Chapter 22
Adrik sat in his car and faced the hospital where Kayla worked. He had been there for the last two hours. He felt like a male who couldn’t hold off his basic urges. He worried about her with a ferocity that startled him. Were all Blood Breeds this way about their females?
He had no doubts she would be pissed, furious even, that he was watching her. Even before he found out she was his Chosen, he had sensed an incredible and life-changing connection between them. It was sheer force from her brother that he was able to stop seeing her, but even then he kept to the shadows, watched her, and made sure she was safe.
Adrik closed his eyes and concentrated. He knew what he was about to do was wrong on so many levels, but he was unable to stop himself. It didn’t take long before he felt his two halves separate. Astral projection was his gift. It wasn’t something that was useful in battle, but when it came to finding out his enemies’ secrets without their knowledge, it was the most powerful one.
He felt his body separating into two, one physical, one astral. He was still able to be connected to his physical form while he was “detached,” still able to talk, breathe, smell, and hear. When the two finally separated, he sought out Kayla as a male can do only with his Chosen. His astral projection, an exact replica of his physical self, moved with fluid grace into the building. He was masked, concealed and invisible to all he walked by.
He made his way through the building, following Kayla’s essence. Children cried for their mothers. Grown men moaned from insubstantial injuries as their females comforted and soothed them. He let his body levitate until he was at the floor she was working on, moving through the walls and seeking her out. She was sitting down, looking over a chart, as one of her fingers played with a strand of her hair. How he wished he could run his fingers through her silken golden strands. He moved closer to her, until he was hovering over her shoulder, looking at the fine arch of her neck and the soft swell of her breasts beneath the scrub top. He gave one last lingering look before running his finger down her cheek and turning to leave.
Kayla took out a hair tie and put her hair into a ponytail. She sat behind the computer and looked over her notes from the report she had just received. Her patients weren’t too critical. She had one more patient to assess, a thirty-six-year-old man with a pretty deep stab wound. During report, she had learned that the patient wasn’t very forthcoming with information on how he had acquired the wound.
She shivered and looked behind her shoulder. The distinct feeling she was being watched grew within her. She turned her attention back to the desk and grabbed her notes and stethoscope. She headed to her first room. She knocked on the door, saw her patient, Emmitt Volshustiv, sleeping, and quickly went about her tasks. The heart monitor, blood pressure machine, and pulse oximeter all read steady measurements.
Kayla made her way over to his bedside, took her stethoscope from around her neck, and listened to his heart. He was out cold from the pain medication they had given him. His wound was nasty looking. It was jagged, long, and red, but healing. She re-dressed it, put his gown down, and was about to turn away, when his hand grabbed her wrists in a bruising grip. Startled, she looked down at him. Her heart raced as she stared into his eyes. How he was even awake, she had no clue. The narcotics he was receiving should have kept him asleep for hours.
“Your kind disgusts me.” His speech was slurred, and just as soon as he said it, he started to drift back asleep. She tried to yank her arm free, but his eyes snapped back open, and he snarled at her.
Kayla ripped the call light out from the wall, a sure thing to have other staff members rushing in. The shrill sound of the emergency light started to go off right above the room she was in, and a second later, several staff members rushed in. They were able to wrestle her arm free as someone yelled for an order for restraints. His gaze never left Kayla’s, and she shivered. She had been in this kind of situation before, but there was something inside of her that screamed she needed to tread lightly. There was something definitely wrong with Emmitt Volshustiv.
Kayla sat outside her patient’s room as she spoke with the doctor. They had given Mr. Volshustiv a sedative and had added a pair of soft wrist restraints. She hated securing patients, but he was obviously not reacting well to something, and until his mind cleared, they would have to stay for everyone’s safety.
She looked at her watch and got up, knowing it was time to do her rounds again. She checked on all of her patients and finally stopped in front of Mr. Volshustiv’s room. He was sitting up awake in bed, his glazed-over attention on the television hanging on the wall.
How in the hell is he even awake?
“Hello, Mr. Volshustiv. How are you this evening?” The sedatives he had been given should have made sure he slept soundly.
He didn’t spare her a glance.
“Having any pain?”
He looked at her then, his face full of disgust.
Hmmm, not very popular tonight.
“I’ll survive.” His tone was clipped, but at least he was answering her.
“Okay, well, if you are in any pain, don’t hesitate to use your call light.” She walked over to the side of his bed and brought it closer to him. “I’m going to listen to your heart. Is that okay?”
She didn’t move as she waited for his reply. He shook his head slowly, his dark stare focused on her.
“Can you tell me why you’re so upset, Mr. Volshustiv?”
“I don’t like your kind, especially not tending to me.”
“My kind?” Must not be a fan of women.
He gave a humorless laugh and tested the restraints. “You heard me.”
She went over to the sink and washed her hands. “Okay, well, if you need anything, just ring the bell.”
Kayla walked out of his room, hoping that things would start looking up. There was something inside of her that made her skin prickle when she was around him. The way he had said “your kind” didn’t sit well with her, as if he was speaking in riddles. She blamed his rambling on his pain medication, knowing that narcotics could alter even the sanest of minds.
Kayla stepped out of the hospital and shielded her eyes from the bright morning sun. She had ended up switching patients with Jack, the other nurse on duty. It wouldn’t have done any good for her to treat a patient who was uncomfortable with the care he was receiving. It wasn’t just for his benefit, though. She didn’t feel right around him, as though his motives were dark, aimed nefariously at her. She had asked Jack how Mr. Volshustiv was for him, getting the response that he was pleasant and compliant—everything he wasn’t for her.
She made her way to her car, glancing down at her wrists. She had a nasty black-and-purple bruise forming where he had grabbed her, but she knew by tomorrow it would be healed. As she got into her car and started it, she wondered if she should tell Adrik what had happened.
No, probably not the best idea.
She shook her head, knowing that she was blowing things out of proportion. Telling her protective vampire wouldn’t do any good, would most likely just have him ranting and raving, beating his chest like some domineering caveman as he shouted “mine.” She couldn’t help the smile that covered her mouth, loving the idea of Adrik seeing her as only his.
She was probably just imagining the whole thing anyway. Kayla had seen her fair share of agitated and disgruntled patients in her time. No need to upset Adrik when she didn’t have any proof that Emmitt had known what she was. He was, after all, an injured patient on plenty of pain meds.
She drove home in silence, her mind more exhausted than her body.
Chapter 23
Kaleb stretched in bed. The two females on either side of him made soft moaning sounds and rubbed their succulent nude bodies against him. He grew hard and brought his hand down to grip his shaft. He gave it a few languid strokes. Just as the females started to wake, several light raps sounded on his door. The females groaned and ran their hands along his torso. He made his way off the bed, grabbed his robe, and walked toward the double oak doors.
He smelled the sweet, fresh scent of the female on the other side before he even had the door open. When he opened it, he saw Joslyn standing on the other side. Her big green eyes were wide as she stared up at him, and her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in spiral curls. She carried a silver tray that looked far too heavy for her. She held it out, her eyes darting to his chest. Her big eyes shot back to his, and her cheeks became pink.
“Aedan asked me to bring this to you.”
He took the tray. Their fingers brushed together, and her face became redder.
Damn shame she’s only seventeen.
“Thanks, Joslyn.” He saw her eyes dart around his body and knew she was looking at the nude females on his bed.
“Okay. Do you need anything else?” Her voice was soft and hesitant.
“No, I’m good. Thanks.” Her scent was still around him when she turned and left.
“Come on, baby. We’re ready for you.”
He looked down at the tray and back down the now empty hallway. He turned his gaze to the Lyken females in his bed. He shook his head and set the tray down. It would do no good to think about things that would, and could, never be. He grinned as he headed back to the naked women in his bed.
Joslyn rounded the corner and stopped. She leaned against the wall and breathed out roughly. She didn’t know much about Kaleb Reilly, but she didn’t need to, not when he was gorgeous, smelled so good, and was all she thought about lately. She ran her now sweaty palms over her skirt and headed downstairs. If she didn’t finish her chores—punishment for leaving the safety of the clan and almost getting killed by a group of Bloodless—she would be at them all day.
She passed several Lykens, the majority of them hidden away in their rooms since mating season was in full force. It disgusted her in a way, knowing they were in their rooms doing sexual things because they couldn’t help it. She didn’t want that. Joslyn wanted to be able to choose whom she loved, not be stuck with a man for the rest of her life because they were mated. It seemed like a dreadful existence to have the chemicals in her body telling her whom she needed to be with. She would rather live a lonely life than be tied to a man who wanted to dictate her every move.
She may not be able to do everything she wanted, but her brother Liyam always made sure to let her live her life. Well, he had, up until she had gone into the city alone. Now she was ordered to stay where the clan could watch over her. Her life was basically in their hands. It pissed her off, but she knew she brought it upon herself, and now she would pay the price until hell froze over.
Kayla started work like any other day, tired, grumpy, and irritable. She would rather be at home, or more honestly, she would rather be in Adrik’s bed. She hadn’t seen much of him over the past couple of days. Apparently he had been pretty busy with Blood Breed business. She took report from Jack, groaning inside when she was informed she had Mr. Volshustiv for a patient.
“I know he gave you a hard time, but we are really short staffed, and he has actually been pleasant.”
She nodded, knowing that first and foremost was her patient’s health. She would be polite and professional and hoped he was the same. When Jack was finished with report, she took a deep breath and started assessing her patients. She stopped in front of Mr. Volshustiv’s room. He was wide awake and watching television, and the restraints were no longer covering his wrists. She knocked on the door and entered, plastering a smile on her face.
“Hello, Mr. Volshustiv. How are you this evening?”
He turned his attention toward her, and a genuine smile covered his lips. “Good evening. I am glad you are my nurse tonight.”
He is?
He certainly wasn’t acting the same, but then again, he was off the pain meds and was scheduled to be transferred to a step-down unit in the morning. “You seem to be feeling better today.”
He actually blushed at her comment, and she felt herself relax.
“Yeah, about that. I wanted to apologize for the way I acted the other day. I vaguely remember how nasty I was toward you and just wanted to say how sorry and embarrassed I am over my actions.”
“Oh.” She was at a loss for words. “Well, don’t worry about it. I completely understand.”
“Thank you for accepting my apology. I was afraid you wouldn’t. I just felt awful.” He sat up straighter in bed and adjusted the covers.
“Can I check your vitals and change your wound dressing?”
He nodded, and Kayla went about the task of listening to his heart and assessing him. She washed her hands and put on a clean pair of gloves before lifting up his shirt and assessing the wound. She gently peeled the bandage away, and her eyes widened at what she saw. The only thing marring his tanned flesh was a slightly raised pink scab. She had no idea how he had healed so quickly. The wound he had should have taken weeks to heal, not days.
“Your wound is all but healed.” She looked up at him and saw his gaze on his wound.
“Huh, guess I’m just a quick healer or something.”
Or something.
This bit of news wasn’t in report. “I’d say. A wound like the one you sustained should have taken a while to heal.” She shook her head and added a fresh bandage, knowing it really didn’t need it. “Well, you appear just fine. Did Dr. Trochle come in earlier today and explain that you will be transferred to a step-down unit?”
He nodded.
“That’s excellent news given the fact you sustained a deep stab wound. Do you remember how you got it?”
In his chart it had said he had been all but delirious when he came in, spouting off incoherent things and becoming violent with the staff. He had been given a heavy cocktail of antibiotics, which was obviously what he needed. Most likely he’d had a systemic infection, and that was why he had been acting delirious. She couldn’t even comprehend how his wound had healed so quickly.