Linda Thomas-Sundstrom - Immortal Redeemed

Kellan stood up. “I guess I’ll take my leave.”

“I’d like a word,” Miller said to him pointedly.

“It might not be a good idea to leave McKenna alone.”

“We can talk in the hallway with the door open. Mac, are you good with that? Just for a minute? Then I’ll get you that ice pack.”

After looking back and forth between Miller and Kellan, McKenna nodded.

Miller gestured for Kellan to precede him out. Kellan withheld a sigh, not liking the part he had to play in order to get along with these mortals. He was anxious to go after that vampire on his own. He needed to lose the biker’s mortal semblance and get down to business with a fledgling vampire too willing to cross the line with someone else’s treasure.

His anger was on the rise. That anger would soon become dangerous enough to burn away his calm exterior.

In the hallway, Miller lowered his voice. “I suppose thanks are in order for helping McKenna again. You ran up those steps like you were superhuman. But thanking you would mean I don’t believe in the possibility of you having something to do with this incident. You do get that?”

“I’m not the bad guy here,” Kellan said.

“I suppose that’s a matter of opinion. So I have to ask some questions. The first one is, who are you?”

“I’m just a guy passing through.”

“And you just happened to meet my...meet McKenna?”

“Yes. Near the hospital. She couldn’t drive and asked me to take her to you.”

That stumped Miller for a minute because he knew this was quite possibly true.

“Why didn’t you leave her with me?” Miller asked.

“The lady changed her mind.”

“So you brought her here.”

“I followed her directions, yes.”

“Maybe you can see how odd it is that this attack happened at the same time?”

“Our return could have interrupted the bastard’s plans. McKenna probably would have been safe as long as I was there with her.”

“It’s entirely possible we have differing definitions of the word safe. You’ve known her for, what? Five minutes?”

“I’ve known her long enough to know I wouldn’t want any harm to come to her.”

“Maybe so, but I don’t like this. I’m going to ask you to stay in the area until we figure things out.”

Staying in the area went right along with Kellan’s plans, though being part of a police investigation was never good. He didn’t need the attention, or anyone scrutinizing his ID. He certainly didn’t intend to play along with this detective for much longer. He had a vampire to catch and the timing was tricky.

He had to use more of his power of persuasion.

“I’ll be going now,” he said, sending the thought straight into the detective’s mind, where it encircled everything else with the force of a command, urging Miller to let this biker go without a fuss.

“Okay.” Miller raised his hands and stepped back. “I’ll be in touch.”

Fat chance of that, Kellan thought, since the cop didn’t even know his name.

Catching a whiff of fetid air, Kellan turned his head for a quick look, able to detect the vamp’s escape route from where he stood as easily as if the bloodsucker had left a trail of bread crumbs.

With one more glance over his shoulder to McKenna’s open doorway, he headed for the street.

Chapter 7

McKenna stood in front of the bathroom sink, staring at her image in the mirror. She looked peaked, she thought, and gray. She was sporting an angry red ring of finger marks around her throat that would soon be a circle of bruises. Swallowing was difficult.

What she really didn’t need was another miserable reminder of some asshole’s evil intent.

Her gaze flicked to the scar on her temple. She touched the line of raised white flesh with her fingers before turning on the tap. Hot water felt good, soothing. She closed her eyes and let the water run as exhaustion again threatened to overtake her. Exhaustion aided by another close encounter with death.

She was finding it hard to breathe. The room was starting to spin, sending her stomach into free fall. Placing her hands on the sink, McKenna fought for enough breath to fill her lungs while attempting to get a handle on her wits. As a cop, she’d seen break-ins go bad on a daily basis. This one just happened to be hers.

“Mac? Are you ready?”

Her eyes found the image in the mirror of the man standing behind her. She wasn’t sure why she’d expected someone else, but her heart lurched in anticipation of a face that didn’t show up.

Derek had gathered ice cubes in a kitchen towel for her throat.

“I’ll stay here,” she said. “Unless you think I can’t remember how to keep out of the way when everyone shows up.”

Derek knew better than to argue. He said, “You won’t get any rest if you stay, and you look like you could use a little first aid and a lot of sleep.”

“I can take a day off tomorrow and sleep then.”

He nodded solemnly. “How about the ice pack?”

She took it from him.

“Does it hurt, Mac?” His voice was a gentle reminder of old times, which made the idea of her attempted bedroom liaison with the stranger seem even stranger. She knew that Derek still loved her. Finding a guy in her apartment must have surprised him. He hadn’t been able to hide the hurt in his eyes.

“It doesn’t hurt much, thanks to you and...”

Wise to that telling hesitation, Derek’s face became a mass of worry lines. “Seriously, McKenna? You don’t know the guy’s name?”

She didn’t answer that question. How could she? Offering a weak shrug, McKenna turned off the water, hoping to avoid more personal scrutiny.

“You’ll fill me in, Derek? You will let me know what the guys find?”

“I will,” he replied after a beat.

She wanted desperately to get away from Derek’s accusing expression.

“Maybe...maybe you can drive me back to the hospital? I’ve changed my mind about staying here. I’ll find a bed somewhere. You can do your job here, and having you in charge will make me feel better.”

Derek’s face registered relief. “Great. Grab your coat. You can’t touch anything else here. I’m sorry for that.”

McKenna turned to face him. “Thanks. I know the drill.”

What she didn’t dare mention to an ex-lover was that she doubted if she’d ever be able to forget the gorgeous stranger who had rescued her twice in the span of an hour, and that she hoped to God she’d never see the biker again. Because owing someone your life was awkward. So was the fact that her body desired his heated touch, even now.

* * *

Kellan’s arms were steamy beneath rivers of nerve-induced burn. His mind twisted with a new feeling of elation. He had found a contender for his search for the lost soul in Seattle. Her name was McKenna, and he knew where to find her.

He just had to make sure the vile creature that had attacked her would never bother McKenna again.

Where there was one vampire, there was usually another creature of the night. Monsters clung to others of their kind, believing in the power of numbers. This attack on McKenna might bring more danger to her doorstep.

There were many freaks amassing in the dark spaces that viewed humans as a kind of tasty dessert. And while ferreting them out wasn’t the reason for this Seattle visit, he now had to take an unplanned detour. His current objective was to save McKenna Randall—he’d noticed her last name on her lobby mailbox. Save her for himself.

Her image wavered in Kellan’s mind like a mirage. He could almost feel the softness of her smooth white skin. He rewound events for a replay of the look in her eyes when she appreciatively ran her hands over him, liking what she found.

He heard the lingering echo of the soft, sexy sounds McKenna made when they kissed, and the way she pressed against him. He revisited the look of anticipation on her face when he’d tucked his fingers inside that little scrap of blue lace crossing her hips, and how those hips moved to help him find what she needed.