His driving urge to keep her alive openedhis eyes and propelled him back into motion. He didn’t release heras he edged toward the bottom of the stairs and craned his head topeer up. “It’s gone,” he murmured.
Lifting her head, her lips brushed his chestwhen she turned to look too. She hated the thrill that went throughher at the contact. It made her recall when he’d bitten her in theambulance and the rush of erotic carnality that swept her. She tooka deep breath and cursed her sweaty palms.
“If you could smell him, how come he didn’tsmell you?” she whispered.
“I don’t carry the same rancid stench theSavages do.”
“But he’s a vampire; he couldn’t detect yourblood or mine?”
“There are thousands of scents in thisalley, including blood. And going by the strength of the odor ofblood here, someone bled alotin this alley within the pastweek, possibly to the point of death. There is also the feral aromaof wild animals as well as the stench of garbage that has nothingto do with the Savage who went by,” he whispered in her ear. “Thosescents masked us from him.”
Maggie inhaled deeply, picking out hints ofthe different things he’d spoken of on the air. “The Savages smelllike garbage to you?”
“Like extremely rotten garbage. I don’tscent him anymore, but stay here while I take a look.”
She started to protest, but she didn’t haveit in her to deal with any of those monsters again.
Icy air brushed over her skin when hereleased her, and for the first time, she realized she’d left hercoat in the ambulance. They’d been moving so much and so rapidly,she hadn’t had a chance to process the cold. Without Aiden’s armsaround her, and just standing there, the frosty March air cutthrough her clothes. Her warm exhalations created plumes of smokein the air as she shifted from foot to foot to get some heat backinto her numb toes.
It felt like she’d left her entire lifebehind in the ambulance, and she couldn’t shake the thought she maynever get it back.
Of course, I’ll get it back,shefirmly decided. As soon as Aiden found a phone and she figured outa way to go home, she’d return to her life.
She had no idea how she would explain all ofthis to the police, her boss, Roger, and everyone else, but she’dpuzzle that out when she wasn’t running for her life, cold,starving, and exhausted.
Maggie’s gaze fastened on Aiden’s back as hewalked up the stairs. Not only was his spine no longer visible, butneither was his muscle, and she swore his skin was closing beforeher eyes. Around the healing flesh, faint white lines spread acrosshis back. She recalled seeing them when he’d been lying in thealley and thinking they looked like whip marks zigzagging out fromhis wound earlier.
What had he endured to leave scars like thaton him?
With the way he healed, she wouldn’t haveexpected him to have any scars, but there they were. Tonight wasn’tthe first time he’d been severely injured, and with the brutal lifehe apparently led, she suspected it wouldn’t be the last. Shesensed a darkness in Aiden that might match or exceed that of thevampires hunting them.
Aiden turned back to gaze down at her.Illuminated in the dim glow of a distant street light, his face wasstark, his body streaked with blood and dirt. She should runscreaming from the danger he radiated. She should draw theattention of someone who might call 911 or help her. She could fleeeasily enough, yet when he descended a couple of steps to extendhis hand to her, she took it.
CHAPTER 15
To avoid the Savages, Aiden traveled acrisscrossing route that eventually led them back to where it allstarted. Maggie froze when she saw the empty alley and the lack ofpolice cars there. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Theyshould stillbehere.”
Aiden glanced over the brick walls and theblood-streaked asphalt. “One of the Savages must have come backhere to clean up their mess while the other went for Glenn andWalt. Or both of them came back here, and the Savage in theambulance worked alone.”
Panic clawed at her as she tried to processhis words. “But where did all the police go? Did the Savages killthem all?”
“I don’t know,” Aiden said.
“Some of those officers were my friends, orat least acquaintances. I have to find out what happened tothem.”
“We’ll find out,” he promised. “But they’reprobably not dead. Killing a bunch of police and emergency workers,or turning them, is a lot tougher to cover up than changing theirmemories and sending them on their way. The Savages would havepreferred to kill them, but though they're bloodthirsty, theyaren’t stupid.”
“You really think the Savages didn’t killthem?” she croaked.
“Yes.”
“But they killed Walt and Glenn?”
“That was different,” Aiden said as hecarefully picked his way around the blood splattering the alleyfloor. If the police happened to come back here, they couldn’t seehis fresh footprints, or Maggie’s. He didn’t have to tell Maggiethat as she also avoided the blood.
“Most likely the two who didn’t pursue mecame back here to fix the mess they created,” Aiden explained.“They must have decided their friend would either awaken and takecare of himself, or they would deal with it later, if he did makeit to a hospital. The Savage with Walt and Glenn was mutilated,ravenous, and looking to feed so he could heal himself. If the twoSavages came back here, it was probably to cover their tracks andnot to kill.”
“You’re not just saying that?”
