Desire Unchained (40 page)

“And that,” Shade said softly, “was for all of us.”

It was over. With Roag gone, his minions no longer held together. Some lost their

courage and became easy prey for Gem, Kynan, and the hospital staff, and the rest fled. Wraith,

probably more than half insane with bloodlust and the need for revenge, pursued, disappearing

up the winding staircase.

Runa shifted, and Shade hauled her nude body against his. “You okay? I’ll get E to heal

your injuries.”

“I can wait. Others need help more than I do.”

Shade glanced at E. “How is she?”

Tayla stood, brushing herself off. When many demons shifted, they retained their clothes,

and Tayla was one of those fortunate species. “I’m fine. Good as new.”

Eidolon seemed as reluctant to leave Tayla’s side as Shade was to leave Runa’s, but

several hospital staff members who’d come to the rescue were in bad shape. Still, Shade took the

time to kiss Runa, a lingering, hot meeting of mouths that promised more later. He owed her so

much, and he’d spend the rest of his life making up to her what he—and Roag—had done.

Kicking into medic mode, he broke away from her. Some of the injuries were severe

enough that Shade had to dip into the medic kit Kynan had brought. Fortunately, since everyone

except Runa was a medical professional in some capacity, triage went quickly, though they did

lose one physician assistant, a lion shapeshifter who’d been on staff for nearly ten years.

Walking woundeds took the more severely injured to the Harrowgate for transfer to the hospital.

By the time Shade and Eidolon had done all they could, they were both exhausted.

Someone had raided the rooms in the castle and brought down some of the sacklike

tunics Roag’s minions wore, so Runa and Shade donned them while Eidolon used the last of his

energy to heal Runa, Gem, and Kynan, and when he was done, Shade made him take a seat on a

wooden stool before he fell over. Tayla crawled into his lap and wrapped herself around him.

“Got all the bastards.” Wraith stumbled out of the stairwell, a mass of blood and gaping

wounds. “And Solice.” He swayed and hit the stone floor with a crack of kneecaps. “That bitch.”

“Shit.”

Shade darted to him. He and E reached their brother at the same time, each grasping one

shoulder to hold him up, and both sending waves of their power into him. Eidolon’s energy

began to knit the massive injuries together, but the process was slow … E was drained. Cursing

softly, Shade probed for internal injuries. Fortunately, Wraith’s organs were intact, but he was

dangerously low on blood. His head hung so his chin touched his chest and his long hair

concealed his face, and Shade wondered if Wraith was too weak to lift it.

“He needs to feed,” Shade said, coming to his feet. “Now.”

Straw on the floor stirred in the cold drafts and the silence. Gem stepped forward. “I’ll do

it.”

An erotic swirl of lust spun up like a breeze from Wraith, and E raised an eyebrow. “You

prepared for that? Because you’ll be beneath him with him inside you in about five seconds after

he starts feeding.”

She swallowed, but nodded. “It’s not like I’m a virgin or anything.” There seemed to be

some subtext there, but fuck if Shade knew what it was.

“No.” Kynan moved forward and knelt in front of Wraith. “I’ll do it. He’s fed from me

before.”

E stood and shot Shade a look of surprise that had to match Shade’s own. When the hell

had Wraith taken Kynan’s blood? And why? He couldn’t imagine Kynan allowing it, but Gem

didn’t seem surprised. Maybe … nah. Seminus demons didn’t do males—they could reach

orgasm only with a female. Though he supposed a Sem could screw around with a male as long

as a female was present. So had Gem, Ky, and Wraith …

Shade shook his head, needing to clear it. His mind was taking him places he did
not

want to go.

“Will he still need sex?” Runa asked, and Shade nodded.

“Best to have both at the same time, but if he can get blood now, we can find him a

female at the hospital.”

They backed away as Kynan rolled up his sleeve and offered Wraith his wrist. Wraith’s

nostrils flared, and before Shade could shout a warning, Wraith sank his fangs into the human’s

throat. Kynan flailed, convulsed once, and then relaxed.

“I’ll bet he doesn’t volunteer to do that again,” Shade muttered.

After a few minutes, Gem knelt next to Wraith, who growled at her, his gold eyes

viewing her as a threat to his food.

“Easy there,” she said softly, as she took Kynan’s wrist. “Wraith, you need to stop.”

Wraith jerked Kynan closer, taking long, powerful pulls as though trying to ingest as

much nourishment as possible before his meal was taken away.

Shade felt for Kynan’s pulse on the other side of his neck. It was fast, too fast, and weak.

He probed with his power, and yep, the human was too low on blood for comfort.

“Stop, bro. Now.”

Wraith sucked harder. Eidolon grasped Wraith’s shoulder and tugged him back.

“Dammit, you’re killing him.” E cuffed the back of Wraith’s head. “You’re going to kill

Kynan. Wraith!”

The gold in Wraith’s eyes faded, replaced by electric blue. He disengaged his fangs,

blinking as he came out of his bloodlust. Kynan sank to the ground, way pale and way

unconscious.

“Hypovolemic shock.” Shade caught Kynan’s head before it hit the floor. “We need to

get him to the hospital.” He shoved his arms beneath Ky’s limp body, but Wraith locked his hand

around Shade’s wrist.

“I’ll carry him.” The determination in Wraith’s voice left no room for argument. His

brother needed to do this.

“Fine,” Shade said, “but step on it.”

Twenty-two

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Kynan lay unconscious in the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV delivering B-positive

blood. Shade stood quietly at the foot of Ky’s bed, Runa at his side. Wraith sat close to the rails,

head in hands and looking as if he’d been through the Neethul slave pits a few times.

“He’s going to be okay, man.” Shade clapped his hand on Wraith’s shoulder, now

covered, like the rest of them, in scrubs, and his brother looked up, dark circles ringing his

bloodshot eyes.

“That’s what Gem said.”

“She wouldn’t lie.”

Wraith nodded. “I’m just going to wait until he wakes up.”

“And then?”

“There’s something I gotta do.”

Shade knew better than to lecture Wraith about eating junkies or getting into fights, and

after Roag’s little revelation about E being tortured when Wraith went over his monthly

allotment of kills, Shade had a feeling that Wraith would be careful from now on. At least, he’d

be careful not to kill. Careful with his life? That was another question.

Shade squeezed Runa’s hand, and they slipped silently out into the hall, where E was

waiting. Tay and Gem were talking a few doors down, giving them some privacy.

“How is he?” E asked.

“Ky or Wraith?”

“Both.”

“Ky’s looking better. Wraith …” Shade shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“I’m glad Roag’s torment is eternal,” Eidolon muttered.

“You and me both, bro.”

E gazed absently into the room, and then he turned back to Shade. “I have some good

news. First, Luc’s alive.”

“Say again?”

“Luc. You know, Runa’s sire?”

A surge of possessiveness had Shade clenching his teeth, but Runa stroked his fingers

with her thumb, bringing him down. “Yeah, you could’ve not mentioned that part.” The sire

thing stuck like a bone in his craw. “So how’s he alive?”

“One of your new EMTs found him. He resuscitated him, got him on life support, and

after that it was a waiting game. I just checked on him. He’s out of his coma and pissed as hell.

Says some burned thing disguised as you tried to kill him. Also says we just put off the

inevitable by saving him.”

“That boy needs an attitude adjustment.” Shade narrowed his eyes at E. “Hold up …

when did you learn he survived?”

“After we lost Roag in the park and you went back to your cave with Runa. I meant to tell

you, but …”

“Roag grabbed us.” Shade took a deep breath and asked Runa the question he really

didn’t want to know the answer to. “Can you sense Luc?”

She grinned. “I can’t feel a thing.”

Eidolon cleared his throat, and Shade knew there was some doctorish know-it-all speak

coming up. “His death, however brief, must have severed the connection, like what happened to

us when Roag died. I have a theory about that—”

“What’s the other good news?” Shade cut him off, because really, he didn’t give a shit

and wasn’t going to look a gift hell stallion in the mouth. Not that he’d do that, anyway, because

the things breathed fire.

E didn’t miss a beat. “Thanks to your information about Runa’s Army experimentation, I

was able to narrow my focus.”

“You saying you have a cure?”

Eidolon nodded. “I’m close. I was able to isolate the proteins that caused your infection. I

should have a vaccine ready in a couple of weeks. Month, tops.”

Yes.
Shade wanted to shout to the heavens. Wanted to grab Runa and twirl her around

until they were both dizzy. “What about Runa?”

She touched Shade’s shoulder, and her hopes and fears transmitted to him in a surge of

electricity. Eidolon’s expression quickly brought them both back down to earth.

“You can’t cure her,” Shade muttered. “Why not?”

“A warg’s bite alters human DNA,” Eidolon explained. “Whatever the military did to her

affected the way her genes synthesize proteins. Those proteins allow her to shift at will, and

they’re also what infected you—without altering your DNA. I can destroy the proteins in both of

you, and it’ll cure you … but all it will do to her is end her ability to shift at will.”

Runa blew out a long breath. “And I’d still grow fur during the full moon.”

“Yes,” Eidolon said. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m getting used to being a werewolf. It’s been handy a

couple of times. And hey, the quadrupled lifespan alone is worth it.”

Gods, that was something he hadn’t considered. If she became human again, he’d lose

her way too soon. He couldn’t handle that. Breaking the bond wouldn’t physically kill him, but a

broken heart would.

She squeezed Shade’s shoulder. “Get yourself cured. You’ve had enough to deal with

without having the werewolf thing on top of it.”

He didn’t deserve her, but man, he was so lucky to have her. He hated Roag with every

cell in his body, but the bastard had given him Runa. It hadn’t seemed like a gift at the time, but

now he would never regret the bond he had with her, even if it didn’t go both ways.

She knew what he was thinking. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “Markings or no,

you’re mine. I love you, Shade.”

He drew her hard against him. “But with the bond being one-sided, you still can’t feel

me. If I need you, if I’m hurt—”

“I’ll never be far from you. We’ll work it out.”

“Damn, I love you.”

She sighed, a sweet, soft sound he’d never grow tired of hearing. “Agree to the shot.”

“I’m not so sure I want it now.”

Eidolon backed away to give them a chance to talk.

“Don’t turn this down,” she said. “This is your chance to be free.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be.” He drew his finger along her jawline, enjoying the way her

champagne eyes darkened to a smooth, swirling caramel. “Maybe I like what we do to each other

during the full moon. What we do to each other when we wake up, and the moon is still stirring

us.”

“We’ll still have that. You can shapeshift into a warg any time you want.”

“Shade.” Eidolon came close again, bringing Tay with him. “There’s something else to

consider. Your offspring.”

“What about them? Runa isn’t human anymore, so they’ll be born full-blooded Sems.”

“Yes, but they’ll also be wargs.”

“Runa wasn’t a born warg, so that shouldn’t happen.” Humans who were turned into

werewolves gave birth to normal human babies—unless conception took place while the mother

was in beast form—but those born as werewolves usually gave birth to werewolves no matter

how the young were conceived.

“I think the experimentation could have screwed with that. If we cure the lycanthropy in

you, I can use your antibodies to create an immunization for your children. Even those conceived

in beast form during a breeding heat.”

Shade blew out a breath. He didn’t want the cure for himself, but he wouldn’t wish

lycanthropy on his offspring. Without mates, full-moon nights would be dangerous for them and

any female who got in their way. “Fine. Do it.”

Runa reached for his face with both hands and brought his mouth down hard against hers.

“I love you,” she said, against his lips. Her voice was a deep, husky rasp that lit him up the way

only she could. “And you know how I’m going to show you?”

He pulled back a little. “How?”

“You know that thing you never let me do when we were dating?” Her gaze flickered to

the rapidly growing bulge in his pants, and he took in a ragged breath.

The image of her on her knees, taking him into her mouth …
damn
. “I couldn’t let you,”

he croaked. “My semen is an aphrodisiac. I wouldn’t have been able to explain why you went

mad with lust afterward.”

Her wicked grin cut off his words and his breath. Nearly stopped his heart, as well. “Not