Jan tapped a lethal talon against his folded arms as his eyes followed the doctor's movements like a hawk. Despite the bright surgical lamps in the ward, not a single ray of light pierced through the shadows swirling around him. It blanketed him like an oily black hole, swallowing everything in its path without hinting at the size or shape of the items underneath. Above it, Jan's blond head and torso hovered like an eerie specter.
The trembling nurse aiding Dr. Kim froze as the inky shadow swayed closer to Ethan's bed, her fearful eyes unable to stray from the menacing aura of a blooded warrior. Alice peeked at the vampire, but her eyes skittered away when they met the cold, unwavering, silvery gaze. Her hands remained steady as she rewrapped the bandage around Ethan's torso. However, the alarm pheromones in her scent and racing heartbeat told a different story.
Carefully, she covered the last scar, a pale slash that marked the site where bloody viscera had poked out less than a day ago.
Ashen-faced, the new alpha of Snow Pines smiled gratefully and lifted the arm on his uninjured side to squeeze her hand.
"Sstay ssstill." Jan's sibilant whisper leached the last warmth out of the air.
The two humans froze, the whites of their eyes showing. Even Dr. Kim could not hide her tremble this time.
A look of censure briefly crossed Ethan's features when he glanced up at the vampire, but he wisely held his tongue.
Jan's heart had yet to climb out of his belly where it had dropped last night. And after seeing Ethan torn and bloodied, he doubted he could return it to working order. The fear that had gripped him on his arrival to Snow Pines refused to release him out of its icy clutches. Instead, it brewed and fermented, feeding his cold fury today.
Just remembering the bald patches on Ethan's wolf and the dripping, blood-soaked fur triggered another low hiss through the vampire's fangs.
Jan's eyes flashed red, and the nurse dropped to the floor, whimpering.
"Jan, it's ok," Ethan whined, drawing the red eyes to him. And for the thousandth time, he repeated, "I'm really sorry."
"You could've died!" Jan gritted through clenched teeth, the bit off the tongue-lashing he sorely wanted to deliver to the curly-haired wolf.
"I know, and I'm sorry, but I had no choice," Ethan pleaded, his hazel eyes boring into the irate vampire.
The piteous cry tugged at Jan's heartstrings, leaving him torn between wanting to verbally flay the reckless wolf or gathering him tight into his arms. In the end, Ethan made the choice for him.
Playing into his sad puppy look, Ethan lifted his arms but quickly grimaced when the move tugged on sensitive flesh that had yet to heal. That wince wiped out the anger brewing in the vampire's chest, leaving only a worrying fear for Ethan's well-being behind.
"Don't move!" Jan admonished, dashing over to the hospital bed.
As if a light bulb had just flicked on, the matter-eating shadow circling him winked out of existence, exposing a leather-covered, straight-backed chair and a small side table in its wake. The room instantly grew brighter, including the corners where the inky swirl had not touched.
Ethan squinted at the sudden glare. Meanwhile, his arms blindly grabbed onto the hand Jan placed on his shoulder to force him back on the bed.
Once readjusted to the light, the hazel-brown eyes stared deep into blood-red ones, imploring. "I'm really, really sorry, Jan... for everything. For yesterday. For not telling you. For what I did before-"
"I know. I understand," Jan interjected, worried Ethan might worsen his injuries in his fervor. "And we can talk about all that later when you've recovered... after we find Cody. Right, I need you to promise me one thing."
YOU ARE READING
Blooded Mate
Fantasy[[MATURE CONTENT]] Pack, family, mate. Loyalty, respect, honor. These are the words that form the foundation of the wolf society. At six years old, Ethan had to choose between his Alpha title and his survival on the night of his father's death. As a...
