Love Me to Death (Underveil, #1)(5)

Knowles put his hand on her shoulder. “Miss Arcos. It looks like you were shot, but there are no bullet wounds. We expected it to be fake blood, but you heard the nurse; it appears to be your blood. How is that possible?”

A sexy death angel pulled the bullets out? “I can’t explain it.”

Gonzalez spoke while Knowles packed the computer up. “Miss Arcos. We need you to cooperate here. Something about this isn’t right.”

No shit.

Gonzalez sighed as if his patience grew thin. “Do you know the man who shot you?”

“No.”

“Can you describe him for us?”

The death angel reappeared at the foot of her bed before she could answer. He put his finger to his lip indicating she should be silent. His nearness caused her heart to fire into hyperdrive again. She swallowed and took a deep breath, hoping her voice wouldn’t tremble like her body. “Um, well, I didn’t really get a good look at him. I was pretty freaked out. I don’t remember anything, actually.”

Gonzalez leaned close. “Miss Arcos, the cashier died. If it turns out that you are somehow involved in this crime, you will be an accessory to murder. You need to tell us the truth.”

Why wasn’t she telling them the truth, she wondered. Crazy was better than guilty of murder. She stared at the man with the sword who had lost his air of ease. He seemed to sense she was considering coming clean about what had really happened. He took a step toward her. The sword made a metallic shing sound as he pulled it out of its sheath.

“If you remove the Veil, I will have to kill them. Your fate is already sealed. Reveal nothing, or they are dead as well.” His unusual accent punctuated the danger in his words.

As well…

“Miss Arcos, you won’t like it in jail,” Gonzales said.

At that moment, a tall brunette woman wearing a lab coat strode into the room. She looked from Gonzalez to Knowles to Elena. “I beg your pardon. I’m Dr. Williams. This is my patient. Is there a problem, gentlemen?”

Elena was shocked when the drop-dead gorgeous woman that looked like a supermodel said she was a doctor. She was charged to know that this woman would choose a profession that used her brain when she could have struck gold with a career using her perfect body and face. Her long white coat gapped open at the front, revealing a tailored navy blue business suit with a red silk shirt underneath. Both of the detectives seemed completely stunned by her. Their professional airs dissolved into the countenances of nervous high school freshmen.

Knowles awkwardly zipped up the computer bag. “No, doctor. There’s no problem. We were just showing your patient a video of the robbery.”

The doctor nodded. Gonzalez stuffed his notebook back into the pocket of this shirt. “Dr. Williams, the nurse said that the blood was a match for Miss Arcos. With no wounds, how do you explain that?”

The doctor shrugged and gifted them with a perfect, full-lipped smile. “It was a hell of a nose-bleed, I guess. Right now, I need to examine the patient. I will be happy to talk to you in the hallway. There are chairs in the waiting area just past the nurses’ station.” She gestured to the door.

The detectives took the cue and left the exam room, looking over their shoulders as they shuffled out.

The doctor closed the door and drew the curtain across the wall of glass. Her demeanor changed completely when she turned around. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Nikolai? Have you lost your mind?”

The death angel, sword still in hand, crossed to where she stood near the door. Even though the woman was tall, he towered over her, and with the sword, he looked deadly. “No, Aleksandra. I have not lost my mind. There has been a mistake.”

The woman didn’t appear intimidated by the death angel at all. She had the same accent and was matching his aggressive body language exactly. “You bet there’s been a mistake. Otherwise, you would never have called me. Why does she still live?”

“She’s human.”

The woman gave his shoulder a shove. “Like hell she is.” To Elena’s horror, the woman strode to her bed and grabbed her by the hair. “Can you hear me? See me?” She gave Elena’s hair a painful jerk. “Can you feel me, creature?”

Elena cried out, terrified.

Aleksandra released her hair and gave a disgusted snort. “You’re an idiot, Nikolai. She can see me. I lifted the Veil for the idiot cops, but I replaced it when they left. If she’s human, explain that.”

“I can’t,” he conceded.

Elena’s heart thumped so hard she could hear it in her head.

“She sees us, Nikolai. She is not human. She must die. Now.”

Desperation tinged his voice. “No. She isn’t one of them. Look at her. Look at her eyes, Aleksi. She hasn’t embraced the Underveil yet. I’m not permitted to take a human soul.”

Aleksandra pulled a dagger out from under her lab coat. “Not all of us are as pure of purpose as you, Niki. Allow me to help you out here.” She stalked toward the bed where Elena huddled. For some reason, Nikolai with a sword turned Elena on, but this woman with a dagger was terrifying.

Before Aleksandra reached the bed, Nikolai grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her to face him. “No! Her soul calls me. There has been a mistake. She’s…she’s…” The huge man appeared defeated by his own words. “This is a mistake.”