Carinian's Seeker (16 page)

When Bix returned, a friendly faced older man in a light blue smock and clogs strode in behind him with a big medical bag. She was sure it was filled with goodies just for her.

“Hello, Carinian. I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Dr. Lyons. We’ve been taking care of you the past few days. How are we feeling today?”

“Hold it,” she squawked, “I’ve been here how long?”

“Three days now. We kept you heavily sedated after the surgery,” the doctor replied.

“Surgery? Three days? Three
whole
days?” At Dr. Lyons nod, she lost it. “I can’t stay here. I need to go home. I’ve got to get back to work. I can’t just play hooky from work.”

She squirmed, trying to ease towards the edge of the bed. Her eyes tried to widen with a mix of panic and pain, but they were too swollen. What the hell was she thinking trying to get out of bed? Bix allowed the heat of his temper to flare up the link between them. She shouldn’t be moving around unnecessarily. He wanted to keep her still but there wasn’t one place on her body he could touch without causing her pain, except the top of her head. Grabbing a handful of the thick cottony locks, he held her gently against the pillows.

“Carin, you’re not in any condition to go anywhere. You feel like hammered shit because you look like hammered shit. Now. Be. Still.”

“Oh, that was just cold,” she ground out. “Just full of compliments, aren’t you, Bix?”
“Bastard.”

Bix grinned, hearing her sentiment loud and clear in his head, glad her spirit hadn’t been diminished by her ordeal. He moved out of the way and let the doctor examine her. Dr. Lyons pulled the covers back and Bix’s heart slammed up into his throat. God, she was a mess. Her bandages were bloodied through, and the flesh around her stitches was red, swollen and raw. The scent of her blood clung to the sheets and filled the air. He felt his temper escalate once again.

“Bix, cut it out,” Dr. Lyons said with a stern look.

Solely focused on Carin, Bix looked up at the edge in the doctor’s voice, unsure of what the man was talking about. Cut it out? Cut out what?

Carin’s thoughts pounded into his head.
“You’re growling at the doctor, Bix.”

Bix felt her discomfort and knew if she opened her mouth, she’d start screaming as the doctor poked at her wounds and changed the dressings. His control stretched to the limit, hearing her thoughts and feeling every ounce of her distress. If only he could take her place, spare her every sharp pull, every deep ache. Unable to keep his fists from flexing in agitation, he clamped down on his bottom lip, uncaring that his fangs were in the way. Blood trickled from the puncture wound.

“Bix, it hurts but he’s got to change the bandages, so don’t be upset with Dr. Lyons. All that growling is making me edgy. And tell your teeth to go away. I’m not in the mood to see them right now.”

His gut clenched with one particularly ragged cry. She was trying so hard to be brave and was doing a better job at it than he was. Finally Bix couldn’t stand her suppressed screams.

“Dr. Lyons, give her something for the pain and then continue the exam.”

“Can’t I go without the meds today? I feel well enough.” She pushed each word through gritted teeth. But Bix hadn’t missed the way she bit down on her tongue. Hell, if she clamped down on it any harder he was sure she’d sever the thing clean off. Her chest rose and fell with her panting, but why she believed she could get anything past him, he would never know. He knew her stitches were on fire, her head throbbed, and she had constant nausea. Dr. Lyons had only checked the stitches on her neck and irrigated the knife wound on her shoulder, and she was a quaking wreck.

And the crazy woman thought she was going without meds today? Hell no. But before Bix could say anything, Dr. Lyons calmly removed his blood-smeared examination gloves, tossed them into a biohazard bag and marched back to the side of the bed to call her bluff. Good man.

“Well, Carinian…”

“Carin,” she croaked, her trembling voice thick with stifled sobs.

“Okay, Carin. We can see if you’ll go without meds today. How about I check the stitches across your stomach? If we can do that with relative comfort we can remove your catheter and lay off the pain meds. Of course, if the catheter comes out you’ll have to get up to go to the bathroom. If you can’t walk to the bathroom by yourself we’ll have to send someone in to help you…”

“Oh, hell no. Touch my stitches and I swear when I get better I’ll hunt you down and give you a rhino-sized enema. Give me the damn meds and get the hell away from me.”

Dr. Lyons laughed outright.

Carin clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with mortification. “Oh God, please tell me I didn’t say that out loud.”

“No, you didn’t, but you’re projecting loud enough for the whole mansion to have heard you.” The doctor chuckled.

“Oh Lord, I’m so sorry, Dr. Lyons,” Carin mumbled as her skin blushed an alarming shade of purple.

“No problem, young lady. I’ll just add the meds to your IV and leave you alone for awhile.”

As soon as Carin’s eyes drooped, Dr. Lyons finished his examination and pulled the covers back over her naked body. “By the way, she’s healing nicely, Bix. The IV can come out tomorrow and she can eat real food again. Your blood is speeding up her healing. If we could get a little bit more into her, I’d give her another three or four days and she can get up.”

“And without my blood?”

“It’ll be a couple of weeks, maybe three before she can get up or start to move around.”

“Give it to her.”

“We can wait until she wakes.”

Bix sat in a chair across from the bed, held out his arm and said, “I said give it to her. I’m a prime male of Clan Vanett, Head Seeker for the Council and this is my mate. You will give her some of my blood, Doctor. Right now.”

With a deferential nod, Lyons attached Bix to a portable transfusion unit. After delivering a pint of rich red blood to their patient, he turned to leave.

“I’ll be back to check on her this evening. I’ll see myself out.”

Never once taking his eyes off Carin’s peacefully sleeping face, he called a detached, “Thanks, Doc,” from the chair. Beautifully brilliant and all-out feisty, she’d come awfully close to leaving this world. Yet she trusted him? Even in her drug-induced stupor, he’d felt her…love?

Alaan ducked his head into the bedroom as the doctor was leaving. “The Council wants to see you again, Bix. I can stay with Carin, if you want.”

“No, she’ll be all right. The doc just gave her some pain meds. She’ll be out for awhile.”

“Good, then I’ll go with you to the Council chambers. Afterward, want to spar a bit? Work off some pent-up energy?”

“You’ve got it. I’m aching to kick somebody’s ass.” Bix smirked as he rose and followed Alaan out of the bedroom.

Alaan laughed heartily and smacked him in the middle of his back. “Think you’re aching now? Wait until I’m done with your sorry ass.”

Chapter Twelve

After only a week back at headquarters it felt like the millionth time Bix had stood in the middle of this damned round room. This estate was one of many huge properties owned by the V.C.O.E. And as they all were, it was a splendid mix of old-world charm and contemporary comfort. But today he didn’t feel like admiring it as he usually did.

He waited, Alaan at his side, at the bottom of the large platform taking up one side of the room. At the top stood a gigantic solid wood, half-circle table with intricate carvings of vampire history across the top and sides. A depiction of the formation of V.C.O.E., how the ten clans came to be and details on vampire life as far back as could be remembered. For vampires, that was a very long time. Each headquarters facility on every continent boasted one of these works of art.

Finally, the Council filed in through a side door. Nine of the ten clan Elders and their mates walked up the carpeted steps to the high dais and sat down at the table. It looked like they were up on a stage big enough for a Broadway production. Matriarch Alaana Serati and her mate, Ralen, were Elders representing both Clan Serati and the U.S. Mountain region and were responsible for these proceedings. After all the other Council members were seated, Alaan’s parents remained standing and motioned the two Seekers standing calmly in front of the dais forward.

Bix and Alaan climbed the stairs and stood before the Council, hands clasped behind their backs, legs braced apart, at ease.

“Bix, Carin seems to be coming along. Dr. Lyons tells us she’s doing just fine,” Alaana stated as she took her seat, her mate at her side.

Bix, following protocol, nodded to Alaana Serati, but didn’t say a word. And he wouldn’t until he was asked a direct question or invited to speak freely.

“Any news on Sidheon’s whereabouts?” Ralen Serati asked.

“Sidheon took off when Alaan and I interrupted his attack on Dr. Derrickson. The Seekers in San Diego have been looking for him on my orders, but they’ve seen neither hide nor hair of him. He and his assistant, a man named Dan who told us about his plan to kill Carin, cleaned out their lab and just up and disappeared. A number of vamps who worked on the biotech campus are missing as well.”

“What about you going back to San Diego to help the Seekers there?” the Matriarch suggested.

“I won’t leave Carin under any circumstance. Especially not while she’s recovering,” Bix replied firmly, but calmly.

“Is she willing to help us with the Sidheon problem?” This from a medium height vamp with dark hair and slanted eyes. The Elder of Clan Li.

“Yes, she’d already decided to help us before she was attacked,” Bix replied, stoically.

“Some have expressed concern over bringing her here and exposing our world.”

“With all due respect, Elder Li, Carin is our best chance of uncovering what the rogue is up to. And even if she hadn’t been willing to help us I wasn’t going to let the son of a bitch kill her. It was bring her here, or let her die. Death didn’t seem like a viable option, sir,” Bix said, not bothering to keep the sneer off his face or out of his voice.

The Elder’s eyebrows rose, but Bix wasn’t moved. This was his woman they were talking about. Stupid vampire politics. Somebody didn’t like the fact that he’d brought her here? Too damned bad. Probably Natasha. As Council Liaison for the U.S. Western region, her opinion would be taken into consideration, even if she was just being a spiteful bitch. Bix ground his back teeth, took a deep breath and held Elder Li’s gaze. Back down? Not fucking likely.

“Relax, Seeker. We, and I mean the whole Council, agree your decision to bring Carin here was a good one,” Alaana interjected, casting a warning glance towards Elder Li.

“Is there a reason you feel so strongly about this human?” The very direct question came from Standing Rock, Elder of Clan Akicit. The golden-skinned, dark-haired, sharp-featured vamp projected the true nature of a warrior by his very presence alone—strength, loyalty to what was right, and most important, a balance between nature and spirit.

“She is mine.” Bix’s stance was stiff as he snarled the words.

“Has she accepted a mating, or a bonding?” challenged Standing Rock, unmoved by Bix’s outburst.

“Not yet, sir.” Bix tensed, ready to take on the entire Council if need be. “She was on her way to me when the rogue tried to gut her. Trust me, the woman is mine.”

Alaan stepped forward, put a firm hand on Bix’s shoulder and gave him a telepathic push. “Stand down, Seeker. What the hell is wrong with you, going primal in front of the Council?”

It was a good question to which he had no answer. Bix backed off and waited for the reprimand he knew he’d earned.

“No one is challenging you for her, prime male. Every one of us, being mated, has experienced what you’re going through right now. Some of us have even bonded with our mates. It is normal to want to protect your woman. For that, we will grant you a bit of leniency. This time.”

“Thank you, Elder Standing Rock, sir.” Bix gave a slight nod, but otherwise he didn’t express a bit of remorse. He didn’t feel any because he’d spoken the truth when he said Carin was his. As soon as she was well enough she would accept the mating and the bond. Period.

“Now if we can get back to the business at hand,” came a bored melodic voice from the far end of the table. The Elder of Clan Sewelle, a tall, dark-skinned man with light gray eyes and flawless skin, reclined in his chair. His mate, an equally striking woman with skin almost the color of semi-dark chocolate stroked long, lovely fingers up and down his arm. He looked like he’d rather be doing something else, like spending time with his woman in a horizontal position. Bix didn’t blame him.

Alaana spoke up from her seat at the center of the table. “I have a feeling whatever Sidheon is doing affects all of us. Including our less reputable cousins of Clan Hatsept. They will be invited to join us to discuss how we will proceed.”

“Aw hell, not them. They’re the scum of the vampire world,” Alaan spoke plainly.

“They may be, but they are not rogues nor have they been excommunicated by our governors for any crime against us or humanity. They may be a bit unconventional, but they keep to their own, they do not expose our world and they don’t hunt humans.”

“Yeah, but they keep harems, Elder Serati. Harems, for shit’s sake.” Alaan scowled at his mother.

“You will watch your tongue, young Serati,” Alaana snapped. Softening her tone, she said, “And while it may be true, last I heard every woman in their harems wishes to be there.”

“What’s wrong, Alaan. Jealous?” Natasha purred from below the dais. She sat cross-legged in a chair off to the side after slinking into the briefing late.

“Hold your tongue, Liaison,” Alaan spat back at her, and then dismissed her as if she were less important than the carpet underneath his black combat boots. None of the Elders stood up for her. It was within Alaan’s right as a Seeker and a prime male to dress her down for her impertinence.

“All of the clans have agreed to come and meet with us about this, and some of them will join us in the hunt. They will start arriving next week.”