Chapter Sixteen
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When Devon roused, the first thing he noticed was that his pain was gone, which made no sense. The second was that his opponent wasn’t trying to kill him. What the hell had happened? He opened his eyes and recognized the dark outline of his bedroom. Confusion assaulted him. How had he ended up here if he was still in his wolf form?
Vinea! A soft snore erupted beside him, and he rolled over. Her breath was shallow and rapid. Oh, shit. She’d healed him, but at what cost to herself?
Heart pounding, he changed into his human form and gently nudged her. “Vinea?”
He didn’t like that she’d made such a sacrifice. She might have died—and still might. Acid burned in his gut at that terrible thought. Maybe she didn’t know that given enough time his wolf would have taken care of his injuries.
The memory of the fight flitted in his head, and he vaguely recalled seeing someone arrive just as the two of the Changelings were attempting to tear him apart. It must have been her. One moment she was visible, and the next she was not. A second later, a shot sounded, and the stronger of the two wolves dropped to the ground. After that, he remembered nothing, other than the incredible weakness and violent pain.
Devon stilled for a moment, trying to detect if anyone else was in the house. Had she carried him to his truck by herself? She must have since he doubted he would have been capable of moving on his own.
There was a lot more to Vinea Summer than he realized—strength, determination, and loyalty.
He nudged her once more, but when she didn’t respond, his adrenaline surged. Devon had to find help for her. Needing to call Missy, he eased out of bed. Crap. When he shifted, all of his possessions, including his cell, were strewn behind the restaurant. Guess he’d have to go over to his parents’ house and call from there.
Vinea must have cleaned him up because only small patches of blood remained on his chest and arms. After dressing, he rushed out of the bedroom. On the dining room table sat his torn clothes—and his phone. Thank goddess for Vinea.
Fortunately, Lexi had insisted on adding every phone number he’d ever need in his phone—including that of the local healer, Missy Berta. Just as he was about to call her, Vinea moaned, and his protective instincts shot into high gear. Devon rushed back into the room and flicked on the light next to the bed. Her eyes were open, and she was trying to sit up.
“You need to rest,” he said, sliding onto the bed next to her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Was he okay? “Don’t I look good?” He smiled, hoping to calm her fears.
“Yes, and I’m glad.” She closed her eyes again.
He placed a hand on her forehead, and the heat nearly burned him. While he didn’t know much about medicine since his wolf did all the healing, he knew enough to know that he needed to cool her off. Once she was strong enough, they would talk.
No sooner had he placed an ice pack on her forehead than his cell rang. It was Kalan. He dreaded learning how much he’d fucked things up by going over to the restaurant. The owner might not have been shot if Devon hadn’t shown.
While he wasn’t sure if the two wolves had lived or died, he could only hope that shifters happened upon them. No telling what the humans would think.
“Hey,” Devon said.
“It’s Kalan. Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to let you know that the Lake Steakhouse robbery went down a few hours ago. Apparently, the Changelings had a change of plans.”
So he hadn’t learned what had happened exactly. “I know.”
Devon explained why he’d been there. He also told Kalan how he’d seen one of the three masked men shoot the owner and run away with the cash.
“Why the fuck didn’t you call me?”
“Because I just woke up a minute ago after nearly dying in the attack.” Devon explained how one wolf had attacked him from behind, and then the second man shifted after shooting him. “I was in a fight for my life.”
“Are you okay?”
“Now I am. Vinea healed me, but she’s in bad shape.”
“They attacked her?”
He didn’t have time to discuss her abilities and what she’d done. “No. She healed me by taking away my pain as her own.”
“I’d heard she’d healed Rye’s son.”
“Yes.”
“What happened to the other two wolves?” Kalan asked.
“The men weren’t there when you arrived?”
“No. Only the owner was there. He’s in the hospital now in critical condition, but we doubt he’ll make it.”
Damn. “Did you see any sign of a fight?”
“Hell, yeah! It looked like several men had bled out.”
Devon explained to the best of his ability what Vinea had done. Only then did Devon realize that both of the men could now identify her as someone who had tried to kill them—assuming they were still alive. He wasn’t worried about himself. The McKinnons and the Changelings had gone head to head many times, and everyone was still healthy. It was Vinea who was in danger because of him.
“Can I speak with her?” Kalan asked.
“She’s still too weak. When she is feeling better, you can, though it’s not like she can give a statement.”
“No, I suppose not, especially if she became invisible, but she might be able to identify someone.”
“Let’s hope.”
“Did you call Missy?” Kalan asked.
“I plan to.”
“Good. Keep me in the loop,” Kalan said.
“Have you spoken with Connor?”
“I just did, but he knew nothing. I’ll call him back and let him know what you said.”
That worked for him. “Thanks.”
*
Vinea heard only one side of the conversation, but it was enough to know that she’d messed up, royally. Both of the men she’d shot might still be alive, which meant they could identify her—and Devon. Now they were both targets. Damn.
Once he hung up, she reached out her hand. “Devon?”
He tossed the cell on the bed and was by her side in a flash. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel like I’ve been bitten and clawed to death.”
His face paled. “Did a wolf attack you?”
Her smile came out weak. “No, but they attacked you. Don’t worry, I’ll live.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“For what? You saved my life.”
This time. “Those men lived. They saw me.”
“We don’t know that. The man who ran away with the cash saw me before you even showed up, but why didn’t you remain invisible?”
“When I teleported there, I didn’t expect to find anyone behind the building. I aimed for the back of the restaurant, and when I appeared, there you were along with those men—or rather those two wolves.”
“My memory is a little faulty. Can you fill me in?”
She told him how she wanted to stop those wolves, but she didn’t know how. “My best option was to shoot them.”
“So that’s why one of the men collapsed. And the other one?”
“I shot him too. It was horrible. I didn’t want to pull the trigger, but I had to. You would have died.”
He nodded. “The bullet to my leg wouldn’t have been fatal, but sooner or later they would have torn out my throat.”
Her stomach nearly revolted. “Why did you put yourself in harm’s way like that?”
“This time, it wasn’t intentional.” He explained why he was there.
“So it was my fault. You were looking for me.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” he said.
She rested her head, and when she closed her eyes, it was clear fatigue was about to claim her again.
“I should have guessed they’d change their plans,” she said, her words slightly indistinct from exhaustion.
“Our team should have been prepared for that possibility.”
“Next time.”
Devon stroked his hand over her forehead and she sighed. “There won’t be a next time.”
Sleep claimed her before she could argue. No doubt they’d never agree on how to handle the Changelings.
*
Sometime during the night, in between bouts of waking, Vinea had made up her mind. Being around Devon was bad for his health. She had no doubt that the Changelings would come after her, and she didn’t want Devon to be caught in the middle of it.
When she finally returned to consciousness the next morning, light was streaming through the slit in the curtain and a pretty woman with long auburn hair was waving a hand over her. It was Missy, Zane’s mate.
“What are you doing here?” Vinea asked, her mouth dryer than sand.
“Devon asked that I give you a helping hand in healing.”
Vinea wet her lips. “Why would you want to help me? I tried to kill your mate.”
“But you didn’t. You stopped, remember?”
That was true, but everyone always assumed the worst of her. Had Devon finally convinced his family and friends that she could be trusted? “Thank you for putting aside your hatred.”
“I’m a healer. I don’t like to judge.”
What a wonderful woman. “How is Zane?”
Missy looked off and smiled as she patted her rather pregnant stomach. “Happy.”
What Vinea wouldn’t give to be carrying Devon’s child. “How is Zane adapting to this world?” Vinea hoped he was doing well, as there were many challenges. Having been asleep for one hundred years, he had a harder road than even she did.
“Things were tough for a while, but then out of the blue he received a birth certificate and social security card in the mail, which enabled him to get his driver’s license and apply for a job. Since then he’s thrived.”
Relief washed through her. “I’m glad they arrived and that they worked.”
Missy stopped her candle waving and sat on the edge of the bed. “What do you mean?”
“Did Devon tell you how he’d cleansed me at the lake right before I lured you to the cave?”
“Yes.”
“The cleansing took a while to take effect. The evil in me didn’t start to disappear until I held that knife in my hand and was ready to kill Zane. Somehow it hit me out of nowhere what evil I was about to inflict, and I stopped. Frightened and horrified, I ran away.”
“I’ve wondered why you didn’t follow through. While I was very confused, at the same time, I was quite grateful that you’d had a change of heart.”
“I didn’t think you’d ever forgive me. I mean, why should you?” Vinea waved a hand. “It doesn’t matter now. I wanted to make up for what I did—even if it was something small. I totally understood how necessary it is to have the proper paperwork, so I created a birth certificate and social security card for Zane.”
“You did that? How?”
She wasn’t proud of her actions, but it had to be done. “I paid someone to hack into a few different government offices and make the changes. I don’t like breaking the law, but I didn’t know how else to help.”
Missy leaned over and hugged her gently. “Thank you. We never knew.”
Devon entered the room, unshaven and with dark shadows under his eyes. Despite his weary appearance, he still got her motor revving.
“How are you feeling?” He glanced over at Missy and then back at her.
“Doing better. I should be back to work in a day or two.” Vinea didn’t want him to worry. He had enough on his mind.
Missy stood. “Vinea is healing rather well, but if you see a turn for the worse, call me.”
“Thank you,” she said to Missy. “I know it had to have been hard to treat me—someone who you believed was your enemy.”
“You aren’t my enemy or even Zane’s enemy, at least not any longer. Devon vouched for you, and that’s good enough for us.”
Vinea could feel the tears well up, and she had to fight to keep them from falling. Missy’s words meant the world to her. Once the healer gathered her gear, Devon escorted her out and then returned.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I think you should move into the safe house at McKinnon and Associates. Your trailer is not secure. You’re too vulnerable there.”
If Vinea had had more energy, she’d have laughed. “While Lexi seemed to do okay holed up there, that’s not who I am. It would drive me crazy being confined.”
He dropped down onto the bed. “I don’t think you understand. There aren’t many five foot-ten women in Silver Lake who are curvy and gorgeous. You’ll be easy to spot, and no telling what the Changelings will do when they find you.”
She raised her brows, trying to act nonchalant. “Let them try. I do have my powers.”
“Yes, you can disappear, but can you shift into a wolf or a bear and fight them?”
He was being protective, and it warmed her heart. “No, but if you recall, I was able to pick up a gun and shoot it, even in my invisible form. Since the gun disappeared as soon as I touched it, the Changelings didn’t know who was responsible.”
“I thought you didn’t like to kill.”
“I don’t, but if my life is threatened—or yours—I will take action.”
Devon stabbed a hand through his hair. “Is there anything I can say that will convince you to at least not go to work? Brother Jacob and John Ernst eat there—at least they did that one time.”
Poor Devon. Her presence was causing him added stress. “No. Now stop worrying.”
“Then how about moving in here with me? For good?”
Really? She smiled. “Now that I’d agree to.”