Poking the Vamp (Knight Protectors #3) (2 page)

Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she stepped back. “Great. Have a good evening with Mr. Doe. I didn’t find any ICE information in his pockets”—
liar
—“so keep an eye out.”

Kate clutched the notepad and slip of paper like a lifeline. She didn’t care they were smeared with the owner’s blood. Nope. Not a bit. They were hers now. At least until the vampire woke and told her otherwise.

Stepping out of the patient’s area, she watched the orderlies get to work, packing up the guy and prepping him for intra-hospital transport. Refusing to second-guess herself, she turned to Nurse Pain-In-My-Ass. “Flag him for me. I want updates on his status.”

Ignoring the woman’s shock, Kate turned and headed back the way she’d come. Trauma didn’t follow-up on patients. Her job was to patch ’em up enough to survive heading upstairs. There, surgeons and specialists could evaluate her team’s work. Her group wasn’t sloppy or careless, but they weren’t plastic surgeons either.

A glance at a wall clock showed she was officially off shift for the night. Thank God.

Changing direction, she pointed toward the locker rooms. Clean. She just wanted to get clean and then…

Lola her best friend and main pain-in-the-ass skipped around the corner, smile glowing and wider than Kate had ever seen. Her friend skidded to a stop beside her. “So, I love you. A lot. You’re next on my ICE just below my mother, right?” In their circles, being a person’s number two and right under family was a huge expression of love. “But I’m gonna have to delay our post-shift gorge on waffles today. I’m auditioning someone for the position of number three.” Lola waggled her eyebrows.

“Number three?
Really
?”

Lola nodded and then leaned close, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Dr. McFuckMe asked me out for coffee. So,” she shrugged, “coffee and whatever.”

It was more the “whatever” that worried Kate. Lola deserved a good man more than most, and she worried Dr. McFuckMe was toying with her friend.

“Okay.” Kate nodded. “But call me and lemme know how it goes.”

That earned her a smacking kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

With that, her friend bounced off. How the hell did the woman have so much energy after hours on her feet?

Shaking her head, she got back to her journey, forcing one foot in front of the other. Just outside the locker room door, she realized she still clutched the vampire’s belongings. Demanding her muscles respond, she opened her hand and transferred the contents to her ungloved palm. It took less than a second to divest herself of the blood stained latex and dump it in a nearby biohazard bin. It’d been irresponsible to walk out of the ER with it still on, but the vampire’s presence had done something to her.

She just didn’t know what.

The man’s few effects were smeared with his own blood, the remnants now dry, and she ignored the red flakes. She held them in a tight fist as she pushed into the locker room.

Kate waved to the room en masse and went directly to her locker, fingers still clutching the vampire’s items. She didn’t want to release them. Not for a second. Getting her locker open with one hand full wasn’t exactly fun, but doable. And after a few minutes of struggling, she was back in her jeans and t-shirt with her comfy sneakers firmly in place. Yeah, she was still sweaty and probably more than a little ripe since she hadn’t taken a shower, but there were some things she couldn’t bring herself to do.

Communal showers were one of those things. When it came to getting naked in front of others, it didn’t matter that she was a highly intelligent, greatly praised doctor in her field. Because the letters M.D. did not make her extra jiggle
m
agically
d
isappear.

They did, however, earn her looks from other doctors. How could she possibly treat someone and regurgitate information about being healthy when she was
obese
? Their word, not hers. She preferred fluffy, like a cloud.

She also informed them that her last check-up indicated she was a very healthy fat person, thank you very much. Yes, she carried more weight than advisable on her five-seven frame, but her blood pressure was good and resting pulse was better. True, she wore jeans whose size ended in -
teen
, but her cholesterol was awesome. So,
suck it
. Well, not vamp suck it, but suck her non-existent dick.

Okay, she didn’t say that, she simply decided they were jealous they didn’t have an ass as good as hers. They could bounce a
roll
of quarters off her awesome.

Snaring her purse, she dropped the small notebook into a side pocket but kept hold of the slip with the phone number. A quick hunt netted her cell phone. Glancing around the room, she realized she was alone.

Now’s as good a time as any.

She swiped the screen to unlock her phone and then dialed the numbers on the page. It was the only lead she possessed and something about the way the man came into the hospital made her realize the vampire was in very real danger. She hoped she wasn’t making it any worse with her call.

One ring. Then two.

Finally, a bright, airy female voice came across the line. “Joe’s Morgue, you stab ’em, we slab ’em.” A soft giggle followed the greeting.

“Uh…” Okay. That was an interesting way to answer. Funny considering Kate was sitting in the middle of a hospital with the morgue a few floors down.

Suddenly the woman was all business. “Who is this? Where did you get this number?” The rapid click of keyboard keys overlaid the caller’s words. “Where are you?”
Click click click click.
“I told the asshole to take his cell phone and program this number in there, but does he listen? Nooo.” The stranger grumbled. “Mostly vamp, but I’m still too human to listen to? Fuck you, Joce. Stupid blood sucker… Kick his ass… Put him in the fucking hospital in fucking traction. Just see if I won’t. I know
Tae Bo
, dickwad.”

“Listen,” doubt crept into Kate’s mind. Tension bolted through Kate and her muscles tightened, flexed, and remained solid throughout her body. A rush of worry overtook her and adrenaline pulsed in her veins. “I probably got the wrong number.”

Click click click click.

“You’ve got the big guy, right?” More mumbling. “Tall, scary as hell? Bald head?”

Fear overwhelmed her. Calling the number had been a mistake. They were hunting for her patient and she couldn’t tell if they were friend or foe. The woman’s voice held a mixture of relief and rage. Was she happy he was found so they could finish the job they’d begun?

Shit.

Making a decision, she pulled the phone from her ear and reached for the bright red button to end the call. Finger a hairsbreadth from the screen, a soft, bone-chilling word drifted from the speaker.

“Gotcha.”

And that was Kate’s cue to pull an Elvis and leave the building. Maybe.

Okay, after one last, drive-by look at her patient and a quick word with security to keep an eye on the guy. Because someone had to have it in for him if he came in all broken up, right? They should get in touch with the police so whoever she’d called couldn’t get ahold of him until he’d healed and could run away on his own.

That sounded plausible.

So, a quick stop by ICU.

When she got there, she noted her vampire (who wasn’t really her vampire and she wasn’t going to address the “her” part of her thought) was fine. Holding his own and actually healing pretty well. A notation hadn’t been added to his chart in regards to his fangdom and she wasn’t about to tack it on. They’d given him plenty of blood while patching him together and she figured he’d be up and about pretty soon. Especially if his healing was as quick as she’d heard.

Kate took one last longing look at John Doe. He was clean now. No reason she couldn’t run her fingers down his cheek, right? Or trace the line of his nose? Or chin?

She reached for him once again. Just one touch and then she’d forget about the man. A single connection of skin on skin and then she’d wish him a speedy recovery while she retreated to her empty apartment.

Her fingers lingered over his cheek, digits lowering, and she felt a thrumming heat coming from him. Huh. She’d always thought vampires would be cold. Galla was. Not that they touched often, but her grandmother’s skin was cool to the touch. Why wasn’t this guy’s?

“Well, you certainly made our job easier.” A familiar voice snared her attention.

Kate snatched her hand back and spun to face the newcomer. Damn it, she should have stopped by security first. Told them to get the police to guard the guy until he woke. But the woman she faced wasn’t anything like what she’d anticipated. She’d expected a gun toting, badass of some sort considering John Doe’s injuries. What she got was someone not unlike herself. The woman was short, a bit on the curvy side, and the only major differences between them were red hair, scarlet eyes, and… fangs.

They were gonna die. First her and then her patient.

It was official. Vamps had shown up and she would be lunch. Then they’d finish the job on the vampire beside her.

The newcomer stuck her red head back into the hallway and let out a shrill, high-pitched whistle. “Yo, Count Suckula!”

The shout was followed by the rapid thumps of booted feet on the generic hospital tile and then a massive man stood behind the tiny woman.

Yup, right there—the vehicle of her destruction.

The small vampire gestured toward her and John Doe. “Look what I found! I’m the best people finder
evah
.” She bounced on her toes. “I totally deserve super smexy times tonight.”

Kate wasn’t gonna ask. Part of her wanted to beg them to just get the whole murdering thing over with, but the other was more than content to watch the weird train wreck before her.

The guy on the right, tall and broad shouldered and looking like he would gladly separate the woman’s head from her body, just growled. “Victoria—”

“Tory. Are you gonna call me Victoria until we never, ever die?”

“Victoria. I can’t protect you if you race off.” He spoke through gritted teeth and she easily saw his descended fangs.

Yeah, she was toast. Or a dead tree frog that’d gotten caught in the sun and turned into a fraisin—a frog raisin. She was a fraisin waiting to happen. But instead of the sun, she got vamps.

The woman scoffed. “I don’t need protection. I know Tae-Bo
and
I have a gun.” She reached for her hip and winced, scrunching her nose and squeezing her eyes closed. “Oops.” She huffed. “Whatever. I found Dr. Katherine Bennett
and
Joce, didn’t I? So, let’s rally the super-secret troops and smuggle these two outta here.”

Kate gulped, her mouth going dry, and her heart pounded. “Um, two?”

The vampire quirked her lips and tilted her head back to stare at the massive male once more. “Hey, snickerdoodle? Now is probably a good time to do the tranq dart thing.”

Kate took one step back, ass colliding with the bed and she reached out to steady herself. Her hand brushed against John Doe’s and his hand twitched beneath her touch. Strong, callused fingers gripped her and the heat of his possession sent a burning spear of lava through her veins.

The large vampire whipped out a gun and a soft thump immediately followed the move. Just as consciousness drifted from her, a soft, ghost-like voice whispered through her mind.

Such sweet fire.

Breathing—unlike eating food—was necessary for a vampire. So when Joce woke, disoriented, in pain, and desperate for blood, the first thing he did was suck in a heaving lungful of air.

The second was find the source of that delicious scent. It was sweet and hot, scorching him while comforting and luring him forward at the same time. It promised heaven and hell and he’d gladly roast for a single taste.

Nothing that smelled so good could come without consequences. Action and reaction.

Action: find the owner of that blood.

Reaction: drain the owner dry.

Her. Not
the owner
.
Her
.

Female. Beautiful and sweet with a nice dose of goodness tempered with only a hint of bad.

And she was close.
Close
.

The other scents in the air told him he was at the manse, the residence of the Atlanta Ring of Knight Protectors. He’d made it home, then. Home after having the shit beat out of him for longer than he cared to admit or think by more than one paranormal being. How about a dozen? But the fact he focused on most was that being home and absorbing that scent meant the woman was allowed to be on the premises.

And she knew what happened between vamps and humans at the compound.

Joce’s stomach clenched and mouth watered as anticipation uncurled in his gut. He could practically taste her blood on his tongue, skating over his taste buds and finally filling his veins. So sweet. So delicate.

So mine
.

He nudged the thought aside for now. Joce didn’t keep humans on tap. They were food, cattle, and nothing more. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough of this woman though. Not when the mere idea of tasting her heated his blood.

Joce kept his eyes shut, listening to her move around the room. It didn’t smell like his suite, the air tasting more like a hospital room rather than a bedroom. They must have dragged him into the old halls, then. The space was hidden within the thickest walls of the mansion, secured behind newly fortified doors.

(He would not admit that his fellow protector’s
fire
did a good job ensuring their safety with those new defenses. She was part human, after all.)

A handful of recovery rooms stocked with common medical equipment lined the hall that led to the protector’s meeting room. Home of the round table. Yes,
that
round table.

A soft rustle of cloth brought him back to the present and away from thoughts of the mansion’s layout. Her steps were soft and barely audible as she neared him, drawing close with the quiet sounds. The wheeze of each breath and pounding of her heart drew him and his fangs elongated, sharpening the closer she came.

His. His. His.

Joce didn’t care about the coming battles and clues he’d uncovered before being beaten. His thoughts were centered on estimating the distance between the nameless female and his mouth.