“Bullet…hit…my…heart,” he whispered as he struggled to cup her cheek. “Not…long…left.”
Oh,hellno. Riley shoved her wrist against his fangs, and he tried to protest as Tommy and another Hunter grabbed his arms and started to drag him back into the room. “Drink, you idiot,” she ground out as she wrapped her other arm around his neck and held on.
Declan grabbed her forearm, his iron grip a fraction of what it should have been, but together, they managed to stay connected long enough for him to take two deep pulls from her vein.
Collapsing to the floor as Declan released her, she could only watch as he whirled on Tommy and knocked the gun from the Hunter’s hands. “You hurt her,” Declan said, his voice low, deep, and deadly.
Another Hunter, Nigel, she thought, grabbed for the pistol, and Riley screamed, “Declan! Behind you!”
Her vampire spun around with Tommy held against him like a shield, and as the shot reverberated in the room, the leader of the Hunters groaned and slumped in Declan’s arms. Ewan came up behind Nigel and kicked him in the back of the knees, sending him to the floor.
That was all the time Declan needed. Tossing Tommy’s body out the window, he streaked across the room to Nigel and snapped the man’s neck. Before he could advance on Ewan, though, Riley called out, “Stop. Declan, please.”
She was too weak to do more than push herself up on an elbow. “He was trying…to save me…”
Declan had Ewan by the throat, but the Hunter wasn’t fighting. He sank to his knees, his hands at his sides. “Do…it,” he grit out. “I…deserve…it.”
“I know you, Hunter.” Declan looked from Ewan to Riley and back again. “You owe me a life debt.”
“And I will pay it. Get Riley…out of here. The others…will be back…in half…an hour.” Ewan held up his hands, and Declan shoved him across the room, grabbed the pistol, and bent the barrel of the weapon before tossing it away.
And then Riley was in his arms. “What did they do to you,acushla?”Declan slashed at his wrist and pressed it to her lips. His blood—warm and thick and rich—dribbled over her tongue, and she closed her eyes as she let herself float, the life-sustaining nectar infusing her limbs with strength.
“Look at me,” Declan demanded. As she met his gaze, she knew. She loved him. Not because he’d saved her, or because his blood was currently the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted. But because she was his.
Swiping her tongue over the wounds at his wrist, she felt his skin knit back together.
“You need more,” he growled, but she shook her head and ripped his shirt open. The bullet wounds—one over his heart and one at his shoulder—were through and through, but they hadn’t fully closed.
“So do you. And we need to get out of here. Someone’s going to notice the body in the street.” Riley wrapped her arms around his neck. “Are you strong enough to run?”
“As long as I have you, I can do anything.” He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers. She melted under the heat of his kiss, and nothing mattered but Declan. Not the hours she’d spent terrified and weak as the Hunters tried to drain her. Not the mysteries in her blood. Not the threat from the rest of Patrick’s gang.
Sirens rang out in the distance, and Declan broke off the kiss and lifted her to her feet before turning to Ewan. “And what of you, Hunter?”
The man sat against the wall in the corner, knees drawn up to his chest. “I don’ know. Everythin’ I thought…I never wanted to hurt ya’, lass.” Turning his gaze to Declan, he shivered. “I was born to hunt. Raised to hate. Never expected a vampire to save my life.”
“Leave,” Declan said. “Go anywhere but Dublin. Start over. I will not chase you, but if our paths cross again, I cannot guarantee your safety.”
The young man nodded and pushed to his feet. “Riley? Can ya’ forgive me?”
She extricated herself from Declan’s tight embrace, reached up, and touched Ewan’s cheek. Her vampire growled behind her, and she threw him a glare before returning her attention to Ewan. “You tried to save me. Three times. There’s nothing to forgive. Just…do what he says. Get out of here and find another life. One that doesn’t require you to kill.”
Ewan covered her fingers with his, then brought the back of her hand to his lips. “Be well, lass. Whatever happens next with yer blood…be well.”
He turned on his heel and ran from the room.
Declan cleared his throat. “Riley? There is something you should know.”
She arched a brow as she let him sweep her into his arms. “Oh?”
“Vampires…we do not share. And we are the most possessive of all supernatural creatures. I do not want you touching another male—ever again.”
“You’re the one I want, Declan. Forever.”
He ran so quickly, they spilled out into the night before she even registered the movement. “Then I will keep you,agra. Forever.”
