Page 94 of Cooper’s Passion

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Cooper felt the excruciating pain lessen all of a sudden, and realized that its origin, the silver bullet, wasn’t lodged in his thigh anymore. Somebody had cut it out. The delirium he’d been in was clearing at the same time, and he was fully aware of the lifegiving blood that ran down his throat, strengthening him so breathing became easier again. He recognized the blood. It was AB positive, but it wasn’t just any AB positive blood. It was Anita’s. And the body pressed against his and the hand on the back of his head belonged to Anita. Against his orders, she’d come to save him, had put herself in danger—for him.

Slowly, his brain began to work again, and his body registered the amount of blood he’d already taken from her. It was enough for now. He withdrew his fangs from her neck and licked over the incisions, sealing them.

“Bullet’s out, Anita,” he heard somebody say and recognized the voice as Virginia’s. “He should be healing now.”

Anita drew her head back, and he was able to look into her face. It was tearstained. Virginia was kneeling next to him, wiping her knife on her pants.

“Thank you, Virginia.” She acknowledged his words with a smile. Then he looked back at Anita. “Baby, you came. You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger for me.” His voice sounded breathy in his own ears, and he realized the extent of the damage the silver had already done to his body.

She put a finger over his lips. “I had to. I love you.”

“I love you more.” He locked eyes with her for a second, before looking past her and seeing his friends and colleagues from Scanguards. Some of them were dealing with the serial killer, others walked toward him. He zeroed in on Samson, though his vision was blurry, his body too weak to supply all his senses with enough energy and blood.

“My mother?” Cooper asked, dread filling his gut, his heart clenching in pain.

Samson smiled and crouched down. “She’s healing. Maya got the bullet out of her chest just in time. Your father is with her back at HQ.”

Relief washed over him. “Thank God.”

Samson turned to Anita and Virginia. “Nice touch with the perfume. Even I can’t smell the difference between the two of you right now.”

“The asshole didn’t smell me coming,” Virginia said with a smile. “It was Anita’s idea though. You’ve got a smart cookie there, Coop.” She rose.

Cooper looked past Samson. “Let’s deal with that bastard.” He tried to stand up, but searing pain shot through him at the attempt, and he sank back against the ground. He hated to be weak. “Fuck!”

“You’re badly injured. You need help,” Anita said and shook her head.

Samson reached for him, but before he could help him up, Sheriff Diaz appeared at his side. “I’ll help him. Guess my daughter risking her life for yours means you’ll be family pretty soon, Son.”

“Yeah, you’re not getting rid of me now,” Cooper managed to say.

“And you and Anita are part of the Scanguards family now, Sheriff,” Samson added.

With Diaz’s and Samson’s help, Cooper was able to get up. Diaz kept his arm around Cooper’s waist, and Anita slipped her hand into his. He gave her a grateful smile. He’d thank her for what she’d done for him later when he was healed. Right now, all he could hope for was to remain upright until the hostile vampire was dealt with.

Supported by Diaz, Cooper was able to walk toward the post where the serial killer was tied up with a silver chain around his neck. Luther and Zane stood to his sides, restraining him. Still, the hostile vampire was fighting against his restraints.

Cooper stopped a few yards away from him, making sure that the bastard couldn’t reach Anita or Diaz even if he kicked his legs toward them.

The vampire glared at him, his eyes glowing red, his fangs extended, his attitude promising violence. “It’s that bitch’s fault!” He tipped his chin toward Anita, even though the movement made the skin around his neck sizzle even more. “Your mother! It’s Helen’s fault! If she had stayed with me, I wouldn’t have had to kill all the others! But no, I wasn’t good enough for her! So I gave her what she deserved. I bled her dry slowly for stringing me along.”

Next to him, Anita gasped, and released his hand in the same instance. She took a step closer toward the serial killer, and Cooper wanted to pull her back, but Diaz held him back.

“You little shit!” Anita faced the bastard, her body showing no signs of fear. “Don’t you dare besmirch my mother’s memory! She didn’t want you. You took her against her will. And then you used her. She would have never loved a man like you! And you knew that all along, or you wouldn’t have had to threaten her to take me too if she didn’t come with you.”

There was a flash of surprise in the vampire’s eyes. “You were there…”

“I saw you,” Anita continued, going toe to toe with him now.

Cooper glanced at Luther and Zane, giving them a wordless sign, and the two bent the bastard’s arms farther back to inflict more pain and make it impossible for him to lash out at Anita.

“You’re a fucking coward, blaming others for your shortcomings,” Anita continued. “The only one who’s responsible for the murders you’ve committed is yourself. If you were a man, you’d realize that. But you’re not a man. You’re a psychopath, and a sniffling little weasel on top of it.” She spat in his face.

The vampire growled, but there was nothing he could do. Luther and Zane held him in an iron grip, and the silver chain around his neck weakened him. Still, the bastard was full of defiance, and glared at Anita.

“It took her a long time to die. And I made sure she knew that I’d come back for you, her daughter, when the time was right.” He let out a sinister laugh. “And then I chopped up her body and burned the pieces.”