Chapter Fifteen
Lana floated in a grey void. All the pain vanished once the blackness had descended upon her, and a dim light floated off in the distance, chasing away all the shadows. Could this be the tunnel and the bright light I’ve heard about? If so, then why aren’t I moving?
“Lana, wake up.”
The musical accent of the voice tugged her back to earth. She fell through the void like a skydiver without a parachute. Icy fingers pressed into her temples. She braced for impact but only felt the softness of a mattress under her.
“Open your eyes,” the voice commanded.
When she did as she was told, a pair of inhumanly blue eyes burned into hers. Magic rippled around her body and created a soft breeze. Her pain dulled while she remained hypnotized by the powerful witch leaning over her.
The woman removed her fingers, and Lana found her voice despite the desert in her mouth. “What are you doing here, Morwen?”
The witch’s bright red hair danced in the sunlight as she laughed. “It’s not often one of our best hunters ends up in the hospital.”
Lana glanced around, finally noticing the tubes connected to her body. They all looked like medical equipment, but the room lacked the sterile blandness of a hospital room. Weathered wooden beams supported the ceiling, and a faded patchwork quilt covered her body. “Where am I?”
“At Byron’s ranch. We managed to convince the hospital to release you to our care once you came out of surgery.”
Her gaze fell on the huddled form in the chair across the room. Her heart softened as she recognized the familiar angles of his face, despite the thick stubble that covered it. Byron.
“You seem to have quite a devoted lover in him.”
Lana sucked in a breath and held it. The board knew about her relationship with him. “We’ve only known each other for a few days.”
“And sometimes that can feel like a lifetime.” Her frigid eyes thawed. “Sometimes love sneaks up on us when we least expect it.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Morwen. I hardly know him.”
“But your heart calls out to him just like his does to yours.” Her lips rose in her flawless face. “Don’t try to convince me otherwise.”
The witch’s ability to read her thoughts unnerved her, and she shifted in the bed to ease the sensation of thousands of spiders crawling on her skin. Although this was her second meeting with the Head Witch, it still felt like two meetings too many. “Did Klaus get away?”
“Ah, so we turn to business now.” She sat on the edge of the bed with the grace of a woman from a 1930s film, even though she hardly looked a day over twenty. “I’m pleased to report that Espe got her first kill.”
“Good.” Lana exhaled and sank further into the pillows. “If anyone deserved to stake that son of a bitch, it was her. Is she doing okay?”
“A little anemic, but on cloud nine otherwise.”
“I’m glad.” She glanced down at the plaster casts surrounding her arm and leg and grimaced. “She’ll need to go somewhere else to train while I heal.”
“No, and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Morwen stood. Her high heels clicked on the tile floor as she went to the window and stared out into the desert landscape. “She mentioned that Klaus said he was going to turn you. Is that correct?”
Snatches of the nightmare she experienced before blacking out filled her memory. “Yes, he said something about wanting to learn the secrets of the Foundation and that he was going to turn me to get them.”
Morwen’s face showed no emotion as the afternoon sunlight turned her pale skin a rich golden hue. “So, they think they can attack us from within.”
“Sergei?”
“And his sire, I suspect. We’ve been a thorn in their side long enough.” A weak smile formed on her face, but it held no warmth. “But they’re going to need bigger tweezers to get rid of us.”
She twirled on her heels and came back to the bed. “As for you, we’re removing you from Las Vegas.”
Lana’s heart raced, and her throat tightened. Her pulse pounded in her ears. “Removing me?”
“Yes. I have other uses for you, and Wade agrees it’s time for you to quit hunting after this escapade.”
“But what if I want to continue being a hunter?” If the witch thought she’d give in this easily, she was dead wrong. Lana dug her fingers into the sheets and willed her pulse to slow down.
“Is that what you really want, Lana? To continue being a hunter and everything it entails?” She glanced toward Byron.
All her anger drained out of her when she stared at him. If she continued being a hunter, she’d have to give him up. Deep inside, she knew she couldn’t. He had become a part of her, whether she wanted to admit it or not. Could she gamble on a new life with him?
She licked her lips and turned back to Morwen. “What did you have in mind for me?”
“I’d like to make you the Foundation’s official liaison to the werewolves. They’ve straddled the fence between us and the vampires for too long now. It’s time they chose a side. Byron and I have spoken at great length about it, and he agrees that your temporary alliance proves how well his kind complements our hunters. If the two of you continue to work together, we can add some much-needed allies to our fight against evil.”
“You’ve spoken to Byron?”
“Yes. You’ve been floating in and out of consciousness for three days, Lana. It seemed the natural thing to do since we were both waiting for you to wake up.”
“And is he really what he says he is?” She held her breath again, unsure whether she wanted to know the answer to her question.
“You mean you don’t believe he’s a werewolf?” Morwen’s laughter grated her pride like sandpaper. “He’s the leader of his pack now, and he’s mourning the loss of two of his brothers at the moment. Be gentle with him.”
Lana nodded. A heaviness formed in the pit of her stomach when she thought about him suffering alone through this.
“I wish you a speedy recovery and a lifetime of happiness, whatever your decision is. Call Wade when you make up your mind.”
“About what?” She felt like she’d just been set free from prison and didn’t know where to go next.
Morwen paused at the door with an incredulous expression on her face. “About the new position. Personally, I think you’d be a natural at it, but that would involve more choices for you to make. Yuan will be staying here for a few days to speed up the healing process and monitor your recovery.”
As the sound of her high heels vanished, so did the heavy blanket of magic that hung in the room. The tension unwound from Lana’s shoulders, and it seemed easier to breathe. The only downside was the dull ache in her broken arm and leg that increased with each throb. She took a deep breath and tried to block the pain in her mind.
“I think they gave you a way to administer your own pain meds.” The rich timbre of Byron’s voice wrapped around her like a lover’s embrace even from across the room. A few seconds ago, he’d seemed to be passed out in the chair. Now, he was watching her with a mixture of fear and concern on his all-too-alert face. “It’s the clicker by your left hand.”
“Thanks.” She pushed the button, and the equivalent of 140-proof liquor flowed through her veins. The throbbing ceased, and her eyelids grew heavy. “How long will you be here?”
“As long as I need to be.” He pushed aside the blanket in his lap and slowly approached her. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m still under construction.” She tried to wave the heavy plaster cast in the air, but her muscles wobbled like loose rubber bands and refused to cooperate.
He gave her a wan smile and brushed her hair out of her face. “I’ve been worried sick about you, Lana.”
She heard the love in his voice and saw it in the way his hazel eyes never wavered from hers. Could Morwen be right about his heart calling to hers? She covered his hand with hers and let the warm glow of their connection envelope her. “I’m sorry, Byron.”
“No more hunting for you.”
She chuckled. “At least for now.”
“No, for good. I can’t risk losing you. You’ve become too important for me to let go.”
“Just because you control the pack doesn’t mean you control me.”
His grin widening, he leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Who says you won’t be joining the pack soon?”
Desire pooled between her legs from the way his breath grazed her ear. The man was pure sex sometimes, and it made it all too easy to give in to him. “Is that what I have to do in order to be with you?”
He rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone and looked at her like she’d told him to piss off. “No, but it would make things easier. I’ve managed to stay in control so far, but if I’m constantly worried about accidentally biting you when we’re together…” His face tensed, aging it almost ten years.
Could she become a werewolf if it meant a lasting relationship with him? Was it really her choice, or was it some inevitable fate she’d eventually have to come to terms with? “I’ll give it some serious thought.”
“Thank you, my love.”
“My love?” A head rush of joy hit her when she repeated those words. He loved her as much as she loved him, in spite of the insanity of their lives.
“Would you like me to call you something different?”
“No, I like the sound of that.” She lifted her head and beckoned him to come closer. Her lips hungered for his. One kiss would satisfy her for now.
He hesitated at first, handling her like a delicate Faberge egg. She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer. Her tongue traced the outline of his mouth and silently begged to enter it. His lips parted, and the kiss deepened to the point where she never wanted it to stop.
With a heavy sigh, he pulled away. “I need to leave before the moon rises.”
“You’re leaving me alone?” She gave him an exaggerated pout.
A wicked grin spread across his mouth. “I don’t think you’re in any condition to do what I want to do, and even then, it would have to be quick.” He planted a final kiss on her forehead. “I’ve given Yuan a key to the house and ordered her not to let anyone in between sunset and sunrise for the next three days.”
“I’ll rest while you’re howling at the full moon, then.”
He paused at the door with a tortured expression on his face. “I’d love to have you join me. If I changed you, you’d heal quicker than anything Yuan claims she can do.”
Don’t make any rash decisions, her mind ordered. “Maybe next month.”