Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(53)

When he came out, he hugged her. She closed her eyes and tried to find comfort in that embrace, but all she felt was the awkwardness. And then that same sensation from earlier hit, the one that said things had changed.

“Thank you.” She pulled back.

“I think Chase is the one who needs to thank me.” Steve ran his hand down her forearm. “We still need to have that talk.”

“I know.”

He grinned, and this time it was real. But his eyes still looked sad.

“Don’t let him move around for several hours. As soon as he comes to, make him drink blood. If he hasn’t come to by the time his IV is finished, call me and I’ll come and set up another one. Check the wound at least every hour. If the wounds start looking red or inflamed, call me immediately.”

She nodded, then stood there and watched him leave. For some crazy reason, while she hadn’t actually decided how she felt about Steve, or what would or wouldn’t happen between them now, she felt he had decided. Had he closed the door to the possibility of them being a “them”?

She still hadn’t decided how she felt about that when she heard Chase moan. All thoughts about Steve shot out the window and she ran to check on Chase.

When she got to the bedroom door, she saw him trying to get up. “No.” She ran to his side. “Don’t get up.” She eased him back down.

He looked up at her. Then he caught her hand. “Stay here,” he said.

“I will.” She squeezed his hand.

“Right here,” he said.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she assured him.

He took a deep breath. “You were right.”

“About what?”

“The council. They … they aren’t…” He slumped down on the pillow.

“Aren’t what?” she asked. He fell unconscious again. “No! Chase, wake up.” She touched his chest. “You need to drink blood. Please.”

He didn’t move. Baxter whined.

Frustrated, she lowered the sheet to check his wound. It didn’t look inflamed, but damn it, now she wondered if she shouldn’t have asked Steve to stay.

What if she missed something? What if he got worse?

A sound—a light thump outside the bedroom window brought her head up. She saw the bird, a black grackle, perched on the outside of the windowsill.

She recalled the bird from earlier. Also a grackle. And black. She took one step. The bird bounced back into the air and, after fluttering its wings and suspending itself in midair, it flew away. Same bird? Or just a coincidence?

Hell, no, Della didn’t believe in coincidences. Who was watching her? And Chase? It had to be one of the shape-shifters here, didn’t it?

She had no time to ponder. Something—or someone—heavy dropped on the cabin porch and the door to the cabin swung open with a whack. Della ran into the living room, her canines already lowering.

*

Kylie, obviously in vampire mode, stormed in. “What’s wrong?”

Della breathed in and willed her fight mode to calm.

“It’s Chase,” she said, glad to have Kylie here. “He was hurt.”

She turned and ran into the bedroom. Kylie followed. Della stopped at Chase’s side and pulled the sheet down to show Kylie his wound. Amazingly, it looked even better than it had a few minutes ago.

Baxter still rested on the other side of the bed, wagging his tail at Kylie’s presence.

“It was bad, but he’s healing fast,” Della said. “Steve said there’s still a chance of him getting an infection. We don’t know how much blood he lost, which is probably why he’s still unconscious. Do you think you could help?”

Kylie looked at Chase’s wound. “I don’t know if my healing abilities work on blood loss. I’m willing to try.”

Della watched Kylie sit on the edge of the mattress and gently rest her hand on Chase’s shoulder.

Just then Della’s phone dinged with a text. With it came another chirp from Chase’s jeans. She pulled her cell from her pocket. “It’s Burnett,” she told Kylie as she read the message.

Have problems. Meet me at the office.

“What did he say?” Kylie asked.

“Not much, but it’s after eleven and he’s calling a meeting, so it can’t be good.”

“Crappers.” Kylie stared at the jeans on the dresser that kept dinging. “It might be about Miranda’s feeling as if someone were spying. That’s why I didn’t come earlier: I went with her and forgot my phone.”

“Oh, great!” Della said.

Kylie sighed. “I think you’re going to have to tell him about Chase.”

“Yeah,” Della snapped. “Isn’t that just peachy?” She looked back at the half-naked unconscious vampire then back to Kylie. “Can you stay here while I go get my ass chewed out by Burnett? It shouldn’t take long. He excels at it.”

Kylie half grinned. “Sure, but you may want to change out of your bloody clothes.”

Della looked down at the stains on her jeans and shirt. She hadn’t even noticed them. She gave Kylie instructions on how to care for Chase’s wounds.

“I’ll take good care of him. I promise. Now go, before Burnett loses it.”

Della flew out of the bedroom, heading to her cabin for a wardrobe change, and then off to face the music.