Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(51)

Baxter growled.

“No, Baxter,” Della said, and then, “I … don’t really know. He was going to a prison to see if someone there had information about my aunt’s killer.”

“I thought your uncle—”

“My uncle said it was another vampire.”

“How long has he been unconscious?” Steve asked.

“Just a few minutes.”

Steve spotted the bottle on the bedside table. “Did you get him to drink any blood?”

“No. He passed out.”

Steve pulled out an IV line, needle, and bag. “Take his clothes off and see how bad his injuries are while I set this up. And … get the dog out of the bed.”

Della motioned for Baxter to get down. He didn’t like it, but he did it. Dropping down on the other side of the bed, he looked up at Steve as if to say he wasn’t going any farther.

Della started undressing Chase, and the sight of the wound in his abdomen made her breath catch. “It’s bad.” Her voice shook.

“He’s vampire.” Steve grabbed the blood and poured it into a bag. “If it’s just blood loss he’ll be okay. Take his jeans off, too,” Steve said. “To make sure he doesn’t have more wounds.”

The fact that she was undressing Chase only seemed awkward when she started unzipping his jeans. She saw his green fitted boxers, and recalled him joking about her being interested in his underwear. Now her only interest was making sure he lived to tease her about this. Her chest hurt again from the fear that he wouldn’t ever know, that she’d never hear him tease her again, or see his eyes brighten with a smile.

“He doesn’t have any wounds on his legs,” she said, tugging his jeans off and tossing them on the dresser.

When she looked back, she recalled touching Chase’s back and thinking he’d had wounds there as well. She turned him over. With her hands on his bare torso, she noted how shallow his breaths were. “He has another one in the back. Oh, God. It’s bad, too.” She clenched her fist. “Please don’t let him die, Steve.”

Steve’s eyes met hers for one second. “I’ll do everything I can.” He looked away and hooked the blood bag on the back of the bed. He shifted Della out of the way. “Let me get the IV in and then I’ll check his wounds.”

Della called Kylie again. No one answered. “Where are you? Please come to cabin fourteen.” If Steve’s magic didn’t work, maybe Kylie’s would. But even Kylie couldn’t heal Della during her rebirth, and Kylie hadn’t been able to save Ellie the vampire, either.

Della felt a few tears roll down her cheek and she swiped them away. “Tell me he’s going to be okay,” Della said to Steve.

“Get me some hot water to clean the wounds,” he spouted out.

“Oh, and I’ll get the ointment. I think it’s in the kitchen.”

“What ointment?”

“It’s especially for vampires.” She took off out of the room.

Grabbing the ointment, she was almost back to the bedroom when Chase’s growl echoed through the cabin.

She flew into the room. Steve was cleaning the wound on his abdomen. Or had been. Now he held the bloody cloth up above Chase, while Baxter had his front paws on the bed, his lips curled back in a growl of his own.

“Down, Baxter,” Della said. “We’re trying to protect him too.”

Steve looked back at her. “You might have to hold Chase down.” He frowned. “But then again, he might hurt—”

“Is he conscious?” She dropped the ointment in Steve’s hand.

“Not fully. But he’s reacting to the pain. It could be dangerous.”

“He won’t hurt me,” she said, believing it with all her heart.

“He might not know it’s you.”

“He’ll know.” Della sat on the tiny space beside Chase and the edge of the mattress. When she first touched him, he growled again.

Steve caught her as if ready to pull her back if Chase attacked. “We might need to tie him down.”

Tears came to her eyes, realizing how much pain Chase must be in. “He’s too strong. He’ll just break loose.”

“Then let’s call Burnett,” Steve said.

She shook her head. “Chase won’t hurt me. I know that.”

Steve frowned. “But you’re not the only one in the room,” Steve said. “And considering the exchange we had earlier, killing me might not be too far off his bucket list.”

“He came to and spoke with you?” Della asked.

“Not now. Earlier today.”

Steve and Chase had talked? Della put that little piece of information in the back of her mind to ponder later. “He wouldn’t hurt you, either.” And damned if she didn’t believe it. “He even suggested I call you if he didn’t start feeling better.”

Steve seemed to give in.

She leaned down. “Chase, it’s me, Della, okay? Steve’s here. He’s trying to clean your wounds. I know it hurts. But it has to be done. So I’m gonna hold you down, so Steve can do this. Please, don’t fight us.”

“He might not be able to hear you.” Doubt sounded in Steve’s voice.

“He hears me,” she said.