The Vampire's Bat (7 page)

Seamus’s eyes quickly turned back to normal as did his
nails. He hurried next to her and squatted down. “
Shh
,
it’s
okay
,
sweetheart. You’re safe.
Remember? I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. Tell me what is wrong.”
Watching her cry was ripping his heart from his chest. He hated seeing her so upset.
Wanting to see her laugh, he said, “As
Alphy
says,
‘tell me what’s wrong so I can either fix it, or kick its ass.’”

Maysa
let out a snort that he recognized as amusement. Grabbing a tissue, he handed
it to her. After cleaning her face, she looked ready to cry again. “I’m sorry.
I felt so afraid you were going to bite me.”

Seamus’s eyes got big. “Oh,” he said, stunned to
realize who was to blame for her fear.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad.”

“Sweetheart, I’m not mad. You don’t need to fear me. I
understand you are terrified of needles right now. I admit I wanted to taste
you very much, but I would not have done that without your permission. Only a
rogue would ever do that. I have never bitten anyone without permission.”

Maysa
looked like she was thinking that over. He helped her to stand up and was
pleasantly shocked when she wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t hesitate to
encircle her within his arms. She felt so good there. It wasn’t a moment that
got his dick to interfere, but a feeling that washed a relief of comfort and
rightness all through his fatigued body.

He kissed the crown of her head, noticing she only
went up to his chin.
Maysa’s
body shook, and he heard
a giggle escape. “What’s so funny?” He asked with amusement.

“Guess the ass you
gotta
kick is your own.”

Seamus chuckled. “You’re right. I blame
Alphy
for this.”

Chapter Six

Maysa
hated being so afraid of Seamus’s bite. She knew it wasn’t him she was afraid
of. She just somehow knew without a doubt that he would protect her from everyone
and everything, including himself.

Both sides of her wanted him to taste her. Her heart
was in it, her mind wanted it, and most of her body wanted it. But when the
moment was presented, her body rebelled and her mind shut down.

With her body wrapped in his, she inhaled his scent.
It was intoxicating and did all sorts of things to her, but she didn’t get any
hallelujah chorus singing epiphanies that this was her mate. Her parents told
her she would just know and that her bat would tell her. And her bat definitely
wanted him, but it didn’t whisper “mate” to her like she had heard others had
experienced. Breathing in his scent, she scrunched up her forehead with what
she just noticed.

“What are you thinking?” he asked. His words were
refined, and his voice was low. She could feel it stir up the butterflies in
her stomach.

“I don’t scent that you are a vampire.” Worry and fear
knotted in her stomach. Tears welled in her eyes. “Yesterday, when I saw the
badger, I thought it was a shifter, but couldn’t scent it, but later I saw him
shift so I knew he was a shifter.”

She pulled away and sniffed around the room. “I only
smell humans, but they are shifters.”

“Whatever those scientists did to you probably altered
your sense of smell.”

Tears streamed down her face, and she was once again
being warmed by Seamus’s embrace. “Is it permanent? What if I can’t ever smell
right again? What if it prevents me from scenting my mate?” Seamus went rigid.
Emotional hurt drifted to her nose. It was mixed with concern. “I can scent
emotions, so why can’t I recognize other scents?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out.”

His voice sounded strained to her. She remembered the
letter he wrote the other night.
He
believes I’m his beloved
.

“Seamus, I feel such a strong pull towards you. This
feels right, and I feel I can trust you. I feel
a
pull
,
but I don’t hear my bat saying you are
our mate. But it wouldn’t let me leave when I thought to move on. I stayed much
longer than I meant to, because she fought me. I don’t know what to think.”

Maysa
felt a warm breath exhale into her hair, and the body surrounding her relaxed a
bit. “Try to think of being with another man. Think of another man’s arms
holding you right now instead of mine. How does it make you feel?”

Maysa
closed her eyes. Using the visual of one of the other men she just met, she
imagined his arms around her and suddenly gave a shudder of revulsion. Her
stomach soured so intensely that she was afraid she would throw up.

Seamus chuckled. “No need to tell me what you feel, I
can scent it. I wish I could tell you for certain if we are destined or not,
but vampires just don’t know for sure until we’ve tasted the person’s blood.
There have been occasions where the other wasn’t a beloved. Though we have
indicators, sometimes we can develop a connection with someone who isn’t our
destined and we have to taste them to know.” He trailed soft kisses in her
hairline before continuing. “Let’s just go a step at a time. How about I do a
physical on you?”

Maysa
arched a brow and leaned back to look up at him. He looked down at her and
pinked, but chuckled.
“Naughty, naughty.
I didn’t mean
it like that.” Then he groaned. “Darn it. Now you’ve got me thinking it.” She
smirked when she felt his hardened length brush against her before he pulled it
back to hide it from her.

Seamus led her to an exam table behind another room
divider.

“You really know how to optimize your space
,
” she said.

“Thank you. I’ve had to. I originally got this stuff
to one day start a clinic and hospital for paranormals, but I’ve ended up using
most of it already.” Seamus helped her up onto the table. Grabbing his
stethoscope, he began taking her vitals as he spoke. “You heard his speech last
night. We have had several attacks, started by a herd alpha
who
attacked Gale’s brother, nearly killing him. The alpha was an elk, someone who
had no business taking on a predator shifter like
Alphy
,
and yet he continued to stupidly let his enforcers target us.” Seamus finished
placing a blood pressure cup around her arm and started to pump it up. “They
almost succeeded in kidnapping
Alphy’s
sister, his
mate, and his mate’s mother.” He paused briefly to listen to the pulse in her
arm as he slowly let out the air. After writing down the results, he grabbed an
otoscope and
a specula
to go over the tip. “That was
Alphy’s
last straw. He called the alpha up and challenged
him. The idiot had, by that time, no choice but to accept. He knew he couldn’t
win, so on the day of the challenge, he had the alpha house attacked, hoping to
take Gale captive to pressure
Alphy
to lose. Okay,
hold still.” Seamus looked in one of her ears, then the other. After he
finished, he threw the little black tip away. “Then, there was the visit to the
herd. During our stay there, we were attacked.
Almost lost
Slate.
Say ‘ah’.” Seamus used the light and a tongue depressor and
looked into her mouth. After throwing the depressor away, he grabbed another
disposable tip and placed it on the otoscope. “After that, it was Slate’s
mother and sister who were attacked, and they flew down to rescue them. Let’s
see.” Seamus stopped and looked at the wall as he brought up his memories.
“Then Slate and a few others were shot at and crashed their car. Uh,
Havana—that’s
Alphy’s
sister—she was abducted, and
Nix’s mate crashed a plane with
Alphy
and Gale in it.
Alphy
had a branch spear his stomach from it. And it
would be just a week ago tomorrow, Nix was shot.” Seamus turned to her and
smiled as he indicated he wanted to look up her nose.

Maysa
sat quiet, absorbing all the drama this pack had already been through. But
Seamus wasn’t finished. Throwing the disposable tip away, he leaned his hip
against the table. “And everyone is still talking about Slate’s mate, Katie, my
nurse, who it was just discovered is pregnant and expecting triplets.”

Maysa
couldn’t take any more. “Hold it, stop.
Triplets?
Shootings and plane crashes? All that stuff has happened in just one month?
Seamus, how could this pack be through so much and still take me in? The people
who are after me are powerful.”
Maysa
felt doubt
swamp her.
There is no way this little
pack can help,
she thought to herself.

“Stop,”
he said
gently
as h
e took both of her hands in his. “
Alphy
is very powerful, and fate has blessed him, a lot.
He’s not one to back away from a challenge, believing he’s given it because no
one else can do it. And both of us believe that you were brought to us for a
reason. Don’t underestimate us.” His thumbs rubbed over her hands, both calming
her and exciting her.

She dropped her eyes and exhaled a breath she didn’t
realize she was holding. Seamus moved closer and drew her closer, pressing her
head against his chest. She could hear the thump, thump of his heart, the sound
and rhythm further calming her. She leaned back and asked. “So did you see
anything in my exam?
A mucous covered scent
-
stealing monster or
mite or something?”

Seamus laughed. “No monsters or mites. Everything
looks and sounds normal. I won’t be able to do more until I get a chance at
seeing your blood, and I won’t push you on that just yet. If I detect your
health is compromised in a life
-
threatening way, I will be
honest and say I will push to take some then, but we can just wait and see for
now, if that is what you want.”

Footsteps were heard making their way up the stairs.
Maysa
answered with a nod just as she heard
Alphy’s
voice. “Knock, Knock.”

“Come on in,
Alphy
,” Seamus
called out. He grabbed her hand and helped her off the bed. They met at the
table, sitting down in the chairs.
Alphy
held a
tablet up for her to see what he had on it. It was Google Maps, with the
satellite view. “So here we are up here.”

They spent twenty minutes looking over the map,
pulling up street pictures until they found the building she had escaped from.
“That’s it! That’s the one. I escaped out of that window, right there.”
Maysa
was excited she had found the building. It was in the
area of Buffalo, New York. She wasn’t sure if it was a good excitement or a
terrible excitement, because she was happy she was successful in locating where
her family, and others, were being held, but was sick with the memories of what
she endured there. She really didn’t want to go back.

“Good work,
Maysa
. I’ll get
a plan and a team together. Sea, I have to ask that you come with us.”

“Undoubtedly.
Maysa
.”
Seamus brought her closer to his side, his arm already
around her
.
It hadn’t moved since he had helped her off the exam
bed. “Would you like to come with us?”
Maysa
felt the
blood drain from her face. Seamus’s eyes widened, and he quickly added, “I
meant to wait for us at a hotel. If your family is still there, I just thought
you would like to see them, and seeing you could help them feel more at ease,
in return.”

Maysa’s
heart started to slow
,
and blood returned to her
face. “Uh, yeah, that would be good, I think.” She gave him an apologetic look.

“
It’s
okay
,
Maysa
,
”
Alphy
said, beside her. “You have to have been through a great deal recently.

“I talked with Tyler. He mentioned that we should, if
possible, bring everyone who’s been held against their will, back here for the
time being. But if you’d like,
Maysa
, even if you
aren’t Sea’s mate, you would be welcome if you chose to stay here on a more
permanent basis.” Without waiting for a response,
Alphy
turned back to Seamus. “You’ll need to pack right away. We can make further
plans from a hotel room, but I want to get going within the next few hours.
Oh,”
Alphy
added, turning back to
Maysa
,
“the girls wanted to get you some new clothes. You can go with them if you’d
like, or just tell them your size and tastes, whatever you wish. But just so
you know, my mate and my sister are a little too excited about this, so there’s
no telling what they come back with if you don’t go with them.” He smiled and
winked at her before turning, exiting out the door as he chuckled.

Maysa
felt Seamus press a kiss against her scalp. “Did you want to go? I can go with
you, if you’d like. It’s all up to you.” He spoke into her hair.

Goosebumps prickled her skin on her arms. “But
Alphy
said you have to pack.”

“I have emergency medical kits always at the ready, so
I’d only need to pack my clothes. I can do that when we pack yours. It will be
fine. But don’t feel pressured by me, if you just want some time with the
girls, then that is okay, too.”

She felt his hand smooth down her hair that hung down
past her shoulder blades. More goosebumps tickled her scalp, making it feel
like it was crinkling. “I would like it if you could come with me. I am still
too afraid of large crowds, but I believe I can do it if I’m with you. I think
then I would only have to worry about not being able to say no to the girls if
they wanted to get something for me that I really hate.”

Seamus laughed. “I can see that happening. Both girls
are … dramatic, but they’re harmless if they like you, and they like you.”

“Don’t kid yourself.”

Maysa
nearly jumped when she heard the unfamiliar voice. Seamus rubbed his hands on
her back as he slightly turned to greet the new arrival.

“Good morning, Katie. Sweetheart, this is Katie,
Slate’s mate and our resident nurse. Katie, this is
Maysa
.”

“Hi,
Maysa
.
You’ve got all the girls excited to meet you.” Katie
extended her hand
,
so
Maysa
took it in greeting. “We’re all really happy you’re here and excited to have
you join the ‘queen bees’ as
Kace
has been calling
us.” Katie rolled her eyes. “I swear he’s cornier than Tyler.
Always something to do with bears and honey and some-such.”

Seamus placed a small kiss on
Maysa’s
head. “I’m going to go get some clothes on. I’ll be right back.”

Maysa
turned back to Katie. “Are you coming with us?”