Activate the large and hold it to her side while I prep her injection.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” Jojo asked, concerned.

“I’m sure,” I answered, wincing as I shifted on the couch.  “How am I supposed to explain all my injuries?  I still have bite marks and bruises on my inner thighs.  I could just see the doctor’s face now.  ‘I was attacked by a psychotic werewolf who suffocated me to death.  But that’s only after I’d been kidnapped and fed on by deranged vampires.’  Yeah, that’s not going to go over well, Jo.  They’ll hold me for a psych eval.”

“She’s all right, Jojo,” Micah said reassuringly.  “I promise.  I’ll take good care of her.”

“I know you will. It’s just s—”

“So fucked up,” DeeDee finished for her as she stood across the room, her arms tightly hugging her stomach.

“Why don’t you guys go get some fresh air,” Micah suggested, eager to get them to quit talking.  He was trying to keep the mood positive and the rest of us were failing miserably.  “I can handle this.”

The girls knew they were being dismissed, so they each said goodbye and promised to check up on me a little later.

“I’m going to have to administer this in your hip,” he said, showing me the capped syringe.  “Would it be more comfortable for you to lean over or stand up?”

“Stand, probably.”

Micah gently grasped my upper arm and deftly lifted me to my feet, minimizing the pull on my ribs.  “I’ll need you to unbutton your jeans and lower them on one side.”

After doing as he asked, he quickly swabbed the injection site with an alcohol swab before pinching a section of my skin and smoothly inserting the needle into it.  The sting was bearable, and before long, he was finished.

“This should start to take effect in a few minutes,” he explained as he capped the needle, and then brought out more supplies.  “If you experience any nausea, let me know and I’ll give you something for it.  Unfortunately, this narcotic may cause it.”

I gingerly sat back down on the sofa and resumed holding the ice pack to my left side.  “How bad will it hurt when you set my nose?” I asked timidly, afraid of the answer.

“I’ve just given you a full dose of Dilaudid. It won’t be a walk in the park, but it’s better than not having anything at all.”  He handed me a tissue and instructed me to gently blow.  Four tissues later, we heard the sliding glass door open.

“How is she?” Dean’s commanding voice boomed, filling the room.

I heard his footsteps before I saw him.  When I finally did, my eyes got wide.  Dean was completely naked.  I mean naked, naked.  His junk was at eye level and I felt my cheeks redden as I openly gawked.

“Wow,” I whispered, mentally measuring his flaccid manhood.  “That’s what…seven inches soft?  He must be verrrrrry popular with the lady wolfies.”

“Is she okay?” Dean asked, concerned, as he squatted down in front of me, his eyes searching my face.

“I, uh, gave her something for the pain,” Micah answered, stifling a laugh.  “She’s heavily under the influence at the moment.”

“Does she need to go to the hospital?”

“No, sir.  I believe we can treat everything here.”

“What’s the damage?”

“She has a large bruise on her back, below her shoulder blades, a fractured left rib, significant bruising around her sternum, and a broken nose. Besides that, she’s okay.  She’s passed every test I’ve given her and her vitals are all normal.  She’s very lucky, sir.  It could have been a lot worse.”

Dean sighed as he took the ice pack from my hand, sat down on the couch beside me, and held it against my broken rib.  “You gave me quite the fucking scare, Nik,” he said gently.

“Tell me about it,” I nodded my head emphatically.  “Do you know you’re naked?  You should put some pants on before I’m tempted to do something I’m pretty sure I won’t regret in the morning.”  My eyes leisurely slid down to his lap and then back up to meet his.  “Yep.  Pretty sure.”

Dean laughed as he cupped my cheek and studied my face.  “Fuck, you have no idea how happy I am you’re okay.”

“Nikki, I’m going to need you to hold still for me,” Micah said, coming around to sit on the coffee table in front of me.  “I’m going to swab inside your nose now.”  Turning to Dean, he addressed him next.  “Now would be a good time to get those pants, sir.”

I held still for Micah as he went to work.  It hurt, but wasn’t unbearable.  After he finished, he scooted extra close to me and positioned his hands on either side of my nose.

“Now, this is going to suck, but I need you to stay absolutely still, okay?”

“Where’s Dean?” I asked, starting to panic.  I didn’t want to go through this alone.

“Right here, babe,” he answered as he exited the hall and came to sit beside me.  He’d put on a pair of low riding sweats and my eyes drank in his muscled torso and the deep v at his hipbones.  Dean was seriously choice and my high ass loved every second of his barely there wear.

“Hold my hand, m’kay?” I asked, offering up my palm.  “Doc says this is gonna suck the big one.”

He immediately grasped it in both his hands as he sat down beside me.  “I’ve got you, darlin’.  Don’t worry.”

Micah told me to take a deep breath in through my mouth, and as I blew it out, he shifted my nose back into place.

“Mother…fucker!” I groaned out, tears quickly springing to my eyes.  That had hurt far worse than I’d anticipated.

“Hard part’s over,” Micah smiled as he swabbed the inside of my nostrils again.  “I’m going to tape your nose now.  If you notice any bleeding, strange leakage, or blocked passages, have Dean call me and I’ll come right over and take a look.  You’ll need to ice your nose for a week to help reduce the swelling.  I’ll be by every morning and afternoon to check on you and administer pain meds if you need.

“I don’t like drugs, doc,” I frowned, holding still while he adhered the last piece of tape.

“I’ve got non-narcotic pain relievers,” he explained gently.  “If you don’t need the hard stuff, just say so.  I promise I won’t make you take them.”

“M’kay,” I nodded slowly, the meds suddenly making me sleepy.  “Thank you for fixing me.”

Dean and Micah chatted quietly for another fifteen minutes or so before Dean saw him out.

Fingers ran through my hair and my eyes slid open to find Dean beside me on the couch.  I’d fallen asleep.  “Hi,” I whispered sleepily.

“Hi,” he answered back sweetly.  “How do you feel?”

“Floaty,” I mumbled.  “And sleepy.”

“Do you want me to carry you to your room?”

“No,” I slowly blinked at him.  “Can I stay with you?  I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course,” he whispered softly, his mouth sliding up into an easy smile. 

After locking the doors, he handed me my icepacks before gently scooping me up into his arms.  I winced slightly at the pressure on my ribs, but he quickly repositioned his arms, relieving me from pain. 

At my request, he helped me out of my jeans and unhooked the back of my bra before putting one of his t-shirts over my head.  He skillfully removed my bra without looking and I was so grateful for the small kindness.  After gently helping me into his large bed, he positioned my icepacks before pulling the covers over me.

“Your bed is like a giant marshmallow,” I remarked sleepily.  “I like it.”

Dean chuckled as he slid into bed with me.

We were quiet for a long time. The only sound was the light squeak my nose would make when I breathed in.  Before long, I gathered the courage to ask the question that had been on my mind since Dean revived me.

“Who did it?” I asked in a soft whisper.

Dean sighed and looked over at me.  I could almost hear the gears in his head turning as he debated on whether or not to tell me.

“Please?  I need to know.  It’s the only way I’m going to get past this,” I explained carefully.

Sighing once more, he fully turned on his side and slowly reached for my cheek, the pad of his thumb softly sweeping back and forth as he readied himself to answer.  After a long pause, he spoke.

“Attacking a human is against pack rules and the wolf who did this is being held for trial.  She will pay for what she did.  I swear.”

“Who?” I demanded softly.  “Just tell me who it was.”

“Roxy,” he whispered, his eyes wide, watching closely for my reaction.

I took a deep breath and blew it out.  If I was being completely honest with myself, I wasn’t all that surprised to hear the news. Roxy had hated me from the moment she met me.  The only thing I couldn’t figure out was why she actually did it.

“Well,” I sighed, “I knew I disliked that bitch for a reason.”

Dean chuckled as he resumed stroking my cheek.  “She’s not very popular. I’ll just put it that way.”

“Why did she do it?” I asked, staring up into his dark eyes, begging him with mine to tell me.

Dean swallowed audibly as his hand stilled once more.  “She was jealous,” he whispered, his face angry and sad at the same time.  “She had it in her head that she was going to be my mate.  When she saw I had feelings for you, she couldn’t handle it.  She wanted you dead and out of the way.”

My lips parted as my eyes searched his.  Did he truly have feelings for me?  The same feelings I had for him?  Was this real or some drug induced dream?  “You like me?” I asked aloud, not being able to control myself.

Dean edged his face closer, gently resting his forehead against mine.  “I more than like you, sweetheart,” he whispered as his eyes drank mine in.

Swallowing hard, I admitted the same.  “I more than like you too, Dean.”

“Thank fuck,” he smiled, before tenderly placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.