Page 48 of Bad Luck Vampire

Seventeen

“Hey, Alasdair! You’re late. Colle’s been— Ohmygawd! What happened to you?”

Alasdair grimaced at that bellow from Francis, one of the guards that manned the gate at the Enforcer house. The man’s voice, higher pitched in his shock, was piercing and just adding to the pain Alasdair was suffering. His head was pounding and had been for what felt like forever.

“Accident,” Alasdair growled in response to the man’s concerned question. “Need blood.”

Francis nodded, his gaze skating first to Eddie, who was sitting still, his face vacant as they waited between the inner and outer gated entry to the Enforcer compound, and then to his partner, Russell, who had been running a mirror on a long stick under the vehicle to ensure there were no unwanted visitors clinging to the bottom of the SUV. Finished with that, Russell had now come up to peer in the passenger side window, drawn by Francis’s shocked exclamation.

“Call it up to the house and open the gate,” Russell instructed after a quick examination of Alasdair. Unlike Sophie, Francis and Russell had incredible night vision, as did all immortals. They could see the wounds and blood and didn’t hold him up any longer than necessary.

“Do you need one of us to drive you up to the house?” Russell asked as the gate began to open.

Alasdair shook his head. “We can manage.” He started then to have Eddie shift them back into drive, but paused to say reluctantly, “But tell ’em I’ll need help getting inside. Both my legs are broken... and possibly my pelvis.”

“And your arm, plus your skull is partially caved in,” Russell added dryly, and then assured him, “Francis will tell them.”

Alasdair grunted his appreciation and had Eddie shift gears and ease down on the gas to send them forward. Moments later, they were parked in front of the Enforcer house. Several people immediately converged on the vehicle, including his brother and uncles, who were the first to get to him.

“Damn me, lad. It looks like ye were tusslin’ with a rhino,” Uncle Connor growled as Inan opened the passenger door and took control of Eddie. He had the young man slide out on the passenger side of the vehicle to make room for Colle to climb in and get a better look at Alasdair.

“What happened?” his twin asked, reaching up to urge Alasdair’s head to the side so he could get a look at the damage he’d taken there.

“Run down,” Alasdair growled.

“Your arm looks broken,” Colle said with a frown, shifting his attention from his head to the rest of his body.

“It is. So are me legs.”

“Both?” Colle asked with alarm.

“Knee o’ one. Fibula o’ the other,” he said, his words sharper than he’d meant because of the pain. After a hesitation, he admitted, “I can’y walk until they heal. If ye could just bring me some blood and give me a few minutes—”

“Screw that,” Colle interrupted with disgust. “I’m not bringing you blood out here and leaving you to writhe in pain in the SUV so you can walk in under your own power. I’ll carry you.”

Colle was getting out of the passenger side, probably with the intent to walk around and grab him, but Uncle Ludan beat him to it. Opening the driver’s side door, the older man didn’t wait for Colle to make his way around the SUV, he simply leaned in to scoop him up like a bairn.

“I can walk,” Alasdair protested, knowing that was a stupid thing to say since he very clearly could not walk.

“Shut it,” Ludan ordered. “Ye’ll be carried and ye’ll like it.”

Alasdair scowled at him for it.

Colle came up on Ludan’s side as they headed for the house, and asked, “Who ran you down?”

Alasdair shook his head.

“You didn’t see?” Colle asked with surprise.

“No,” Alasdair sighed. “It was dark. I was on the phone with Sophie as I crossed the street. There was no traffic when I started across, and there was no warning. The car didn’t have its lights on and came out of nowhere. I didn’t even hear it or get a chance to jump out of the way.”

“Must ha’e been one o’ those new electric jobbies,” Connor commented from Ludan’s other side. “I hear they’re quiet.”

Alasdair was considering that when Inan crowded up between Connor and Ludan to ask, “Ye were at Sophie’s?”

“Aye,” Alasdair sighed.

“So ye did fit in the three dates, then? Did ye get to bed the lass?” Inan asked excitedly, and then answered his own question with, “Ye must ha’e if ye were coming from her place. Ye lucky dog!”

---