Hunting the Shadows (24 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

“You’re hogging the sheets. Cold.”

They were the sweetest words he’d ever heard.

J.C. set the science text he’d been reading aside. Leaning up onto his elbow, he glanced down at her, well aware of how pale her skin had become while she laid there in a coma. Even stubborn determination hadn’t forced those barriers in her mind to yield and he’d tried, so many times, to shove through until she awoke. After the first couple days, he’d realized how much she’d taken over his life and he would have done anything to hear her in his heads again.

“It’s about time you woke up. While you’ve been sleeping the days away, I’ve been—” Going crazy? Worried sick? “—picking up your slack. Lazy,” he teased, chuckling when she pinched him in the side.

He waited, breath caught in his throat for her eyes to open because he wasn’t sure what he’d do if she went under again. Smoothing a trembling hand down her shoulder, he tucked the blanket around her.

“I saved your butt back there…give me some credit.”

She turned into him and he settled onto his back so that she could rest her head onto his chest.

“You gave me a scare there, sweetheart,” he murmured softly. Something tightened in his chest, making it hard to breathe and for a moment, he pleased himself with stroking her hair. “I didn’t care for it.”

“You can’t get away from me that easy, J.C.” Her lips curved against his chest. Still she didn’t open her eyes. “Warm me so that I’m never cold again.”

“That’s quite the tall order.” But his lips twitched into a grin as he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her.

“If you aren’t up to it, I can go elsewhere.”

He’d missed this teasing, more than he would care to admit. “Never said I couldn’t.” But he fell silent and her hands slid beneath his shirt. He’d almost lost her. When Rick had fallen to the ground, she’d gone unconscious. He’d gone to her, but it’d been too late, she’d burst a blood vessel in her brain. He’d managed to get her to Medical in time for a healer to stop the bleeding and save her life, but no matter what they’d tried, she wouldn’t wake.

Nuzzling her throat, he sighed. “How do you feel?”

“Tired.”

He smoothed her hair from her temple. “That’s expected. You had a brain aneurysm and have been in a coma for two weeks.”

“Well that explains the wires hooked up to me. Good to know you didn’t turn me bionic.” As if in emphasis of her point, she lifted an arm with the IV drip.

He hated to see her hooked up to machines and lost to the world. For two weeks he’d stayed by her bedside, all too aware of how vulnerable she was. He hadn’t known that he could feel so useless.

But she was alive. Her vitals were strong and she was awake.

“What happened to Rick?”

He brushed his lips to her forehead. “You tried to short out his brain. He survived, however and the Council took him.” Rick had betrayed all of them. He was the Council’s spy. “You stopped him, Amy.”

“He killed Ajay.”

Sadness swamped him for a moment. He still couldn’t believe she was gone. “I know. We never found the body. Davan keeps searching.” Though her body hadn’t been found, Davan had set up a tombstone in her name to honor her and the other victims.

The dead would always be remembered, but the living had to continue moving on. It was the only way they would get through this together.

A tear slid down her face and he brushed it away. “I wish I’d gotten to her in time. Maybe I could have saved her.” She shook her head and sighed, burying her face against him. “What about Stefan? J.C., he was innocent.”

“Stefan’s been reinstated. He and Mackenzie have been keeping to themselves. Mackenzie is facing a trial. She took down our security system and put us at risk.” J.C. brushed his knuckles along her throat. “It’s been a rocky few weeks. The Council has been more involved in the training of the children. I’d like to say that Broderick has changed after all of this, but he hasn’t. He’s never cared about his sons.”

“I don’t understand how a father can be so cold to his own sons.”

He shrugged. “Broderick was born into a military family. It was how he was raised. His sons are nothing more than experiments like the rest of us.”

She went quiet. For a moment, he thought she’d gone back under and his heart thudded hard in his chest at the thought that he might have lost her again. But then she whispered, “What’s going to happen to me now?”

“Stay here.” He was taking a risk, but Broderick be damned. He wasn’t going to let her slip away from him again. “With me. We’ll figure everything else out when you’re feeling stronger. I had you officially brought back into my squad. You can help me out in the lab with the children if you’d like, but right now, you need to focus on getting healthy again.”

His hand slipped into her hair, touching her cheek lightly to nudge her face up. He would do anything for the ability to erase the bruises from her body. It broke his heart to see how fragile she’d become.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You’d look less frightening if you didn’t scowl so fiercely.” Her small fingers reached up, running lightly along his lips.

He pressed a kiss to her fingers. “Do you know what I think of you?”

“That I’m more trouble than I’m worth?”

He chuckled. “No. I think that no matter what, I’m going to be on my toes around you. But if you pull a stunt like that again and go chasing after a killer, I’m going to make sure you don’t leave the room ever again.”

“Go on,” she dared.

Her eyes narrowed, fire sparking within and he grinned. Before she could interrupt, before she could say one word he silenced her with a nip. “You’re like a damn virus, taking over everything in my life.”

“You’re comparing me to a virus?”

“Darling, the moment I found you, I haven’t managed to shake you. I thought to use you, to control you as though you were nothing but another one of my test subjects with knowledge I could exploit, only there was a tiny problem.”

Her frown deepened. “And that is? Make it good, J.C., or I’m going to kick your ass out of this bed.”

“I love you, Amy. You slipped through any defense I could put up against you.” He watched the surprise flash across her expression and lowered his forehead to hers as he took a deep, unsteady breath. “Damn it, I thought I lost you.”

“Ok, I guess that’s good enough. I won’t kick you out this time.” Her smile widened. “I suppose I might love you as well.”

J.C. pulled back to look at her face. “You suppose?”

“Hmm…” Amy murmured. Nuzzling his mouth, she curled against him, pressing her palm over his heart. “I love you, J.C. Break my heart and I’ll show you how much of a virus I can be. If you think I’m bad now, just wait. You won’t know what hit you.”

* * * * *

About the Author

While in reality Alexia Reed resides in Ontario, she likes
to say that she lives in her own little world. A lover of all things scientific
and paranormal, Alexia uses her books as a way to straddle the realms of fact
and fiction—and always with a healthy dose of romance thrown in.

When not writing and reading, Alexia paints, is the
caretaker to two neurotic cats, and is a publishing professional with roots in
the romance community. She can be found online at her website,
www.alexiareed.com
, or on Twitter @Alexia_Reed.

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ISBN: 978-14268-9373-5

Copyright © 2012 by Alexia Reed

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