Craig's Heart (25 page)

“Enough.” Damek stepped forward, his dark eyes focused solely on Vladimir. “You come to my city and bring your troubles with you. You threaten my friends.” Damek moved forward slowly, each step deliberate.

Craig followed behind his friend, ready to lend a hand if necessary. Evie was right beside him, determination etched on her face and a wooden stake in her hand. Dried blood caked her shoulder, but otherwise she seemed fine.

“I’ll leave.” For the first time, Vladimir seemed conciliatory and ready to bargain. Craig could almost see the wheels turning inside the vampire’s mind, searching for a way out of his dilemma.

Damek shook his head. “No, you won’t. You’d go back to your home and rehash everything that happened tonight until you convince yourself you can defeat me. Then you’d do something stupid like attacking my friend. I cannot allow that.”

Power warped the space and Vladimir flew back against the wall, pinned their like a fly caught in a spider’s web. Damek had given him the opening and Craig didn’t hesitate to use it. He gave a primal yell and leapt at the vile creature. Blade in hand, he struck hard and fast at Vladimir’s neck. The sharp edge driven by his newfound vampire strength cut straight through muscle, sinew and bone.

Evie was right beside him unleashing her own fury. She screamed her anger and plunged the wooden stake straight into Vladimir’s heart. “Die you bastard! Die!” She yanked the stake out and drove it in again and again before staggering backward.

“Evie.”

She turned to him, fangs flashing. She was breathing heavily and blood stained her clothing and skin. Evie was wild and untamed, partly out of control. Her eyes were tinged red and he knew both her anger and the scent of blood were bringing on the bloodlust.

He felt the same.

He grabbed Evie and pulled her out of the way as Vladimir’s head toppled off his shoulders and onto the floor, rolling until it came to rest against the leg of a table. Blood spurted from the stump of his neck and sprayed toward them. Craig yanked her back, avoiding the worst of it, and both of them watched as Vladimir’s body slowly tumbled to the floor.

Silence reigned.

Then Evie gave a broken cry, whirled around and raced from the club, shoving her way past the broken front door and out into the night.

“Evie,” Craig called her name and started after her. She shouldn’t be out there alone. Not tonight. Not ever again.

His family blocked the doorway, forcing him to stop. They stepped in front of him, creating an impassable wall. He either had to stop or hurt them. He stopped.

“Are you okay?” Chrissten patted his chest and shoulders, trying to reassure herself he wasn’t seriously injured.

“I’m fine,” he promised her. “Really.” But Evie getting farther and farther away from him. He could still sense her presence inside his head, proof that they were connected on many different levels. He could also sense her desperation and fear. “I have to go.”

“No.” Damek came up beside him. “You need to help me deal with the fallout from this night’s work. Evie will be fine. You’ll be able to find her after we’re done. Her blood is in you.” Damek clapped his hand on Craig’s shoulder. “She needs some time.”

Every cell in his body was screaming at him to run after Evie. But after everything his friends and family had done to help, he couldn’t leave them to deal with this mess alone. This was his problem and he’d clean it up.

“I’m so sorry, Meredith.” He went to the woman who’d been like a mother to him these past years. He touched his fingers to her neck and scowled at the bruises there. That bastard Vladimir had come close to strangling her.

She caught his hand and gave his fingers a squeeze. “You have no need to be sorry. It was our fight, our choice.” Her voice was hoarse but steady. “I’m glad you’re okay. And I like your Evie too. She stood beside you and fought.”

“She ran.” That hurt him more than anything. She’d run from him after it was over, leaving him behind.

“She’s afraid,” Meredith whispered. “Afraid of what’s happened to her, to what she did here tonight, and most of all of her feelings for you. Give her some time and then go find her. Let her know what she means to you.” She sighed and shook her head. “I know you’re not as stubborn as most of the alpha males around here. Don’t be afraid to tell her you love her. I know you do. I can see it every time you look at her.”

Craig released a deep breath. He hated to admit it, but Meredith was right. Evie was running not from him, but from herself. Even though he knew that, his feelings were still hurt. Well, he’d have to just suck it up and deal with them. He loved Evie and there was no turning back from that. He’d fight for her. Do whatever it took to convince her they belonged together.

Next he faced Isaiah, who stood beside his mate. “Thank you, Isaiah. For everything.”

Isaiah clapped Craig on the shoulder. “You’re pack.” And that was everything to a man like Isaiah. No more needed to be said.

The first thing they needed to deal with was injuries. Teague and Meredith went to work cleaning up various wounds they’d all received. Neema, Teague’s mate, and Benjamin, Meredith’s son, had the worst ones. They were quickly stitched and Craig knew they would heal quickly due to their paranormal werewolf genes. For that he was thankful.

Next came the cleanup. Michael, Meredith’s eldest son, got an old tarp from the basement and they tossed Vladimir’s body on it and rolled it up. They placed the head in a garbage bag, not willing to take any chances. Until the body was burned to ash there was always the possibility, no matter how slight, that he could somehow heal himself. Better to be safe than sorry.

Isaiah picked up the tarp with Vladimir’s body. “I’ll take care of burning the body. There’s an old coal-burning furnace in the basement. It hasn’t been used in years, but it’s still functional. Won’t take long to burn this guy to a crisp.”

Damek nodded. “He’s old so he’ll burn quickly. Be sure to burn the head separately and gather the ash when you’re done. Take it down to the water and sprinkle it to the winds.”

“Consider it done.” Isaiah nodded at Damek and Craig then headed out of the bar toward the stairs to the basement. Michael grabbed the bag with the head and followed him.

The rest of the pack began to clean up the mess. Kevin, one of Meredith’s adopted sons, and Quinn hauled broken tables and chairs out to the dumpster behind the building. Bethany and Chrissten swept up the shards of glass littering the room and carefully disposed of them. Even Damek went to work, helping Hank repair the front door, at least well enough until they could get a new one delivered.

Craig filled a bucket with soapy water and began the task of mopping up the blood and alcohol staining the floor. All the while he worked, he worried about Evie. She was out there in the city alone. He was here with his friends and family, but he felt as though a part of himself was missing. It was difficult not to go after her, but there were obligations that had to be met first, things he needed to do.

Plus, Evie needed time to come to terms with everything that had happened. Or at least that’s what everyone kept telling him. He wanted to go to her now but was practicing patience and biding his time. But there was nothing that would keep him from Evie.

After cleaning up the worst of it, he dumped the dirty bucket of water and detoured to the bathroom. He yanked off his blood-and-sweat-stained shirt, grabbed a handful of paper towels and cleaned himself up as best as he could. He left the bathroom, dirty shirt in hand, and headed for the employee lockers just beyond the office. Because he often helped out at Haven, he kept some extra clothing on hand. Good thing too, because all the werewolves were much larger than he was. He opened his locker, grabbed a clean black T-shirt and yanked it on. He shoved the dirty one in a plastic bag and hid it in the back of the locker. He’d dispose of it later.

By the time they finished doing what they could, dawn was a little less than an hour away. The bar would probably have to be closed for a day or two while they fixed the damage to the walls, ordered new furniture and restocked the liquor supply.

Still, Haven was almost back to normal. Craig didn’t doubt that all the werewolves would be hard at work, after a few hours of rest, repairing their home. That’s what Haven was to them, a home, not just a place to work.

“We must leave.” Damek inclined his head toward the Haven pack. “Until our next adventure.” He jerked his head toward the door.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Craig promised his sister when he stopped to hug her. He found himself enveloped in a huge family hug, his siblings and their spouses surrounding him.

“I want to spend some real time with you.” Quinn frowned at him. “But I guess that will have to wait until you tie up loose ends and find Evie.”

“We’ll spend some time together soon. I promise.” Craig yearned to have life go back to some semblance of normal. He missed his family and his work. But none of that compared to the emptiness in his heart Evie had left when she’d run.

He had to find her and talk with her.

Damek was waiting. Craig could sense his growing impatience so he quickly said his goodbyes, left his family and hurried outside. Damek peered up at the night sky. “Come. We still have work to do. This is a good time for you to test your skills. I want to see just how strong your mind is.”

Evie ran and ran and ran until she finally collapsed against a brick wall. She’d only used her preternatural speed for a short time before reverting to normal running. She wanted to exhaust herself so she wouldn’t have the energy to think.

It was over. She’d staked Vladimir in the heart, but it was Craig who’d delivered the killing blow, taking off the vampire’s head. But none of that would have happened without Damek’s help.

She owed the ancient vampire big time.

She’d brought nothing but trouble to Craig and his family and friends. The best thing she could do was disappear out of his life. His family certainly wouldn’t want her around, all things considered. And she couldn’t blame them.

Dawn wasn’t far off. She wondered what Craig was doing and immediately chided herself for it. She had to let him go.

Why?

She ignored the soft voice in the back of her head. Maybe she should have stayed and helped them deal with the aftermath of killing Vladimir. She’d left them to dispose of the body and clean up the mess. “You’re a coward.” She pushed away from the wall and started walking. She was afraid now that the threat was over and Craig could settle back into his old life that he might not want her. Better to leave than to be left.

Once again, she’d fallen back into the pattern she’d lived her entire life. When you let people get close to you, they inevitably let you down and hurt you.

But Craig hadn’t. He’d put himself in front of her, protected her. And she’d done the same for him. His family and the werewolf pack had stood beside them, fighting for them as well.

She absently rubbed her chest. She ached to see Craig, to touch him. As it was, she could feel him inside her mind and her heart and knew he was safe. That would have to be enough.

Glancing around, she realized she was in her old neighborhood. She trudged to her building and pulled the door open, barely noticing how easily the lock gave way with her preternatural strength. She was outside her apartment door before it occurred to her that she didn’t have any keys.

She didn’t want to damage the door. Of course, it might not even be locked. No reason to believe Vladimir would have bothered. She turned the knob and, sure enough, it opened easily. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door wide. Her belongings were strewn everywhere. Not that she had much, but what she owned was one jumbled mess scattered all over the floor.

Evie shut and bolted the door. She stepped over her clothing and books, ignored the open paints and canvases strewn across the floor and grabbed her pillow off the daybed. The curtains had been dragged down and the rod hung haphazardly from the window frame. There was no window in the bathroom so she’d be safe there. She trudged into the tiny room and tossed her pillow into the tub. It was pitch black, but with her perfect night vision, she could see her reflection in the mirror—sunken eyes, pale skin and the sad expression on face.

She could still smell blood and knew it was on her. No way she could sleep knowing Vladimir’s blood was on her.

Evie pulled her sweater off and used it to clean off as much of the blood as she could. She wondered if she could salvage it. She’d liked wearing Craig’s sweater. It was like having him wrapped around her. The garment was probably damaged beyond repair, not just with blood, but with rips and holes from the fight. She reluctantly tossed it aside.

Then she grabbed a facecloth and wet it under the tap. She rubbed at her arms, neck and face, cleaning away the remnants of the battle. She rinsed the facecloth several times until it no longer ran with blood. A shower might be the best thing, but she was too tired, not just physically, but emotionally. She promised herself she’d take one tomorrow night as soon as she woke.

She went into the other room long enough to find a clean shirt and pull it on. Then she went back into the bathroom and shut the door. She climbed into the tub and curled into a little ball, hugging her arms around herself. It was only then she really allowed herself to think about the mess of her life. She wondered where Craig was and what he was doing. The first tear fell and then another. And as the night waned, Evie cried herself to sleep.