Humiliation burned through him as they push-dragged him through the emergency exit, cold night air slamming into his bare skin under the hospital gown like a slap.
Dragon hated the cold. Curled deeper into himself. Didn’t bother to protest.
You tried to kill us…
They should have died on those cliffs.
The northern guardians dragged him across the parking lot. Sharp rocks bit into the bottoms of his bare feet. Stitches tore, blood soaked his hospital gown, sticky and wet, making him even colder. Normally, the scent of his own blood would drive the dragon mad with the need to attack, defend him, heal. There was nothing but a dark void inside his chest where his dragonfire should be.
“You’re a fucking mess.” King Erik helped the others shove him into the back of a large vehicle. Everything hurt. He’d never felt this exhausted or frail, not even when he was a young boy. Even then, dragon had been with him. Always within, strong and fearless. Indestructible.
His head hit the back of a freezing cold seat rest. Doors slammed.
King Erik climbed into the front passenger seat. Talon drove. The others piled into the back, surrounded Vector. Someone covered him with a blanket that did nothing to hold back the chill.
“Ah, there he is.” Erik’s relieved tone had Vector opening his eyes.
Lorien nodded in the seat next to him. “Guess the vamps really came through.”
“Indeed. Now I’ll owe that asshole a favor.” Erik turned in his seat to face to the others. “Lorien, stay behind with the vampire. Make sure he doesn’t miss anything. The humans need to forget any of this happened.”
“Now I’m babysitting a vampire?”
If Vector hadn’t been in so much pain, he would have laughed.
“Yes. That bloodsucker needs to make sure every nurse, every doctor, and every security guard forgets they ever saw Vector. Don’t forget the human authorities. The digital records the humans love so much. Delete everything. I don’t want any loose ends.”
Erik’s gaze flicked back to the hospital.
“And the woman?” Lorien asked.
“Don’t touch her,” Vector growled. The human woman had saved his life. She didn’t deserve to suffer for it. Vector’s warning fell on deaf ears as King Erik didn’t even acknowledge that he’d spoken.
“Erase her memories, clean her up, and put her back where she came from.” Erik’s voice was cold, his orders absolute as he spoke to one of his Draquonir guardians. “You know the law.” Erik’s gaze landed on Vector, though he spoke to Lorian. “She was never here.”
“As you command.” Lorien inclined his chin and got out of the vehicle to join the waiting vampire on the sidewalk outside the hospital.
Vector slumped into his seat, his protest taking far more strength than he had to spare.
He cursed his weakness to the sound of tires peeling out. The scent of burning rubber, damp asphalt. The hospital disappeared in the side mirror, swallowed by distance.
Just before the car turned onto the main road, Vector’s blurry gaze caught on a flash of dark hair through the glass doors. Raven stood just inside the glass doors, staring out into the night, unaware of what she had stumbled into.
Her.
She was still there.... Still waiting.
A fresh ache settled deep in his chest.
She should have left. She should have let him die on that cliff.
Why hadn’t she?
CHAPTER 3
Raven sat in the waiting room, fingers curled around a coffee cup that had long since gone cold. The bright fluorescent lighting hummed above, casting everything in a sterile, artificial glow.
Then,theywalked in.
