BloodSworn (6 page)

Very slowly, she re-sheathed her blade and straightened as
much as the wound in her side allowed. Despite her best efforts, she winced as
the muscles protested. Showing weakness in front of any predator was never a
good idea, especially the pack.

Before she could suck in a breath, Merrick was before her.
The next instant, he swung her up in his arms, surprisingly gentle, never once
jarring her injuries.

An embarrassing little squeak escaped her throat.

“Put me down.” She hissed the words between her clenched
teeth, but she might as well have saved her breath.

“No.” The word was a rumbled growl that told her brain to
either run or hide. She didn’t want to do it and tried to stop it, but her body
automatically tensed at the sound. She would’ve sucked in a sharp breath, but
the pain robbed her of everything as she battled to stay conscious.

She couldn’t allow herself to be vulnerable, not if she
wanted to have any footing with them. After a tense minute, she managed a tiny wheeze
and glared at Merrick for his part in all of this.

If not for him, she would’ve just vanished into the night.

Now she was very much afraid she was well and truly trapped.

With a nod of his head, the small army of men scattered.
Half took off down the streets after their attackers. The remaining group
surrounded her and Merrick in some Secret Service move, so all she saw was Merrick’
brooding face and a line of broad backs.

“Victor, grab her bag.”

The house loomed in the darkness like a giant maw waiting to
swallow her. Before, it had appeared as an imposing fortress, protection
against the outside world determined to hurt her. With the armed escort, it felt
more like a prison.

The windows were dark and miles off the ground.

The doors were inches thick.

There was no trees coverage near the building.

The damned thing was a virtual fortress.

At least Merrick didn’t look any happier about the arrangement.

Small consolation.

“These are your men.” It wasn’t a question, and he didn’t
answer. Any thoughts of getting to know him better, or worst case scenario,
leaving there undetected, just dwindled to the size of a pile of mosquito shit
now that she was in the arms of their Leo.

* * *

Trina kept her mouth shut as everyone marched down a hallway
so wide three men were able to walk side-by-side with room to spare. The pain
slowly loosened its unrelenting grip enough for her to observe the inside of
the den, but not enough for her to feel comfortable pressed so intimately
against Merrick’s heat.

Though she tried to memorize the route in case she needed to
disappear quickly, the place was a tangled maze. She could only pick out snatches
of their sumptuous surroundings. Heavy wood paneling, monstrous furniture,
vaulted ceilings everywhere. Every wall revealed massive collections of ancient
weapons, all on display and looked well worn.

Maybe she should be glad to be carried. From what she saw,
she’d be afraid to step on the marble floor for fear of leaving behind a speck
of dirt.

Feeling a lot claustrophobic, she wiggled in his arms. “This
is ridiculous. Put me down.”

Merrick didn’t bother to even spare her a glance as they
traveled down a level. The pressure of the walls pushed in on her the farther
they moved underground. Merrick’s gait grew heavier after the stairs, never
speaking a word, so she wasn’t prepared when he bellowed.

“Glenda!”

Trina flinched at the volume, her ears ringing. One man
quickly moved to an intercom on the wall and spoke rapidly. Two men thrust open
a double door at the end of the hall, and Merrick entered without breaking
stride.

The two people inside froze at their entrance and gaped. Merrick
ignored them, walked past and came to an abrupt stop at an exam table.

Despite the pain from the rapid healing, Trina was bemused
by his antics. She met Merrick’s gaze then gently placed her unbloodied hand on
his chest.

“Here will be fine.”

His arms tightened a moment as if he was reluctant to
relinquish his hold, then he very carefully deposited her on the table. She
peeked over his shoulder then sighed. “A little privacy wouldn’t go amiss.”

He gave a nod and everyone scattered except for the slim man
leaning casually against the wall a few feet from the door. She had a feeling
he stood there not only to check her out but take her down if she so much as looked
cross-eyed at the Leo.

Her bag lay at his feet. She wanted to rush over and snatch
it up but was afraid to bring too much attention to it. All that remained of
her belongings rested in that bag. All her research. She purposely turned away.

It was only then she saw the extent of Merrick’s injuries. His
shirt was shredded beyond repair. She reached out and untucked the material
from his pants to get a better idea of what she had to deal with. “Get out of
the shirt. I’ll see what we have for medical supplies.”

When she would’ve jumped off the table, he clamped down on
her hips. “Glenda!”

Trina twitched, startled by the roar, and found her injured
hand swallowed by his much larger mitt. Part of her wanted to retrieve her
hand, but once the blood left her body, only she was able to use the power
contained within. The magic died too fast. But the main reason was his touch
disturbed her on a personal level.

Blood flaked as he brushed his thumb across her palm,
revealing a thin scar and a faint bruise. She shivered. Not from pain, though
she wished it were so easy.

She didn’t want to react to him so viscerally.

She couldn’t. Attachments would only lead to trouble.

She tugged her hand away, not really anxious to have more of
her secrets exposed or her physical reaction to him revealed for all to see,
but his hold only tightened.

“I’m here.” A petite woman rushed forward, her coat flapping
as she tied back her hair. She looked exhausted, lines of sleep decorating the
side of her face. What surprised her most was to see another human inside the
Den.

Glenda cast a practiced eye over Merrick, and Trina was
surprised by the splash of jealousy that stung her.

“Shirt off.”

“Not me. Her.”

Trina shook her head. “Four lateral cuts down the left
ribcage measuring four to seven inches in length. He’s taken more damage.”

Glenda paused, observing them both, then turned and snapped
on some gloves, a slight tremble to her fingers. “Sorry, but he’s the boss.
Shifters heal fast. If he’s not down or unconscious, you’re first.”

She leaned over and pried up the edges of the shirt, dried
blood having caked it to her skin. Material pulled at the wound. Trina didn’t
realize she’d sucked in a breath until she heard a steady rumble coming from Merrick.

The doctor froze then very slowly dropped the shirt and
backed away, stark terror in her eyes before she could cover it. Trina got an
up-close view of one pissed off lion. His hair stood up on end, his electric green
eyes shaded to gold. Thick fangs pressed against his bottom lip as if ready to
rend apart a tasty meal. His chest appeared massive, his fingers shaped into
large claws.

Trina blinked at the change, never having seen any shifter
control the half change so quickly or so well. The scientist in her wanted to
poke and prod at him while the sensible part of her said get under the table
and hide. “Either sit down so she can look at your injuries or leave. I don’t
need three people gawking at me.”

The rumble stopped abruptly, and he cocked his head a little
as he stared. Trina just crossed her arms. “I mean it. This isn’t a show. A
smidge of privacy would be appreciated.”

The big cat blinked.

Trina shrugged, masking a wince, and scooted to the end of
the table. She nodded to the man who stood alert at the back of the room, the
one Merrick called Victor, guessing he wanted her gone as much as she didn’t
want to be there. “Get me out of here.”

 
Chapter Seven

“
L
eo.”

Merrick continued to pace the confines of the study, his
back twitching in a torturous dance with every step. He still saw her blood on
his hands. Those same hands now shook. His minor injuries were already mending,
but she was human and fragile.

She could’ve died with him standing right there.

But she held her own. A strange sort of pride wrapped around
him. That was if he could get over the urge to wring her neck for not running
at the first sign of danger.

But it was her reaction when she found out he was the Leo
that was imprinted on his mind.

Every emotion on her face had been wiped clean. It pissed
him off and he couldn’t stand to see her hide from him. It was only when he
picked her up that she reverted back to his witch, with all her prickly thorns.

Merrick pulled up short when Victor stepped into his path. A
growl rumbled up his throat, the lion beneath his skin flexed at the young pup’s
daring, pulling the painful scars of his back tight. There might be only thirty
years difference between them, but Merrick had fought and won the position of
Leo long before that age.

Victor immediately offered his neck, not moving, his eyes
lowered. The meek gesture brought Merrick back with a nasty thump. He ran a
distracted hand over his hair. “Where is she?”

“She’s in good hands. Glenda is still checking on her injuries.”
When Merrick stepped toward the door, Victor jumped in front of it. “You will only
make Glenda more nervous than normal. In your state, she’s liable to do more
harm than good, not to mention that your little witch might make a run for it.”

Merrick’s gaze sharpened on Victor, not caring for his tone.
“You’re right. She
is
my witch. And she just saved your Leo’s hide.”

Victor shook his head in anger and exasperation. “What made
you go out without a guard? You were recently shot. You’ve had a number of attempts
on your life in the last year, not to mention you’re still not up to your
normal strength. You even left without your cane.”

Merrick picked up the damn cane and snapped it in half,
tossing the ends across the room to clatter on the floor. He would not have
Trina think of him as weak. And she must, otherwise she would’ve let him
protect her when they were attacked. “Where the hell was the patrol?”

“The house wasn’t breached. The three men doing the rounds
on the west end were found unconscious. Drugged. They were sent to the
infirmary. A tech is looking at them now. The new guy, Daniel, is still
missing, his bunk cleared out. We think he was a plant.” The mutt was a stray
they had allowed into the Den two months ago, starved and beaten within an inch
of his life.

“Any sign of the attackers?”

Victor shook his head. “The intruders have vanished. We weren’t
able to detect even a whiff of them in the yard.”

Merrick growled and paced again, watching the clock tick
down. She’d been gone for twenty minutes. Had she been hurt worse than he’d
thought? What if she managed to find a way out? If anyone could, it would be
her.

“You better change your shirt.”

The words caught him up short. A scowl tightened his face.

“You wouldn’t want her to see you bloody and wounded would
you?”

Merrick curled his lips, a snarl working up his chest. He grabbed
the cursed shirt Victor offered. He realized that he was being managed, but he
didn’t care. The last thing he wanted was for Trina to investigate his
injuries.

At least not until they had a binding contract and she was
under his protection. He both craved her touch and feared it too much to risk that
she might vanish on him.

Knotted muscles stretched as he tugged off his mangled shirt.
The scars on his back pulled like the devil. Most of the recent wounds had
already healed, though some of the bigger gashes still remained sensitive. He
switched shirts quickly but not before he saw Victor’s concerned face.