What the hell had she done?

Natasha clasped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. If she started screaming now she might never stop. Tears streamed down her face. The bullet looked like it had hit his heart. Another fucking kill-shot. It wasn’t like she’d had time to plan. It wasn’t like she could see what the hell she was doing. Oh god! What had she done?

Her tears were coming down hot and thick.

A phone rang. The sound shrill in the small space. It was the hotel phone. Shit! Double shit! Natasha wiped her tears and sucked in a deep breath. She put down the gun and stood up. It took a few seconds for the dizziness to pass. Then she quickly put the television on and picked up the still ringing phone.

“Hello,” bright and breezy. Hopefully not overly so.

“Good afternoon, Miss Walters. Um …” there was a pause. “Is everything okay there?”

“Hold a sec.” She half covered the receiver. “What was that? Oh yes, I’ll have a soda.” She pretended to talk to someone … to Titan. Don’t go there. Her heart was beating out of her chest. “Yes,” she spoke into the phone. Again, sounding light and breezy. “Everything is great. Why?”

“We had a guest from the tenth floor call in. Something about screaming and what sounded like it might be a gunshot.”

“Nah! We’re watching a movie. I’m sure it was that,” she lied through her teeth. “It’s an action,” she added, wincing. Hopefully she wasn’t laying it on too thick.

“Okay, Miss. Well … um … have a good evening then.”

“You too.” She ended the call and walked back to Titan. Natasha sat down on the edge of the coffee table and gulped in some air. She was feeling weak and dizzy. After a few more deep lungfuls, she began to feel a bit better.

The muzzle was directly against Titan’s chest when she had fired the shot. It had muffled the blast. That’s why the other guests hadn’t been able to hear it so well. There had been a few complaints over the last few days because of their loud sex. Titan had since rented every room on the eleventh floor and guests had been moved. Another saving grace.

Tears began to flow all over again. What was it Titan had said? Something about vampires being hard to kill. Something about them being able to come back from the dead but not always. There was no way he was coming back from this. Natasha bit down on her lower lip to keep herself from sobbing. She needed to think. Maybe there was something she could do. Something she had to do to bring him back. She needed help.

Brant.

The King.

The guy would probably have a coronary when he heard what had happened but she didn’t give a shit. She needed to try to help Titan. Needed to act now.

His phone. Where the hell was it? She stood up. More slowly this time. The dizziness hit but not as bad. She went over to where he had left his weapons. His wallet and phone were on the pile. She went back to Titan and used his index finger to unlock the phone.

She scrolled through his contacts and hit dial.

“Hello! I’m hoping it’s good news.” It was the vampire king.

“Brant,” her voice was frantic.

“What the fuck! Why are you calling? What’s happened?” He didn’t sound happy. Natasha relayed the events in a rush. She told him they had sex, she told him about Titan’s frenzy. She told him about shooting him. She told him everything. All of it.

“That’s why there are lores,” he growled.

“I don’t give a shit about your lores.”

“Clearly!” he yelled. “If you had, this wouldn’t have happened. How long have you been fucking?”

“Can we talk about this some other time?” She was sobbing. Trying hard to hold back the emotions but she couldn’t. “What do I need to do to help him?” Natasha yelled, if he didn’t help Titan, she was going over there and shooting him as well.

“He’s going to be just fine,” Brant sounded bored.

“Didn’t you hear a thing I said? He’s dead. Not breathing. Bullet in the heart and all that.”

“I heard.” Still bored. “You should check that the bullet exited his chest cavity. A through-and-through will heal quicker. If there is a bullet lodged in him, get a kitchen knife … something to pry it out. Do it now before he comes back. Otherwise his body will have to expel the bullet before it can heal. It’d be even more excruciating and will take longer. Now, how long have the two of you been fucking?”

She ignored the question. “Are you sure he’ll be okay?”

“Oh, forgot to check, are your bullets silver?”

“No, they’re standard issue.” She pulled Titan forward. There was an exit wound, about the size of a large fruit, on his back. She made a sobbing noise.

“Fantastic. No worries then.”

“How the hell is he going to heal from this?”

“Titan is a strong male. He just drank a crap ton of your blood. I’m going to assume that the two of you have been having lots of sex over the last couple of weeks.”

“Days,” she corrected him. “The last four or five days.”

“Good enough. It will help him,” he paused. “Hmmmmm … interesting. Drago lied through his fucking teeth when I asked him about the two of you.”

Titan had met with Drago three days ago when he had dropped off the spy equipment they needed. “Leave Drago alone. He was only being a good friend to Titan.”

“Was he?” Brant asked. “Titan has bloodlust. You could have died, female. What then? Is putting Titan in that kind of situation being a good friend? Titan would not have been able to live with himself if he had killed you. Just as well, because I would have put him to death if you had died. I still might …”

“No!” she yelled. “You will not. You of all people should know how it feels. You had bloodlust. Your son—”

“Leave Sammy out of this!” A snarl. She could hear she’d hit a nerve.

Titan opened his eyes and sucked in a breath. There was a wheezing sound and blood squirted from the wound on his chest. He coughed, blood trickled from his lips.

“Titan!” she shouted.

“Female,” Brant said. “Have Titan call me once he is well enough.” She put the phone down and moved closer to him.

More blood squirted from the wound but not as much this time. His eyes were wide and filled with pain. His features were pinched. His breathing sounded fast, wet and rasping. He coughed again, more blood trickled from between his lips.

“What can I do?” she sounded panicked. Thank god he was back. Maybe Brant had been right. Maybe this would end okay after all.

Titan swallowed. He wheezed some more and then he tried to sit up. His hands scrambled for purchase.

“No. Stay still.” She held his shoulders. “Just breathe.”

More rasping breaths. He blinked wildly and swallowed over and over, his lungs still wheezing. They still sounded wet. There was no longer blood squirting from the wound. It was trickling out. A little with every beat of his torn up heart.

Titan kept swallowing. He grunted and clenched his teeth, agony written all over his face.

“I’m so sorry!” She pushed his hair off his face. “I’m so, so—”

“No,” a whisper. More blood trickled from his lips. She wiped it with her hand. Natasha looked around and found some of her ripped shirt, which she used to wipe his mouth.

“Nat … a … sha.” His voice was strained.

“No. Don’t talk. Don’t move and don’t talk. I’m here. You’re going to be okay.” Her eyes stung but she held back her tears. She needed to be strong for him.

“No,” stronger this time although the wheezing sounded worse. “Get. Away.” He shook his head and coughed. There was more blood. Not as much this time. He tried to push at her with one of his hands.

“What?” She frowned. She had to have heard him wrong.

“Away.” His eyes weren’t as focused. “From me.”

“No. Forget that. I’m here to stay. I’m here to help.”

“No!” Softer … weaker. “I. Bad. I …” His breathing was shallower. He grabbed her arm. His grip surprisingly strong for someone with a hole in his chest. Straight through his heart. Someone who was breathing with a lung that sounded like it was shredded.

“Go away.” He looked like he meant it. Then he fell back, his eyes closed.

For a moment she was afraid he was dead. For real this time.

“Titan!” she yelled. “Please,” she added, on a sob. His chest rose and fell. Although there was still wheezing and rasping.