No, he was wrong, he realized as her sweetblood filled his mouth and slid down his throat. He’dneverexperienced a tranquility like this before. Even when he’d beenyounger, there was a restless emptiness within him that had drivenhim to constantly go from one sport to another, one party toanother, one girl to another.
For the first time in his life, he didn’twant to go anywhere. He’d found what he’d always been searchingfor, found where he belonged. The overwhelming sensation of finallybeing able to inhale a full, easy breath caused his throat to burnas he latched his arm around Maggie’s waist and drew her closer.He’d consumed copious amounts of blood over the years, but none ofit had ever strengthened him the way hers did, and it was the mostpotent he’d ever tasted from a human.
His muscles closed over his spine at afaster rate. His veins reconnected until fresh blood flowed throughthem once more. Maggie’s fingers dug into his chest as her bodymelded to his and her breasts rubbed against him. When he scentedher arousal, he resisted the impulse to lay her down and takeher.
Without intending for it to happen, his mindstarted probing against hers so he could learn what she was feelingtoo. He reeled it back before he could open that channel. If he gotlost in her mind now, they would both die tonight.
Must keep her safe!The reminderblazed across his mind as she went limp in his embrace.Takingtoo much!
His fangs retracted before he could weakenher. She remained leaning against him, her sweet scent stronger. Helicked away the trickle of blood seeping from the punctures he’dleft on her, but he didn’t close the bite. Lifting his head, hegazed into the dumbfounded, charcoal-colored eyes of his mate asshe stared back at him from under a thick fringe of dark redeyelashes.
My mate.
He didn’t try to deny what she was to him.From the second her blood hit his tongue, he knew she belonged tohim. She could save him from his looming madness if he could savehertonight.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he vowed.And withme.
Maggie blinked at him as she came out ofwhatever stupor he’d put her under. Her hand flew to the punctureshe’d inflicted on her throat.
What are you?She almost blurted thequestion again, but it seemed pointless.
A burst of white filled the cab of theambulance before the cloud floated into the back. Maggie coughedand recoiled as the contents of the fire extinguisher filled theair. She tried to stagger to her feet, but a hand enveloped herwrist and pulled her down. Green eyes filled her vision before hisbody fell on top of hers. The stretcher crashed forward, halffalling on top of them both.
Aiden’s thigh spread her legs apart as hepinned her beneath him. Something flew over the top of thestretcher, and Aiden lunged forward. He captured the Savage’s ankleand jerked the vamp down before he could make it to the front ofthe ambulance.
“Don’t look!” he yelled at Maggie as hetwisted the Savage’s head until it turned 180 degrees around.
Roger’s shout drew Maggie’s attention to thefront as something leapt through the broken windshield at him.
“Roger!” she yelled and shoved against theman on top of her. “Let me up!”
Maggie wiggled to try to get free when theman didn’t move off her. Instead, he dragged the thrashing monstertoward them. Without a doubt, that creature should be dead asnoone’s neck was designed to turn that far, but apparently,these things and the guy on top of her had all forgottenhowto die.
“I have to help Roger! Get off!” she shoutedas her patient tore the head off the monster.
Not the strangest thing tonight,shethought with a laugh bordering on hysterical when her patienttossed the head aside.
“Getoff!” Lifting her left leg, shehammered her knee into his nuts. All her training and compassionhad vanished. Now, all that mattered was making sure she and Rogersurvived this night.
Aiden’s breath rushed out of him; herecoiled as pain speared through his groin. Maggie shoved angrilyagainst his chest, and her hand balled into a fist. He recalledredheaded women were supposed to have a temper before she landed asolid punch to his cheek. The force of the blow startled him andswayed him to the side. His sisters could pack a punch, but thiswas ahumanwoman.
Before he could recover, Maggie clasped bothher hands together and bashed them against his cheek. It didn’tmatter he’d said he would keep her safe, didn’t matter she wasimpossibly attracted to this man, creature, thing—vampirewho had taken her blood! He was keeping her fromRoger.
She drove upward with her knee again andelbowed him in the cheek. Finally, she’d knocked him loose enoughthat she wiggled her way out from under him and scrambled towardthe cab in a crouch. The stretcher mostly blocked the back doors ofthe ambulance, but something else was coming over the top ofit.
She spun toward the newest creature when itscrambled toward her, but before it could hit her, her patientsurged to his feet. Bone crunched, blood sprayed from the monster’smouth as the man sank his hand into the creature’s back.
“Holy shit,” she murmured as he tore thething’s heart free. She suddenly understood more of what hadhappened in the alley as her patient dropped the mangled heart onthe floor.
Maggie didn’t stick around to see any moreof the carnage. She turned and threw herself into the frontpassenger seat. One of the vampires was perched on Roger’s chest;its mouth pressed to Roger’s neck. The extinguisher fell fromRoger’s limp fingers, clattering against the floor as it rolledtoward the back.
Roger’s eyes spun toward her. “Run!” hegasped.
Maggie hadn’t tried to run when four girlsjumped her in high school for wearing the same shirt as one ofthem, and she wasn’t about to run now. Then, she’d been unprepared,but she hadn’t spent her life in foster and group homes withoutlearning how to fight dirty. She’d made those girls regret theirdecision, and she would do the same with thisthing.
Turning to the back of the ambulance, shebarely glanced at her patient as he fought with another one of themonsters. She snatched up the fire extinguisher and spun back toRoger. Roger’s eyes were drifting closed when she smashed theextinguisher into the vampire’s face.
The vamp’s cheek gave way with a sickeningcrunch. It yelped as it released its hold on Roger. “No!” she criedwhen Roger slumped against the steering wheel and stayed there.
