Page 22 of Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)

Chapter Twenty-two

“We have to do this,” Della repeated to Chase in what she hoped was a calm voice, even though calm wasn’t even close to what she was feeling. Guilt, she felt. Shit-loads of it. She looked at his face. His eyes were closed, his skin was so pale, and his expression was empty. Chase was never without expression. Why hadn’t she stopped him? Or at least insisted on going with him? Why, damn it?

Then she tightened her hold. He didn’t growl. She looked at Steve. “Try again.”

Steve frowned as if he disagreed, but restarted cleaning the wound.

Chase moaned and arched his neck back, pushed his head into the pillow. Baxter jumped up on the other side of the bed. He didn’t growl or bare his teeth. He seemed to understand that they were trying to help now.

“Does he need surgery?” Della asked, so afraid Steve would say yes.

“I don’t think so.”

“Stitches?”

“Normally, we don’t do stitches on vampires. You guys heal quickly as long as…”

His pause gave Della concern. “As long as what?”

“As long as you haven’t been deprived of blood for too long. And an infection doesn’t set in.”

“Does it look infected?” she asked.

“Not yet. But it wouldn’t show up for a few hours. It’s when it’s healing that the signs of infection will show up.”

“And if it does?”

“We’ll have to open the wounds back up, clean them again.

“Turn him over,” Steve said when he finished cleaning the gaping hole in Chase’s abdomen.

“Put the ointment on him first.”

Steve picked up the tube he’d dropped on the bedside table. “I don’t know what this is.”

“Chase says it works.”

“But it could be—”

“It’s okay. My uncle invented it.”

“Your uncle?”

“He’s a doctor, or medical research scientist.”

“And possibly a murderer,” Steve pointed out. “You trust him?”

Did she trust her uncle? She didn’t know, but it hit her then that she trusted Chase—on this at least—and he believed in her uncle. “I trust Chase’s opinion. Use it.”

Steve opened the unmarked tube and swabbed the wound.

Chase let out another low growl. Baxter lifted his head and whined.

“Now turn him over. And I wish the dog would get off the bed.”

Della turned Chase, and got Baxter down again. Chase moaned. Della’s gut knotted, feeling his muscles tighten and knowing she’d caused him pain.

Steve cleaned the wound and covered it in the ointment. After she rolled Chase back over, Steve started to walk away. But then his brows creased and he leaned down to study the wound.

“What is it? What’s wrong? Is it getting infected?” Della asked, not liking Steve’s sudden interest.

He glanced up, puzzled. “No, but the wound is already closing.”

“Is that good?”

“It’s… odd.” He looked at the bag of blood. “He’s barely gotten any blood. Usually… it takes longer.” He looked back at the wound. “But yes, I guess it’s good. He won’t be losing more blood. Let’s just hope he doesn’t get an infection.” Steve picked up the tube. “What’s in this stuff?”

“I don’t know,” Della said. “If it’s already healing and doesn’t look infected, does that mean he’s in the clear?” She wanted to hear Steve tell her Chase was going to be okay.

“Not necessarily,” he said. “But it’s a good sign.”

She tried to find peace in that, but it wasn’t helping very much. “So how long before he’s conscious?”

“That depends on how much blood he lost. He looked as if he’d lost a lot. I can stay with him if you want to go.”

“No, you can go. I’m gonna stay. Please, I have this now. If I need you, I’ll call.”

He nodded, and from his expression she saw that he was reading a lot into her request. All of the awkwardness she’d feared from the situation bubbled to the surface.

Glancing back at the bed, she went over and lifted the cover over Chase’s mostly naked body. Not because she thought he was cold, but for modesty’s sake. She wouldn’t want to think someone would let her lay there half naked and out of it.

She motioned for Steve to follow her out of the room. “I… Chase was hurt trying to help clear my father’s name. I owe it to him to make sure he’s okay.” But that wasn’t the only reason, and she knew it. The truth was there, deep in the pit of her gut, where she didn’t have time to dig for it.

When Steve didn’t answer, she added, “Chase and I aren’t… together.” It wasn’t a lie, so why did that make her heart do a couple of cartwheels?

Steve smiled. Not a real smile, but something close. “It’s okay, you don’t have to justify it, Della.”

Didn’t she? She watched him go back into the bedroom and collect his bag, and another question hit. Wouldn’t the old Steve need a justification?

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.