Chapter Fifteen
HE LOOKED DEAD.
One second, two seconds, three...
He lay completely still on the table—head turned toward me, eyes closed, the rise and fall of his chest unnervingly not there.
Letting Whisper go, I ran to him—
But Roger stepped in front of me and held up his hands. “Wait.”
Whisper roared and pawed at the ground, snapping at air.
Four seconds, five seconds, six...
Bolting around Roger, the panther launched toward his unconscious master just like I wanted to do. Balancing on his hind legs, he planted both paws on Lucien’s bare chest as if he could give the Heimlich manoeuvre and bring him back to life.
Harry reeled backward, the defib paddles still in his hands.
The panther looked as if he was moments away from slaughtering everyone.
Which...if Lucien didn’t wake up, was a very high probability.
Seven seconds, eight seconds, nine...
I couldn’t do it anymore.
I stepped toward the desk—
Lucien jerked, his spine arching off the blood-soaked desk, his lips parting wide as if his soul slammed back into place.
The two doctors tried to go to him, but Whisper roared.
Lucien gasped again, deeper, harsher, dragging air into his lungs and clawing his way back to life. His fingers twitched. His eyes snapped open—wild and unfocused—before locking onto the beast looming over him.
He blinked once. Twice.
His hands came up and he smooshed the giant cat’s face. He tried to speak but coughed instead. “T-Trying to eat me...while I’m still warm, huh?” He coughed a second time, then smacked another kiss—just like he had in bed—right on Whisper’s nose.
My heart swelled until it no longer fit in my ribcage. I planted both hands over my mouth to hold back the sobs.
Did this mean everything would get better now?
Is he free?
“Fuck me that hurt,” Lucien groaned.
Whisper snorted as Lucien pushed him away and...sat upright. Slow and shaky, but with raw determination and abnormal strength. No one who’d gone through what he had should be able to sit up so quickly...should they?
Whisper dropped to all fours as Lucien pressed a trembling hand to his chest, the glint of white bandages thick and tight around his wrists, his fingers trailing over that awful thing trapping his heart.
Harry muttered something under his breath as Roger stepped gingerly toward the desk. “How are you sitting up? Lie back down. You just took a full shock.”
“Yet another sign that whatever the hell is going on around here, you most definitely are not normal.” Harry stared at Lucien as if he was a freak of nature.
“You should be barely conscious, let alone upright. You should be disoriented, hypotensive, confused. Yet...you’re acting as if I just gave you a shot of coffee. ”
Lucien’s lips twitched. “It was the biggest caffeine shot I’ve ever had, but...I feel fine.”
“You feel fine.” Harry rolled his eyes. “Uh huh. Sure, you do. That just proves my point.”
“What point?” Lucien narrowed his eyes.
“That whatever you are isn’t like the rest of us.”
“Or my threshold is just better than other people’s.” Lucien ran his fingers over the red patches on his chest from where the defib paddles had shocked him. “I actually feel rather refreshed.”
Harry returned the paddles to the case before reaching for a stethoscope. “Stop freaking me out and let me monitor your vitals.”
Lucien shoved himself off the desk instead. “No need.”
He wasn’t clumsy or confused—his bare feet hit the decorated carpet with a dull thud, planting down like tree roots.
Both doctors froze.
“That’s...you shouldn’t—” Harry started, then stopped as Whisper stepped closer, fangs gleaming wetly in the lamplight. “You know what?” Tossing everything into his medical bag, he shook his head. “I’m done. We’ve gone above and beyond what was expected. I’m leaving.”
“Wait.” Looking down the expanse of his bandage-wrapped chest, Lucien tapped the metal disc. He waited an age for the lights to flash but they didn’t. A dark chuckle escaped him. “Did it work? It’s not flashing. Does that mean it’s dead?”
Roger finished packing his bag. “I have no idea. But...if there are none of the usual signs of it working then yes...it’s dead.”
Lucien sucked in a sharp breath. His shoulders sagged as a full-body shudder worked through him.
I’d seen this man full of murderous rage, burning temper, livid distrust, and on guard every second of every day, but...I’d never seen him like this before.
Never seen him so relieved.
His fingers pressed against those dead little lights, daring them to turn on. When they didn’t, another wave of devastating gratitude washed over his face.
I drifted forward; my gaze locked on the metal embedded in his chest.
No green or red.
Nothing flashing, nothing monitoring...
His chin shot up as he glowered at the doctors. For a second, it looked like he’d give Whisper an order to kill but then he bowed his head and said sincerely, “Thank you. I won’t forget what you’ve done for me. I’ll make sure you’re rewarded.”
“The only reward I want is safety for me and my family.” Roger hoisted up his bag.
“Same.” Harry slung his satchel over his body. “Forget we even exist.”
“You have my word that Marcus won’t harm you.” Lucien balled his hands. With black trousers clinging to his trim waist and white bandages covering his chest and wrists...he looked as if he’d finally stepped out of the crypt he’d been living in for so long. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“In that case...” Roger arched a chin at the door, the crow’s feet by his eyes more pronounced than before. “We’ll just get going.”
Lucien held his stare, once again seeming to hover on that line of trusting these men or ending them before they could betray him. But then his shoulders drew back and his lips quirked at the corners. “Go on then. Get out.”
Both men sucked in a breath as if they hadn’t quite believed they’d be leaving this room alive.
The sounds of last-minute latches and zippers being done up on their bags braided with the thunderous rumble coming from Whisper.
He seemed more on the ‘kill the witnesses instead of letting them go’ team.
Clicking his fingers, Lucien summoned the panther to his side.
I went to join him as if he’d summoned me instead. The instant I was close enough to touch him, Lucien’s heat buffeted me. Delicious, comforting warmth soaked into my bones as if he was already holding me. I couldn’t explain the way he made me feel—how just being near him made me feel so...safe.
His eyes met mine, and I desperately wanted to be alone with him.
His gaze searched mine, dark and unguarded. The air thickened as something tightened in my chest, pulling so fiercely it hurt.
He opened his mouth to say something—
“Where do you think you’re going?” a man barked. “Is he still alive?”
We froze as our attention flew to the open door where two burly guards leered in.
Harry and Roger braced themselves in their blood-splattered smocks.
Roger still had his hand outstretched as if he’d been the one to open the door.
“Yes, he’s still alive. Which means our job is done and we’re leaving. ”
The two guards looked at one another as if this went against protocol. Both were fair-skinned and obvious regular gym-goers, their biceps bulging in black t-shirts hugging muscular torsos.
Stepping into the room, the guards glanced past the two doctors. Their eyes flashed around the rearranged space—noticing bloodied towels, shoved aside furniture, and—
Lucien.
A flash of heat escaped him. With a dramatic groan, he swayed and fell.
I cried out as I caught him the best I could.
He sagged heavily in my arms, giving me most of his tall weight. I braced to collapse to the floor like we had back in Cinderkeep, but his muscles tensed, holding his own weight, only pretending to be on death’s door.
He’s...faking it.
“What’s wrong with him?” the guard with arms full of tattoos asked. “He looks like he’s about to kark it.”
“Really?” Roger turned with a gasp. “Goodness. What’s going on? He wasn’t this bad a second ago.” Clutching his medical bag, he stepped toward us. “I knew you shouldn’t have stood up so fast. Come...let me check—”
“He’s fine,” I blurted, widening my eyes and shaking my head just a little.
Don’t. Please don’t.
Lucien twitched in my hold, his arms dangling and legs at an odd angle but most of his weight braced instead of broken. I hoped to God that Roger would get the hint that Lucien only pretended to be weak as a newborn kitten and left him alone.
“He’s fine,” I repeated. “You’re right that he stood up too soon, that’s all. He just needs to rest.”
“Roger, let’s go,” Harry ordered, cottoning on far faster than his older colleague. “It’s just a case of lightheadedness. He’ll survive.” Harry grabbed him by the elbow, dragging him to the exit.
“Hang on.” The two guards blocked the threshold, their hands on their holsters. “No one is allowed to leave until Mr. Ward returns.”
“You can tell Mr. Ward that we’ve fulfilled our side of the deal,” Harry snapped. “We were assured we could go the moment our patient was stable. Well, he’s stable. And we’re tired and hungry and have families to return to. We’re leaving.”
“But—”
“Move aside.” Harry just shouldered his way out, dragging Roger with him.
The guards broke apart, granting them passage as if they weren’t entirely sure if they should.
But it was too late.
The doctors vanished without a backward glance, leaving the two guards staring at each other.
The taller, lankier one shrugged. “I suppose we just let them go?”