Page 22 of Fangs and Family
I hadn’t intended on sharing that aspect of my life with the woman in my arms. I knew the shadows and wings looked like something dragged from the depths of hell or some twisted horror movie, but it was done now, and I would have to deal with the consequences.
‘Can we talk about this later? We need to find your brother,’ I said when I couldn’t find any injuries, and Nina muttered a curse. My distraction had worked well if she’d forgotten the main reason we were here in the first place. I tried to fold back my wings, but the knife deeply embedded in the bone made it impossible. I transformed my hands effortlessly, but each time I tried to banish the stubborn appendages on my back, the blade prevented it. Nina observed me for a moment before losing her patience.
‘Stay still. This is too painful to watch,’ she said, approaching me.
‘Not as painful as trying to take it out would be,’ I snapped but allowed her to continue, closing my eyes when she laid her hands on my feathers.
‘Be careful, those are damn sharp,’ I warned, knowing one cut and the smell of her blood could set me on edge again. Nina traced the edges of my wings, and I enjoyed it way too much; having those dainty hands caressing my body made my anguish from the last two years melt away.
‘Motherfucker, why?’ I cursed, jerking away when, with the sickening sound of scraping bone, she yanked the knife out.
‘Calm down, Archangel, it’s out now. Try flexing your wings, then see if you can fold them back. We can’t have you walking around like a Halloween party reject; people will start asking you to bless their tattoos.’
I snorted with laughter, feeling more blood gush out of my wounds. ‘Please have mercy. I will bleed to death if you keep making me laugh.’
‘You are not allowed to die without my permission, and I won’t let it happen on my watch.’ she answered, rolling her eyes.
Nina and her no-nonsense attitude always left me gaping, never knowing whether to be impressed or insulted as she ploughed through every problem and worried about feelings once the dust had settled. Right now, I was trying not to laugh at her joke as she thrust her hands into her pockets, a strange look on her face.
‘Your feathers are… they felt…’ Nina fell silent and turned away suddenly, but not before I noticed the blush blossoming across her cheeks. I bit back a curse as I startled, twisting my wound painfully as I realised my Obsidian liked my wings.
Nina caught my wince and began unwinding her scarf, clearly intending on wrapping the still bleeding wound, but I held up my hand to stop her.
‘No need for that,’ I said, concentrating and forcing my body to change, banishing the wings. ‘I heal quickly. I just need a moment to focus and step into the shadows. That’s why you’ve never seen an injured vampire in the hospital. Shall we go now? I want to ensure the area is clear before we head out.’
My shoulder blade was aching, pain radiating down my arm and blood trickling down my back, but I didn’t want to leave her alone. Not even for a moment, and that would happen if I shifted. I could heal quickly but not as fast as a shifter, their transformations healing damage almost instantly, so for now, all that was needed was to ignore the excruciating reminder that telekinetic arseholes with knives were dangerous.
It only took a few moments to search the playground, and it was a small mercy that Nina was so focused on finding her brother that she didn’t notice me stumbling every now and again when the pain darkened my vision.
‘Do you think he ran away?’ She asked when we ran out of options and hiding places.
‘I don’t think he came at all, but I will find him for you. Just give me a few days to work on it. I have a couple of questions, though. How did those goons know you asked your brother to come here? Did you contact anyone else after we talked?’ I asked.
The leader of the group, whose earthly remains were now fertilising the weeds, gave me the impression they knew precisely when Nina would be here. I knew we weren’t followed, as I was meticulous as we drove here, and yet they’d been here before us.
‘No, I only talked to you. Then I waited where you found me, but the man who spoke was at the Green Market. There was an accident, and I dropped my phone. That man, vampire, I guess, took my phone and cleaned it. Could he have done some of your weird mojo then?’ She talked like we were partners, with only friendly curiosity flashing in her eyes, and I could barely look away, captivated by their radiant beauty. I’d set the conditions for my help to force her to spend time with me. To let her know I was a vampire who wasn’t afraid to be ruthless, but now I was second-guessing myself, enjoying the warmth this casual conversation brought.
‘I will check later if your phone was tampered with.’ I said, gesturing her closer. ‘But first, we need to go to the island so that I can talk to Leszek. This fight shouldn’t have happened, and I want to know who thought they had permission to hunt on my grounds without talking to me.’
Nina walked closer but paused at the last moment, looking around at the impromptu battlefield. ‘The third one, he’s escaped!’ she exclaimed, and I calmly nodded.
‘Yes, but he’s injured, and we had more pressing matters to deal with than dealing with an incapacitated vampire. Besides, I needed someone to send a message to their Master.’
‘A message? What kind of message?’
‘That I am the Master Vampire of Tricity, and if anyone lays a finger on you, they will die. You know, the usual.’ I casually answered, giving Nina a rakish grin, hoping it would offset the darker meaning of my words. It didn’t, and I knew it when Nina gasped.
‘You don’t own me, Adam.’ She answered quietly, but I moved in closer, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
‘No one owns you, Nina, and as long as I live, no one ever will. I want you safe, and if the entire world believes that you are mine, then they won’t dare to touch you. For them, you are my woman, and today, I proved to them that whoever touches something of mine will die. Now, it’s time to go. The sooner I talk to Leszek, the quicker I can discover where your brother is hiding.’
Nina bit her lip, and I knew she wanted to say something, but in the end, she shrugged, letting me lead her back to the car.
This time, the silence was more comfortable, even if my reason for not speaking was the need to concentrate on the road, as the pain from my wound made the traffic swim out of focus with alarming regularity. Maybe that’s why I almost crashed the car when Nina spoke.
‘The fight was… you’ll probably think I’m horrible for not caring about the deaths of those men, but… you were amazing. I couldn’t see everything, but what I did see was you tearing apart an enemy without breaking a sweat, and if I hadn’t been in the way, I doubt they’d have even touched you. It wasn’t much fun standing around like some damsel in distress. Maybe that’s why the fucker caught me; I was staring at you like you were some sexy, avenging angel.’ she said, and I laid a hand on her thigh to reassure her, biting back my reply to the sexy comment, just as she continued. ‘I want you to know that I’m very grateful, and I will fulfil my part of the bargain. I will do whatever you ask, I… except Sara, no one ever fought for me. I just want you to know I’m grateful.’
I winced as a twinge of guilt pricked my conscience. Was this any better than Nina telling me she didn’t want me in her life? Probably not, but I wanted her, and my selfish desire beat any remorse I might feel for how I managed it. At least now she knew she wasn’t selling herself cheaply to some schmuck who couldn’t look after her. As for the future, hopefully, after she spent some time with me, there might be a chance for feelings to grow.
