Heart of the Warrior (30 page)

"Like hell she is. That’s my son in there!" Lakota
pointed toward the emergency room. "And that bitch used me to get to
him."

Tensions were high. Testosterone was flowing. The aggression
levels were off the charts, and all Ari wanted was to get to his mate.

My mate's been shot!

The crowd pushed forward and Trace let go of Ari to push
Lakota back. Lakota retaliated. Fists flew. Bodies hit the walls and Ari turned
to see Micah and Io holding Trace back while Tristan and Malek restrained
Lakota. Sam stood back and huddled to the side to avoid being hit.

This was his chance. He took off and darted down the hall
and ran through the double doors just as Sev’s heart monitor flatlined.

"No!" he rushed forward and pushed past the
doctors and nurses who tried to hold him back.

"He’s crashing!" someone yelled.

"He needs blood, STAT!" another shouted.

Ari jumped on Sev’s body and thumped his chest hard below the
gaping wound. "Don’t you die on me, Sev! Don’t you fucking die!"

He hit his chest again as a nurse rushed in with a bag of
blood. They didn’t have time for that. Without a thought, Ari grabbed a scalpel
and sliced his wrist open and shoved it over Sev’s mouth as he thumped his fist
against Sev’s chest again.

"Drink! Fucking drink, Sev!"

The doctors knew better than to try and pull him off, so
they worked around him, hooking up bags of blood and injecting syringes of
blood directly into his veins.

Ari collapsed over Sev’s lifeless body and started crying.
His tears fell over Sev’s face as he kissed his closed eyes. "Don’t you
leave me, Sev. I love you. I love you, goddamn it! You’re my mate. You can’t
leave me!" He felt hope slipping away. "Please drink. Please don’t
die. I love you."

His chest ached, and the pain only worsened with each
passing second. Sev was slipping away from him.

The blood flowed from his wrist into Sev’s mouth, but Sev
didn’t move. His throat didn't work to swallow the life-giving blood Ari
offered.

"We’re losing him!" someone yelled.

Ari wrapped his free arm under Sev’s body and held onto him,
sobbing. "No, don’t go. Don’t give up. I’m ready to fight for you, Sev.
I’m ready to fight for us. Please." He pressed his lips to Sev’s ear, his
voice a whisper now. "I love you. I need you. I can’t live without
you."

The continuous monotone shrill of the heart monitor filled
Ari’s ears. Sev was dead. His mate was dead.

"No." He whispered the single word before sucking
in a wretched sob of air. "Nooo!"

Suddenly, Sev’s body shuddered and tensed then arched up
violently as his fangs sank into Ari’s wrist. The monitor buzzed to life again,
beeping wildly as Sev's heart re-engaged inside the land of the living.

The pain of Sev's bite was nothing compared to the joy that
leaped into Ari's heart as he pulled back and looked down.

Oh my God! Oh my God! He's alive.

Ari's face filled with hope. "That’s it. Drink my
blood."

Vampire blood trumps human blood.

Sev’s arms jerked and wrapped around him and pulled him
close. His strength was off the charts and Ari could tell he was struggling to
control his movements, causing tubes and monitors to whip around, shift, and
fall over. But Ari didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was that Sev’s
eyes blasted open and his beautiful, perfect blue irises flashed to his, full
of life and panic.

Ari smiled down at him, his tears turning to tears of joy as
they fell on his face.

"I love you. I love you."

Sev’s head nodded as if he wanted to tell him he knew and
loved him, too.

A doctor tugged at Ari's suit jacket, now covered in Sev’s
blood. "We need to prep him for surgery. Please. Let us do our job,
Arion."

They were right. There was still a long road to make sure
Sev was safe, but as he moved to get down, Sev's arms locked around him and he
shook his head as fear filled his eyes. Sev’s fangs released his wrist.

"Don’t leave me," Sev said. His pleading voice was
raw and weak.

Ari bit back another sob. "I won’t. I’ll be right here.
But the doctors need to work on you. They need to save you and they can’t do
that with me in the way."

"Stay…with me." Sev shivered and his teeth
chattered.

Ari licked over his own wrist since Sev obviously hadn’t
released any venom to heal his bite, which explained the lack of euphoria.
"I’ll stay. I’ll be right here. I won’t let go of your hand the whole
time, okay." He moved to get off the gurney and Sev nodded as he let him
go.

"I love you." Sev’s voice was deathly quiet, but
at least he was alive.

"I love you, too, now sshh." He wrapped both his
hands around one of Sev’s. Damn, he was cold, but Ari held tight as the doctors
went back to work.

Ari lost track of time, but after what felt like several
hours and two more close calls, the doctors sewed Sev up and transferred him to
a recovery room. They assured him Sev was stable, but Ari just wanted him to
open his eyes again and look at him. Only then would Ari believe he was out of
the woods.

The rest of the team shuffled in except for Trace, and Io
glanced down at Ari’s hands wrapped tightly around Sev’s. He could imagine the
questions going through Io's head.

"How is he?" Micah said.

For the first time, Ari saw Micah in a new light. Something
had clicked between them earlier at his parents’ home. Ari let go of Sev’s
hand, stood up, and hugged Micah. "Thank you."

Micah seemed to take the hug in stride, but a couple of
others in the room gasped. Seeing the two of them hugging like old friends was
something he doubted anyone would have laid bets on. He and Micah weren't known
to be the best of buddies. Punches were more likely to be thrown between them
than kind words.

"Thank me for what?" Micah held him close and
patted him on the back of the shoulder all big brotherly and shit.

Ari pulled back and nodded at Micah. What Micah had made him
see through his eyes changed him. He knew what needed to happen now.

"For helping me to see what’s really important."

"And? What is that?" Micah looked him in the eye,
arching a brow in a way that almost looked like he was daring Ari.

Perhaps he was daring him to reveal the truth in front of
his team, including Io. Something Ari was finally ready to do.

Ari couldn’t believe the changes in Micah since he had taken
Sam as his mate, and this wise, compassionate side was just one more surprise
Ari had never expected to see in Micah. Ari placed his hand on Sev’s leg.
"Him. Severin. He’s what’s important."

"And why is that?" Micah looked him dead in the
eye.

Ari kept his eyes locked with Micah’s and took a deep
breath. "Because I love him. Because…" He glanced around the room and
met the eyes of everyone there. "Because Sev is my mate."

Io’s mouth fell open, and Ari watched him look away
uncomfortably.

"That’s right, Io, it was me Devon heard in the shower
with Severin, not Bauer. It was me."

Io’s gaze lifted. He looked betrayed and angry.
"You're…oh my God, you’re a faggot?"

Micah shot away from Ari and had Io by the throat and
against the wall and suspended off the floor so fast he hadn’t been able to
track him. "You check that shit right now, Io. You got me. You’re half to
blame for Sev over there with his chest sewn up like a Raggedy Ann doll, so you
need to put a lid on that shit like yesterday."

"Okay, Micah, calm down," Tristan said.

Ari felt something brush against his hand, and he glanced
down to see Sev’s fingers reaching for his. He turned toward the bed and looked
up to see Sev’s eyes opened and a weak smile on his face.

"Sev!" He gripped Sev’s hand and moved toward the
bed. "How long have you been awake?"

Sev blinked heavily. "Long…enough." His voice
sounded like someone had rubbed sandpaper over his vocal chords.

The commotion coming from the others fell away as Ari knelt
down beside Sev. "You heard me, didn’t you?"

Sev’s gaze followed him as he lowered himself to Sev’s eye
level. He nodded. "Yes."

It felt like they were the only two in the room, despite the
arguing and bickering carrying on in the corner among Micah, Io, and Tristan.

"Well, it’s time I lived my own life, don’t you
think?" He traced his fingers across Sev’s brow. "How do you
feel?"

Sev grinned. "Like I’ve…been shot." He still
sounded so damn weak, but the fact he was smiling was good news. "When can
we…go home?"

Ari smiled. Sev must have been doing better to be thinking
about going home already.

"Let me buzz the nurse and we’ll find out."

Within seconds the nurse came in and took his vitals.

"How long does Sev need to stay here?" Ari said.

"I’ve called the doctor. He should be here in just a
minute. I’ll let him discuss that with you."

"Who shot me?" Sev said, sounding a little
stronger.

"Gina." Ari looked down.

Sev had been afraid she was after him. He had been right.

"Gina? Gabe's sister?"

Ari nodded.

"She found me."

Lakota stepped to Sev’s bedside. "I think it was
revenge or something. That’s what Trace said."

Sev’s eyes flashed with anger and his heart monitor spiked.
"What’s he doing here?"

Ari squeezed his hand. "He was at the party with Gina.
He—"

"You led her to me?" Sev’s voice sounded stronger
than he looked. "Get out of here."

"Sev, no, I didn’t lead her to you. She used me to get
to you. I didn’t know. I never would have—"

"Get out!" Sev’s shout quieted everyone in the
room just as the doctor pushed his way in.

"What’s going on in here? Everyone out, now." The
doctor hit everyone with the hairy eyeball then approached the bed. "That
means you, too, Ari."

"No." Sev clutched his hand, making it clear he
wasn’t going anywhere. "Ari stays." Sev was clearly struggling to
speak again, his voice scratchy and labored after yelling at his father.
"Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of him."

The doctor shrugged. "Okay, fine, but the rest of you
have to wait outside."

Ari got the impression he just wanted to quiet the place
down and keep Sev calm.

"When can I…go home?" Sev said as soon as everyone
had left.

"We should keep you at least a couple of days. You’re
already healing very nicely thanks to Ari’s blood. There’s no permanent
damage." The doctor turned toward him. "Ari, if you’ll agree, we’ll
transfuse you so Sev can drink from you again in six hours. It will help speed
up his healing. But we need to make sure you keep your own strength up,
too."

"Of course." He just wanted Sev back home, where
he could take care of him, dote on him, and feed him chicken soup or whatever
the hell else Sev needed. Right now, he would give his left arm for Sev.

"Okay, I’ll send in the nurse in a few minutes to begin
the transfusion." The doctor patted Sev on the shoulder. "You’re a
lucky vampire, Sev. Ari saved your life." He smiled then turned and left them
alone.

"Sev, I’m so sorry about earlier, at my parents’ house.
You deserved better than that."

"That doesn’t matter, anymore, babe." Sev cleared
his throat. "What matters…is that you’re here now." He still
struggled to speak.

"But if I hadn’t behaved the way I did, you wouldn’t
have left and you wouldn’t have been shot."

"Sshh." Sev raised his free hand limply to shush
him. "Gina would have found…another opportunity to try and kill me. Maybe
one with better…odds of success. So, stop worrying. If anything, it’s my own
fault for…letting my guard down."

"Still, I’m sorry. I hurt you and I don’t ever want to
do that again." He kissed Sev’s hand and lowered his forehead over Sev’s
chest. Right over the bandage covering his heart. The heart he never wanted to
hurt again and would cherish forever.

Sev placed his hand on the back of Ari’s head. "Hey,
the doc was right."

"About what?" Ari turned his head and looked up
into eyes that made him feel like he was home.

"I am lucky," Sev said. "Because I have
you."

Trace had slipped away from the group earlier. His skin
crawled. His muscles twitched. His power was seeping through every cell of his
body. Once he got himself relatively composed, he knew it was time to go.

As he hurried out back to his custom chopper, he quickly
pulled out his phone and dashed out a text to his mistress.

9-1-1 On my way.

He didn't wait for a response and slipped on his sunglasses,
climbed on to the seat, and started the engine. He revved it once then put the
bike in gear and hauled ass, his leather duster flapping like a cape in the
wind.

That's right.
Super Sub
was on the move. And he had a
bad itch that needed scratching by
Wonder Domme.

It took him no time to reach the elegant home in the
suburbs. No one would ever imagine the depraved actions that went on inside the
pristine home set back from the road with manicured lawns and a Hallmark card
effect.

But inside those walls was what Trace needed. Pain and
humiliation awaited him, and he couldn't get off his bike fast enough before
stripping out of his coat and flinging it over the seat.

His power clawed at him. He needed fixes more frequently
these days. He was getting worse. It terrified him that one day soon he would
lose total control of the power he was cursed with. His mother had intended the
power as a gift to save him, but that showed how little she had known about
mixed-bloods at the time. And now the burdensome spell couldn't be undone,
especially after what had happened in his old life.

The front door of the house swung open as he reached the
porch. Immediately, he put his head down. He wasn't allowed to look her in the
eye until she gave him permission.