“He needs your blood or you both die,” Claude said to Lizzy before he released her.
Lizzy didn’t have to think. She immediately transitioned from wolf to human. Finn’s neck was a mess. Not even bothering to acknowledge that she was completely naked, Lizzy sank her newly acquired fangs into her wrist. Then, as Cain had done to her, she shoved it against Finn’s mouth. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at him. Her mate wasn’t moving. Blood—way too much blood—poured from his neck.
“Drink, dammit,” she said through the bond. Lizzy lifted her free hand and slapped him hard across the face. “We are not going to die when we only just met, wolf. Now drink!”
Another couple of heartbeats passed. She was just about to hit Finn again when she felt his teeth against her flesh. Then came the rush of pleasure as he bit her, his teeth widening the hole she’d already made. She felt him swallow, drawing in her life force. Lizzy draped her body across his, listening for his heartbeat. She heard it grow in strength. Her tears dropped onto his chest. Lizzy could feel herself shaking and sobbing. She’d been able to push away the fear when she’d seen his body pouring blood, but now the adrenaline dump was forcing the fear back with a vengeance. She felt his arms wrap around her, and Lizzy lifted her head. Warm, glowing copper eyes stared back at her. He released her wrist and licked it several times before slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position. His gaze swept down over her, and he sucked in a sharp breath. Then, moving faster than a man who’d just been dying from a gaping hole in his neck ought to be able, he picked her up and pushed her behind him.
“Phase.” He kept pushing until her back was against the wall.
“What?” The anger Lizzy heard in his voice confused her.
“Lizzy, you're naked. Phase to your wolf. Now.”
She looked around his shoulder at Cain, who was holding Alice in his arms. The man named Claude was nowhere to be seen. “Nobody cares that I’m naked.”
“I care, female. Phase.”
“We’re going to have a talk about this bossy crap.” She reached for her wolf, who thankfully took over. In the blink of an eye, Lizzy was furry and standing on all fours.
Finn looked over his shoulder. When he saw she was no longer a naked human female, he appeared to breathe easier.
She motioned with her wolf head to the couple in front of them. “Is he killing her? I liked Alice. I don’t want her to die.”
“He’s not killing her,” Finn assured her.
“Then what is he, ohhh,” Lizzy said as realization dawned.
Alice was confused. Why was Claude here? What did he mean by Cain was going to kill Finn if she didn’t do something? Those thoughts were cut off when Claude snatched her up and sank his teeth into her neck. It hurt … bad. She tried to scream, but the blood in her throat kept her from doing anything but gurgling. The asshole was supposedly working for the good guys. And he had just killed her. She was smart enough to know that medical help, even if she could call for it, would never make it in time.
Her eyes stared in shock. She saw him back away. His mouth moved, but she couldn’t hear any of his words. Alice reached up to her neck, knowing in vain she couldn’t stop the bleeding but desperate to try. Her hand was immediately soaked. The room swam. She started to fall, but before Alice hit the ground, strong arms wrapped around her.
“No.” Cain’s face came into view. “No, Alice,” he whispered as he bit into his wrist. When she realized what he was about to do she tried to shake her head.
Alice didn’t want to be a vampire. She didn’t even want to be a gypsy healer. She wanted to be human and go back to her human life.
“I won’t let you die.” Cain put his wrist against her lips. He leaned down closer to her ear, and his warm breath brushed her skin. “I will not lose you, too. You will drink, Alice, or I will rip every person in this place limb from limb and bathe in their blood. Drink.”
Alice felt the cold seeping in, and she knew she was dying.
“DRINK!” Cain bellowed. He pulled her against him, his face still pressed to the side of her neck by her ear. “I’m not the same man I was when you walked through those doors, Alice. But if you die, I will be worse than I was. Please, for the sake of every being I come in contact with, drink.”
Her heart ached at the pain in his voice. She didn’t even realize she’d swallowed until he made an encouraging sound.
“That’s it, love,” he murmured. “More. Don’t leave me.”
Alice closed her eyes and did as he asked. She couldn’t stand the anguish rolling off him or the complete defeat that rang with his words as he threatened to kill others if she died. She couldn’t let that happen. So she drank and drank. But her vision began to darken, and she grew no stronger. Am I dying? Maybe the transformation wasn’t working. Her last thought before Alice was swallowed by the darkness was regret that she couldn’t save the vampire king.
Cain could hear her heartbeat, though faintly. Despite the fact that she’d passed out, Alice Douglas was still alive. Everyone in Area 51 needed to thank her because she’d saved their lives. He scooped her up into his arms and then called out for guards. Two vampires and two humans showed up at the door, all four of them carrying guns.
He turned to look at Finn, who sat in the corner with Lizzy in her wolf form behind him. “You will follow these men to her room. If you give them any problems, they will shoot you both until you’re so full of lead your body won’t have time to heal before your heart stops beating. Am I clear?”
Finn’s glowing eyes flashed with rage, but he gave a sharp nod.
Cain turned, strode quickly away, and carried Alice to his bedroom. He laid her on the bed and stared at her. The only part of her moving was her chest as she took shallow breaths. She needed fluid, and maybe more blood. Hell, he didn’t know what else. She was a gypsy healer. He had no idea if his blood would even work. She wasn’t dead, so that was something. He ran his hands through his hair as he paced the room. He couldn’t lose her. He didn’t know what they’d started, but whatever it was, he wasn’t ready to give up on it. She brought out something in him that he hadn’t felt since he’d been human. “Dammit.”
He called for Willis. Seconds passed by, and he yelled the scientist’s name again. Finally, the fool appeared in the doorway. “Bring the emergency medical bag to my room. Now.”
“Whoa.” Willis’s voice whooshed out.
