Blood Rites (6 page)

The EMTs lowered the gurney to the ground and
began rolling Jacquelyn quickly into the ER. They had a mask over
her face, providing her life-giving oxygen to her deprived lungs.
Her face, despite the burns on the side that had been closest to
the flames, was ashen. Her arms hung limp at her sides and were
covered in blisters from the flames that had raked over them. Fane
felt a growl rising in his throat again and only kept it in check
when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder and his Alpha’s power
roll over him. His wolf submitted immediately. Fane continued to
follow the gurney that carried its precious cargo and even
continued on when they rolled her into the operating room. Just as
he stepped into the room a hand came up on his chest, pushing him
back. His response was swift. He snarled at the one who would dare
come between him and his mate. Fane’s father was there in an
instant. “I apologize for my son’s behavior. That is his fiancé’
and he is really worried,” Vasile told the doctor who was still
brave, or stupid enough to have his hand on Fane’s chest.

“I understand he is worried but he cannot be
in here, it’s a sterile environment. As soon as we have information
you will be the first to know.”

“Thank you,” Vasile told him as he grabbed
Fane by the arm, pulling him out of the operating room. Vasile let
out a low growl, pushing his power into Fane to force his
obedience. Fane reluctantly backed out of the room, never taking
his eyes off Jacquelyn’s still form until the doors closed and he
could see her no more. Just then they heard a loud crash and a
ferocious growl down the hall. Vasile backed Fane against the wall
and glared at him, using his Alpha power he told him, “Stay.”
Fane’s wolf met Vasile eyes for three counts before they finally
dropped in submission. With that, Vasile turned and took off,
moving towards the vicious snarls. He came around the corner into
another operating room to find Decebel crouched in front of Jen’s
body which lay still on the gurney. “What the hell?” Vasile
growled. Decebel was snarling uncontrollably, his eyes glowing
gold. Several humans in blue scrubs stood in front of him in
defensive postures trying to explain to him that they were trying
to help her and had to touch her in order to do that. Decebel
wouldn’t budge. His wolf was in control. Vasile stepped forward,
gently pushing one of the blue dressed humans out of his way. He
growled at Decebel and just as with Fane pushed his Alpha power
forward. “Stand down Decebel, they have to help Jen.” Decebel
didn’t move, he turned his head slightly giving a small view of his
neck but it wasn’t total submission. “DECEBEL, MOVE. NOW!” Vasile
snarled, throwing power at his Beta. Finally, with the Alpha order
given, Decebel had no choice but to move out of the way. It was
almost as if an invisible force was pushing him aside to allow the
medical staff access to Jen. As soon as he was out of the way the
humans moved into action quickly and efficiently, like a well oiled
machine. Decebel watched, shaking with suppressed rage as they
stuck Jennifer with needles and put a mask over her face that he
assumed would give her oxygen. As soon as they started cutting off
her clothing he snarled and turned, pushing Vasile out of the room,
pulling the doors closed behind him.

“Decebel, what was that about?” Vasile calmly
asked his Beta.

Decebel averted his eyes in submission as he
answered his Alpha. “I was just watching out for her. You were with
Fane, Alina was with Sally and Lilly. There was no one but myself
to make sure the humans didn’t harm her.” Decebels words sounded
true to Vasile, but he picked up an underlying emotion that he
didn’t think Decebel was even aware of.

“Her family will be here soon, Alina has
called them. When they get here you can let them take over her
care. Until then I would ask that you stand outside this door and
if the doctor comes out before her parents are here, get any
information he has so you can pass it along. Are we clear?”

“I will deal with her family when they get
here. We are clear,” Decebel responded, his voice emotionless, his
expression hard.

“One more thing, Beta. Keep your wolf under
control,” Vasile warned.

“Yes, Alpha,” Decebel answered as he backed
up against the wall, folding his arms across his chest. He stood as
a sentinel to the operating room where Jen was being cared for.

Vasile turned to walk away. Decebel watch him
go, seeing him shake his head in confusion. Decebel was confused as
well but he wasn’t in any shape to look too closely at why. Just
leave it alone Dec, he told himself.

“What was that all about?” Fane asked his
father as Vasile walked up to him. Fane was still standing exactly
where Vasile had left him, in front of the operating room where
Jacquelyn was being treated.

“Decebel was protecting Jen. He felt
responsible for her since all the rest of us were elsewhere.”
Vasile noticed his own voice didn’t sound like he believed what he
was saying.

“Really? That’s what he said?” Fane asked
skeptically

“I don’t know what to make of it either, but
when I came around that corner into the room Decebel was guarding
her, not letting any of the staff near her. When they began
undressing her he shoved me out of the room,” Vasile explained, his
brow furrowed, his voice heavy with disbelief even though he had
seen it all with his own eyes. Fane didn’t know how to respond to
that, but he knew he couldn’t worry about it right now because all
he could think about was his mate. He just kept seeing her limp
form, the only sign of life her breathing and pulse. No spunky
attitude, no gentle touch. He closed his eyes, shutting off his
emotions so he could keep his wolf in check.

“Fane, Vasile, where is Jacque and Jen?” Fane
heard Lilly ask as she was walking towards them.

“Jacque is in this operating room and Jen is
just down the hall. Decebel is guarding her door,” Fane told her.
Lilly’s shoulders slumped and her head fell forward as silent tears
fell to the floor. Fane walked up to the woman who had brought his
precious mate into the world and folded her into his embrace. She
squeezed him tight as if her life depended on it. Fane couldn’t
help but think it should have been Jacquelyn’s father standing here
consoling Lilly, but what had happened wasn’t his fault. He and
Lilly had made the choice to stay together knowing that he would
probably one day have to walk away. It still sucked.

Finally Lilly pulled back, she looked up into
Fane’s face and patted his cheek, “Thank you Fane, thank you,” her
voice hoarse with emotion.

Lilly backed up against the wall across from
the operating room and slid down to the floor, prepared to stay
there until the doctor came out with news of her daughter. Vasile
walked over and knelt down in front of her. “Lilly, can you tell me
what happened? What do you remember?” he asked her.

Lilly tilted her head back against the wall,
looking up at the ceiling, then squeezing her eyes shut. She tried
to picture herself driving away from her book store, then she began
to talk. “I had gotten a call from one of my employees.” She told
him all about Jeff and the supposed irate customer that didn’t
exist and how Jeff was gone when she arrived at the store. Then
just before she started to tell him about the loud noise and losing
control of the car she remembered the man that Jen had pointed out
on the side of the road.

“Wait, did anyone see a tall man on the side
of the road standing next to a blue car?”

Vasile shook his head. “There were no other
cars Lilly, just yours. Did you see a man?” he asked her.

“Just before the loud noise and then me
losing control, Jen pointed out this good looking guy on the side
of the road. It looked like he might have had a flat tire or
something. He couldn’t have been far from where the wreck was, he
had to have seen it.” Lilly was beginning to sound frantic.

Alina and Sally had just arrived, hearing the
end of Lilly’s comments. Alina knelt down on the opposite side her
husband and took Lilly’s hand. “We will figure it out Lilly, it’s
going to be okay,” Alina told her gently

Sally spoke up then. “She’s right, there was
a man on the side of the road. He was tall, and big. I didn’t get a
good look but according to Jen he was what she classified as a tall
glass of somin somin,” Sally explained

Vasile looked up at Fane, who had been
quietly listening to the girls describe what had happened. “Did you
see anyone driving away as you approached to the girls? You were
the first one there.”

“No, there was no one, only the girls,” Fane
told him, bringing the image of Jacquelyn’s damaged form to the
forefront of his mind. He closed his eyes and willed the image
away.

“Sally, Lilly, you both are okay?” Fane asked
them, trying to get his mind off the images of the accident.

“Just a few cuts, minor burns other than that
we are both fine,” Sally answered. “I’m sure Lilly asked, but how
are Jen and Jacque?” she asked

Vasile spoke before Fane could. “Jen is down
the hall in the other operating room and they are treating her.
Decebel is standing guard outside the door. Jacquelyn is in this
one here. The doctors have said they will let us know something as
soon as they can.”

“If you all have it in control down here I
think I will go keep Decebel company while we wait for news on both
of them,” Sally told them.

“I think that would be a very good idea,”
Vasile agreed. Sally found this comment odd but didn’t respond, she
simply turned and walked down the hall to find Decebel.

Everyone was quiet, none daring to break the
silence as if the breach would somehow cause harm to Jen or Jacque.
So they waited, like silent sentries waiting for news on their
fallen comrades.

Once again the thought crossed Fane’s mind
that waiting didn’t just suck, it was a complete and total
bitch.

Chapter 6

Sally
stood across the hall from Decebel. She
knew he was a big guy but in this hall, with his stone like
features revealing nothing of his thoughts or emotions, he seemed
positively huge. His only acknowledgment of her when she walked up
was a slight nod of the head. Sally couldn’t help but think that at
any moment he was going to bust out with “me Decebel, you Sally”
type language. That thought brought a slight smile to her face. She
knew it was a comment that Jen would have appreciated. Since she
could tell he wasn’t going to suddenly become the conversationalist
of the century, she could at least try to get a little out of him.
“How are you doing, Decebel?” Okay, Sally would admit that under
the circumstances maybe that was a 'did you really just ask that'
question, but hey, it was all she could come up with.

Decebel raised a single eye brow at the brown
headed human in front of him and considered the question. How was
he? Did he even know how he was? The answer to that was simple,
there was a whole lot of 'I’m hanging on by a thread' raging inside
him. So naturally, he lied. “I’m doing fine. How are you?” See,
Decebel thought to himself, I can be approachable when I put my
mind to it.

“Huh,” Sally acknowledged. “Are you always
this reticent?”

Reticent? And here Decebel thought he was
being so not reticent. Go figure.

“I am guarding this door, I am not being
reticent. I am being sensitive to my surroundings which can make me
seem aloof.”

“Well I’ll be, that’s the most I have ever
heard you say,” Sally said in honest astonishment. “Wow, you were
like, explaining yourself to me and stuff. Jen would be so proud of
you.” Decebel visibly tensed at the mention of Jen. “You know, I
think she thinks you’re like the chocolate bunnies they sell at
Easter, you know all yummy on the outside but hollow on the
inside.” Now Sally was pulling a Jen, her brain, mouth valve just
would not seem to close.

“She compares me to a bunny?” Decebel asked
incredulously.

“Not in so many words. You have to
understand, Jen likes guys. Well, she likes hot guys.” Sally
noticed there was that slight tensing in his features again, but
this time it was the mention of Jen and guys that seemed to bring
it on. I’m going to have to do some sleuthing, she told herself.
“But she doesn’t date much because, despite her rough edges, she’s
really smart and she gets bored easy. So if the outside package is
interesting but the inside is crap, she’s just content to ogle the
package from a distance.”

Before Decebel could consider her words or
respond, the operating door swung open. Decebel turned abruptly,
standing directly in front of a balding, middle aged man with beady
eyes and a severe chin. His eyes suddenly widened when he looked up
at Decebel, who realized his wolf must be looking out through his
eyes because the doctor’s jaw dropped open. Sally stepped up in
front of Decebel and put on her sweetest smile. She looked at the
doctor’s name badge before speaking. “Doctor Thomas, how is Jen
doing?” Sally couldn’t help the slight waver in her voice. Fear of
the unknown was sometimes worse than reality.

Dr. Thomas looked at Decebel and then back at
Sally. He seemed to be trying to make a decision. “Does Jen have
any family here? Parents, aunts, uncles?”

“I’m her betrothed,” Decebel spoke up.

Sally nearly broke her neck when she whipped
around to look at him, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. Decebel
glared at her, daring her to contradict him. She didn’t. Sally
simply turned back around to the physician, skepticism written
across his face.

“Decebel is from Romania. They do things
differently there and their marriage has been planned for a long
time, if you get my drift.” Sally was scrambling for some sort of
reason that would justify this 20 something looking mountain being
engaged to a 17 year old. Honestly, what the hell was he
thinking?