Once Bitten

My heart raced, but I forced my body to remain still. I didn't know about vampires, but scared and injured shifters breathed in the scent of mates, siblings, friends—anyone who could help them calm themselves, to keep control. Nathanial's breathing slowed, and his fingers lifted one at a time from my arms like he was prying himself off. He didn't move as I backed away. I circled the bed, putting it between us.

Nathanial's irises were black with only the palest sliver of grey around the rims. He didn't look at me, but stared at his own hands. I looked away, letting him deal with whatever emotions gripped him.

I needed something else to look at. Had Nathanial remembered to close the bite on Candice's wrist? I searched out her hand on the blanket. Not only were there no fang punctures, but some of the scrapes and lacerations in the area had disappeared as well.

"Can we heal any wound?” I asked, staring at her arm.

Nathanial didn't answer. He blinked rapidly, like he was trying to wake himself. His hands trembled, and he nearly fell when he tried to stand. Over his base scent, he smelled of Candice, including the acrid scent of drugs. He took an unsteady step forward and ended up leaning against the wall.

"Are you all right?"

He nodded. “Give me a moment to work the drugs in her system out of mine."

I circled the room, trying not to act too anxious. “Did you find anything?"

Nathanial nodded. “A face, no name. I will show you outside.” He stumbled around the curtain, then paused and leaned heavily on the door.

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils were closer to normal size. He took a step toward me, and it was steady. He scooped me into his arms, and I yelped in surprise, my shoulder protesting. He frowned but didn't say anything as he carried me across the room.

"How are we going to get the main door open again?” I asked. His frown grew and he turned, scanning the room. I followed his gaze to the window. “Are you thinking what I think you are?"

He dropped me gently to my feet and walked to the window. It wasn't meant to be opened. He snapped the locked latch that secured it, then stood there, silently assessing.

"The window is too small for me to carry you out. We will have to deal with the chance of being seen,” he finally said.

I moved closer and peered out. We were about eight floors up, above a black-topped parking lot.

"There's a ledge. I could climb out first and wait for you.” I pointed to the narrow lip under the window.

"It is too dangerous. What if you slipped and I could not catch you fast enough? Your body can heal a lot, but a fall like that could kill you."

"I'm a cat. Do you have any idea how many windowsills I've slept on? I won't slip."

Nathanial frowned at me, weighing the options. He turned back to the window and stared at it for a long time before nodding.

"Fine, but I will go first.” He popped the screen off and pushed it to the side. The wind caught it and it sailed out of sight. Nathanial grimaced and faced me once more. “Count to ten before following me out."

I nodded impatiently and he vanished. One minute he was right in front of me, and the next he was gone. Now I knew how Bobby felt. I suppressed a shudder and started counting. I'd reached four when the door opened. I froze. The curtain hid me from sight, but not for long. I all but jumped though the window.

Wind and snow ripped into me. My right foot lost its purchase. I hadn't anticipated the ledge being covered in ice. Grabbing the frame, I held myself steady. My shoulder cried out, and I bit my lip and swallowed a scream.

The nurse in salmon scrubs rounded the curtain. If she looked up, she would see me on the ledge. I looked around. There was no sign of Nathanial, though that didn't surprise me. I glanced back at the nurse; she rubbed her arms against the chill, but she hadn't noticed the open window.

Something rushed into me, and my feet lifted off the ledge. I clung to Nathanial's now visible shoulders and twisted my head so I could see into the hospital room. The nurse finally noticed the window and walked up to it. She stuck her head out and glanced around. Even though I was sure we were invisible, I still cringed as her eyes passed over me, but she looked right though us. Clearly confused, she tugged the window closed. She stared at Candice's unconscious form then back at the window.

Shaking her head, the nurse retrieved her stethoscope from where she'd forgotten it during her first visit. She shot one more skeptical look at the window, then walked out. I breathed again for what felt like the first time in an hour. I was still clinging tightly to Nathanial, but we weren't moving. He was watching me.

"What?” I asked, trying to loosen my grip without actually endangering my hold.

"Some cat-like balance you demonstrated back there."

"Hey, the ledge was frozen.” I wasn't being defensive, really. “Let's get out of here."

Laughter rumbled silently in Nathanial's chest as we floated to the ground.

* * * *

Once away from the window, it was a simple thing to fly down and reenter the hospital. We found Bobby still chatting up the very happy-looking receptionist and reclaimed him with a nod. The look of relief on his face as he turned his back on the redhead and left her was so genuine that I nearly laughed.

"Tell me you guys learned something useful,” Bobby said wearily, as we walked out of the room.

"We discovered that you flirt. Where did you pick that up?"

Bobby shrugged. “Daytime television. I mentioned TV was an addictive thing, didn't I?"

"We may have found something very useful,” Nathanial said, his voice oddly guarded. “Kita has met the guy who attacked Candice."

"I have?"

Bobby arched a brow. “Candice. The girl from last night?"

Nathanial nodded and grabbed my elbow, forcing me to continue walking. “I ran across the same face in your memory, Kita. Brief, but recent."

I tried to remember having ever picked up the scent of a city-shifter before, but I'd only learned what to look for the night before. If I'd run across it before then, the scent hadn't been significant enough to remember.

"Well, what did he look like?"

Nathanial shook his head. “Wait until we get outside. I will pass the image to you."

Bobby stopped and regarded Nathanial with another raised eyebrow. “How?"

"Outside.” Nathanial said, then wouldn't say anything more until the hospital door closed behind us.

Chapter 20

"You've got to be kidding me."

Nathanial shook his head, a frown tugging his lips down. I paced in front of him. He wanted me to release my fangs? I rolled a marble between my fingers. I was pretty sure my fangs had a mind of their own. I paced the width of the alley. The tall buildings huddled close around us, providing little protection from the snow, and judging by the smell, someone had used this alley as their personal portable potty recently. It wasn't a place I wanted to linger. And it definitely wasn't a place I wanted to do anything that involved my fangs. Especially not in front of Bobby. Or ever, but I was running out of options.

I stopped in front of Nathanial. He stood there with his hand extended but made no other move. Reluctantly, I took his hand. He squeezed my fingers gently before pulling me forward. His other arm wrapped around my waist, dragging me closer. My heart thudded in my chest, only partially from nerves over the blood thing. Phantom fingers traced my jaw, the memory making my face burn.

"Let your fangs out,” Nathanial whispered.

"I can't."

"Then we must excite your hunger."

Nathanial lifted his hand toward his mouth, but I caught it halfway and glanced over my shoulder at Bobby. I really didn't want Bobby to see me bite anyone. His opinion of my feeding off Evan was based solely on the result, not on having to witness the event.

Nathanial's eyes followed my gaze. “Bobby, could you keep watch at the mouth of the alley? If anyone seems too interested, give us a warning."

Bobby crossed his arms over his chest. “I think I'll stay here."

Nathanial shrugged, then bit into the meaty part of his hand. I tried to turn away, but his arm around my waist stopped me. He shoved the bleeding hand in my face. Pressure built in the roof of my mouth as my fangs slid downward. He might not normally trigger my prey instincts, but blood was blood. I grabbed his hand, sucking down the slowly pooling heat.

"You need to bite me,” he whispered. “Your fangs have to be inside someone to access their memories."

His arm circled tighter around me, drawing me fully against his body. I readjusted my grip on his hand, looking for a better angle, and my fangs brushed his flesh. His breath hitched. I rolled my eyes up so I could see his face, and pressed my fangs against his skin. His heart raced, the beat pounding a rhythm in both our bodies. I slid my fangs into his flesh. He shivered, the movement running through his body and into mine. His head rested against the brick wall, his eyes fluttering closed.

Then his memories crashed down on me.

Over three centuries of random moments in his life bombarded me, but the image he wanted me to find, a memory that wasn't his, pushed through the others. A man offering to drive a very drunk Candice home, that image came whole and complete. The details flooded my mind too quickly for me to analyze them individually, but I had them all. He must have been concentrating on them. I hadn't known it worked that way.

I pulled back as soon as I had the whole memory. My body didn't want to; Nathanial's blood sent warmth rushing through me, but my head hurt from trying to cope with not just Candice's memory but also the great weight of Nathanial's memories, the fragments that did sneak through. I barely remembered to lick the wound closed before untangling myself from his arm and stepping backward. Nathanial's eyes fluttered, and when he finally managed to open them, they were glazed.

Bobby shuffled behind me and I twisted around. I'd forgotten he was still watching. I cringed, expecting Bobby to be staring at me in horror. He wasn't. His face held unbridled fury, all of it aimed at Nathanial.