Things That Go Hump In The Night (26 page)

Nicole found herself on her back, helpless, staring up at Mark's merciless golden eyes as he snarled down at her.

Instinctively, she bared her throat to him, her wolf submitting to an alpha, and the mindless rage and bloodlust faded away. It left her feeling sick to her stomach.

She couldn't believe it was over and that Erik was really, messily dead.

Nicole looked around and found Gabriel sitting on the carpet, looking half-dead with exhaustion. Their eyes met, and he opened his arms invitingly.

She limped painfully over to him and sank down across his lap, leaning on him to keep the pressure off her broken ribs.

He held her for a long time, stroking her bloody fur and murmuring soft, incomprehensible phrases to her. Bit by bit, he absorbed her anger, and his skin warmed slightly.

Sensing his injuries and his bone-deep fatigue through the
philtata
-bond, she didn't mind him feeding on her and reclaiming some of the life-energy he'd loaned her. She settled against him with a sigh and breathed in his scent.

"C'mon, Nicole," said Mark Aquila. "Time to change back."

She glanced up at him and then looked away quickly.

Mark was completely and unselfconsciously nude as he loomed over her, his hands on his hips, his stocky frame covered in hard muscle, scars, and a few tattoos she hadn't noticed before.

But it's going to hurt if I do it with broken bones.

Nicole whined softly and rose reluctantly to her feet.

She hesitated, trying to put off the inevitable just a little longer. She had already endured so much pain today. She just wanted to curl up somewhere safe and sleep for days.

"
Now
," Mark added, in a tone that made her want to roll over and bare her throat to him again.

Yup, shifting hurt. A lot.

And the transformation did
not
fix broken bones, as she'd hoped.
Fuck.

Afterwards, human again and once more cradled in Gabriel's embrace as he carried her down the stairs to the car, she felt giddy with shock and relief.

"Do you know what this means?" she slurred, resting her head on Gabriel's strong shoulder because she was too tired to do anything else.

They made it outside, walking past the van, which was still parked in front of the house. It looked suspiciously banged-up now.

Gabriel had given her his shirt to wear, since Erik had taken her clothes away, but the night air was still really cold.

"That we're going to have to call a clean-up crew as soon as we're back in cell range?" Mark asked acerbically as he followed them out. "Jupiter's balls, Nicole. You really did a number on that bastard."

"That your long nightmare's over?" Gabriel ventured, ignoring Mark's comment and kissing the soft hair at her temple.

"Those things, too," mumbled Nicole. "But mostly, I was thinking I can finally buy a nice car now, because I won't have to leave it behind when Erik comes for me."

It was funny what her mind focused on when she was at the complete end of her rope.

* * *

Rafe met them at the car. He looked bruised and dirty, but otherwise unharmed.

"Is he dead?" Rafe demanded, apparently having forgotten about the two-way radio. "Is Nicole okay?"

"Yes and yes," Gabriel said. "Erik didn't die easy. Nicole finally got him."

"I’m not ashamed to say I ran like a spooked deer when Erik came after me. I hid, but holy
fuck,
he was one persistent son of a bitch," Rafe informed them as he opened the back door for them. "Shit, Gabriel, what did you do to your hand? I'd better drive."

"Good," Gabriel agreed with him as he slid into the Tesla's back seat, still holding Nicole.

Mark opened the trunk and pulled out his own clothes. Once he finished dressing, he got into the front passenger seat and leaned back against the headrest, closing his eyes.

"I may be getting too old for this shit," he said with a sigh.

He turned and handed Gabriel a large first-aid kit. "Here. Patch up your hand and Nicole's abrasions. We'll take care of the rest back at your loft."

Gabriel grabbed a squeeze bottle of saline solution from the kit and opened the car door. He stuck out his hand and rinsed the blackened, blistered flesh, letting the bloody liquid drip onto the gravel. Then, using his uninjured hand, he spread antibiotic ointment over the burn, his breath hissing between his teeth.

Nicole helped him wrap and tie a nonstick gauze pad into place—between the two of them, they had two good hands.

"Your turn," he said, finally, looking at her where she sprawled, bleeding over the pale leather of his back seat. "I don’t know where to begin."

Now that the immediate danger had passed, she felt the burning pain from the mangled skin around her neck and wrists, coupled with the claw marks Erik had left and a dull, aching throb from her broken bones.

Gabriel was very careful as he cleaned each of the shallow wounds and spread antibiotic cream over them. Bandaging her proved more trouble than it was worth with only one hand, and Mark opined that her wounds would be scabbed over and beginning to heal by the time they reached the city.

As they drove off, heading back to the city, Gabriel asked Nicole, "What kind of car do you want?"

"Dunno," she mumbled. The car's heater had kicked in, and sleep threatened to claim her despite the pain from her broken arm and ribs. She curled against Gabriel's bare chest. "Maybe a Tesla like this one. I like this car. Nice car..."

Erik was dead. Well and truly dead. Her wolf had seen to that.

Maybe tomorrow she'd be horrified and disgusted by what she'd done. But for now, she was just relieved that she would never have to worry about Erik again.

Everything was going to be all right.

Chapter 19 – After the Storm

"Yes, we could take Nicole to the ER, but what are you gonna to tell them when they see her injuries?" said Mark.

Nicole knew him well enough by now to tell he was making a real effort not to sound exasperated.

"The car accident story won't fly," he continued. "You want the police to launch a domestic violence investigation? They'll do it, and it won't matter what Nicole tells them, if they think her injuries are suspicious—and believe me,
suspicious injury
doesn't even begin to describe what Erik did to her—and that she's trying to protect her abuser."

"She needs a doctor," Gabriel insisted. "She's got broken bones."

"Which I can set," Mark said. "I got centuries of experience doing this kind of shit, remember? Nothing's life-threatening, and she'll heal up just fine in a couple of days."

Nicole had dozed for most of the long drive back to the city. Rafe had taken them to the building that housed his loft and Gabriel's.

When they got out of the car, Mark had carried her to the elevator, overriding Gabriel's protests.

"Shut up, kiddo," the shape-shifter told him at last. "You look like you're about ready to fall over, and I don't want you dropping her."

Mark was right—Gabriel was so drained by the life-force he'd given her that his glamour was beginning to waver. And he was swaying drunkenly as he walked.

Once inside Gabriel's loft, Mark fetched another first-aid kit.

Since she didn't feel the need to be stoic any longer, Nicole yelped as he felt his way over the hard welt on her forearm.

"Clean fracture," he told her as he began to splint it, using a ruler and gauze. "Should heal with no problems in about two days."

"What about my ribs?" she asked. "Those are what
really
hurt."

He grimaced sympathetically. "Yeah, broken ribs are a bitch."

Carefully, he felt his way down her torso. She gasped and tried not to scream whenever his probing fingers hit a pocket of agony.

At least she'd stopped worrying about the fact that she was naked in front of him.

Mark didn't seem to care. And between her bruises and the marks left by Erik's interrogation, she was not a pretty sight at the moment.

Finally, he sat back, shaking his head. "They're cracked, but not broken. Not much to do with them but rest up for a few days and let them heal on their own." Mark gave her a crooked smile. "Got bad news for you,
puella
. Vicodin and their like don’t work on shape-shifters."

"You're kidding me," she said incredulously.
No painkillers? Shit.

"Wish I was," he said, sounding regretful. "But you'll just have to tough it out."

"Yeah, I'm so tough," she said, rolling her eyes.

He touched her cheek, and she looked at him, surprised.

"Did I tell you that you did me proud tonight?" he asked in his rasping voice. "You just started your training, and you still have a lot to learn, but you have the heart of a warrior. You rest up now, and when you're healed, we'll resume, uh, what did you call it? Werewolf Boot Camp?" His mouth twitched in amusement.

"Gabriel told you, didn't he?" she accused.

Mark winked at her and got up to leave.

"Time to call Korinna and tell her to change her return flight. I'm sure she won't mind living in the city for a few months."

* * *

Nicole woke up in Gabriel's bed the morning after her ordeal, feeling like she'd been beaten up (which she actually had been), but without the sense of terrible fatigue that had dragged her under as soon as she lay down last night.

Gabriel was already up and on the phone.

She wondered if he was getting ready to go into the office. Maybe if she took it easy, she could get a few more of those pesky bugs fixed...

"...no, I understand you only got back yesterday, Michael, and that you're jet-lagged, but damn it, I absolutely cannot leave Nicole right now. So get your sun-tanned ass in a suit and tie, Mr. CEO, and go make nice with
Periousía Global Investments."

There was a pause. Nicole's ears, keen as they were, heard Michael saying something, but she couldn't make out the words.

Then Gabriel said, with wry good humor, "Yeah, well, fuck you too, big brother, and congratulations on your engagement. Which reminds me, Sherrie Sato wants to see you and Marissa for dinner sometime soon, so that she can get all the juicy details." He laughed. "Yeah, I haven't been able to figure that out, either. Maybe she's got a second job working for the NSA."

She heard him coming up the stairs to the bedroom and lay back against the pillows, trying to look innocent of any eavesdropping.

"You heard most of that, right?" he asked, without any accusation. "I just told Michael that I wasn't coming back into the office until you were. The official story is that we got into a car accident, and we're taking a few days off to recover."

"And you think anyone's going to believe that?" she asked skeptically.

He smiled. "Plausible deniability, that's all I'm after." He extended his hand to her. "C'mon, I'll help you up, and then we can take a shower together."

She grinned and let him pull her up out of bed.

"Sounds wonderful," she said, brandishing her splinted arm at him. "But Mark said I shouldn't get this wet. And he had his scary face on when he said it."

Gabriel produced a long plastic bag with the logo of a commercial bakery. "Behold, the marvel of modern technology. I'll make sure your arm stays nice and dry."

Despite her soreness, she enjoyed her morning off from work.

As promised, Gabriel helped her shower, soaping her down and shampooing her hair. She enjoyed the unaccustomed pampering.

He restrained himself to a few relatively chaste kisses and a sly "accidental" brush of his hands across her breasts. Not enough to make her feel pressured, but just the right amount to make her feel wanted, battered and mauled as she was.

Afterwards, he cooked her a huge omelet stuffed with mushrooms, cheese and sausage. He was an outstanding cook, and she was starving.

And there was coffee, strong, and lots of it.

"Marry me," she said, blissfully lifting her first cup to her lips.

Gabriel grinned at her. "Careful, I may take you up on your offer," he said before starting to make his own omelet.

She scarfed down the entire plate of food before he'd finished cooking his own breakfast, and felt guilty. And still hungry.

"You need calories and protein to heal," he said, coming over to the table to refill her coffee. "I'll make you another one. Same fillings?"

She nodded and sensed his pleasure at her enjoyment of his food.

When he was back at the counter, heating a second pan on the stove and cracking more eggs into a bowl, she studied her new red-string bracelet.

She had spent so much time and effort trying to get rid of the one Erik had saddled her with. This one should be bothering the hell out of her...but somehow, it didn't.

Gabriel must have caught the general tenor of her thoughts, because when he returned to the table with two more freshly made omelets, he said, "I haven't forgotten about my promise to remove the
philtata
-charm."

She nodded, feeling conflicted. "Let's talk about it later, when we've both had a chance to recover."

He gave her an unreadable look, but she could feel his sudden burst of hope and excitement.

And that was when she realized that removing it wasn't going to be easy for him, no matter what he had told her.

Shit.

God knew, Nicole didn't want to hurt him. She loved him, so she would have to think about this very carefully.

As she ate, she tried to decide how she felt about Gabriel knowing pretty much everything she was feeling.

The rest of breakfast was a silent affair, with Nicole thinking furiously, and Gabriel just...waiting.

It made her feel awful, but the decision she was contemplating was much too important not to consider thoroughly.

* * *

On the third day after Erik's demise, when her ribs had finally stopped hurting, Gabriel removed her splint, and they both returned to work.

Nicole spent a couple of hours wading through an email inbox stuffed with several hundred messages, most of which she deleted after a quick glance at the subject lines.

Betty Chang and a few other people dropped by to ask how she was doing, and she was forced to lie about the car accident. Nicole didn't like doing it, but she couldn't tell them the truth, so she was stuck.

Then Rafe called her into his office, inquired how she was doing, let her know that the cleanup crew had finished scrubbing down the rental house where Erik had died, and told her that the Asura Clan would be paying for the job.

And then he handed her a list of bugs in the 2.0 code line that needed fixing.

"Prakash will be back soon," he promised, "and then I'll have you all to myself." He grinned evilly at her.

"You know," she told him, "it would actually be easier if you were just a lech and not actually planning ways to fill up my nights and weekends with
work
."

"Regretting your decision to join my team?" Rafe asked, half-serious.

Nicole shook her head. "Nope. This is the most fun I've ever had at a job. Gabriel might not be happy with you, though."

He waved her off. "I can handle Gabi. I've had lots of practice."

It was late when she arrived at Gabriel's loft, carrying a bag loaded with takeout containers of Thai food.

He was home ahead of her for a change and had dropped his glamour, but he still wore his suit, which meant he'd left the office only shortly after she had.

He met her at the door with a kiss that made up for the long hours they'd spent apart.

Gabriel waited until he had poured wine for the two of them and they had each filled their plates.

Then he leaned forward to take Nicole's left hand, his expression serious.

"I could remove the
philtata
-charm tonight. This one doesn't have a
geas
attached to it, so I promise it won't hurt." He smiled a little, not meeting her eyes. "I know what kind of bad memories that being bound to a Child of Lilith holds for you, and I thought you might want to be rid of it."

Nicole took a deep breath and laced her fingers through his.

"Gabriel, what do
you
want?"

He looked up at her, startled.

She hurried to explain. "Look, I know we haven't been dating for very long, and I understand, from what Mark told me, that wearing this
philtata
-thing is like being married. You've been so careful to ask me what
I
want, so it's only fair to ask you the same."

"I want
you
," he answered, his voice raw, his fingers tightening around hers. "I've wanted you since the first time we met. Everything that's happened since then has only strengthened my feelings for you." He raised her hand to his cool lips and slowly kissed each of her knuckles. "I love you, Nicole, and I want to be yours, in whatever way you'll have me."

He touched the mark on his throat, and Nicole saw his eyes light up with pleasure at the reminder of her wolf's fierce affection for him.

"Well, I've done a lot of thinking about this bracelet over the past few days. I like knowing what you're feeling," she said. "I like being close to you like this and having your heart open to me. I think—" she swallowed hard, overwhelmed with the mix of recent good memories and bad old memories, "I would really miss not having this connection with you anymore."

"What are you saying?" he asked warily.

Through their bond, she sensed hope warring with caution.

"If you want me to, I'll keep the bracelet and be your
philtata
, Gabriel."

"Does that mean you want the whole deal?" he asked eagerly.

His eyes shone with joy, and his grip on her hand was tight enough to hurt.

"Immortality and all? I know it sounds good, Nicole, but think about how you'll feel when your friends...your younger brother...grow old and die. You'll have to reinvent yourself over and over again."

"I've already done that—the reinvention part, anyway," she replied. "And yeah, it won't be easy, but it'll be worth it, if we're together. I want to be yours."

He reached up to caress the mark on his throat again. "Good. Because I'm already yours. And it makes me the happiest man on Earth to know you want to be mine as well."

Without releasing her hand, Gabriel stood. "How would you feel about having dinner later?"

Nicole rose, too. "Depends on what you're offering instead," she said, smiling at him, their hands linked across the table.

"Me," he replied. "All of me. Forever."