Fated Absolution (15 page)

“You had a bad dream and they were afraid you’d hurt yourself again. The leather straps they used couldn’t hold you so they resorted to those. Beastly things, but you were fighting pretty hard,” Savannah said with another pat to her arm. “You should have seen poor Kyle. We thought the man was going to tear that doctor’s arm right out of the socket for making you moan.

As for the meeting with Aaron, that was three days ago love. You’ve been in here for four days.”

Savannah had seated herself on the side of her bed and was fingering the cuffs. And before Maddy knew it the cuffs were off her but still closed and attached to the bed. “We’ll have to put you back in them before we leave, don’t want you to have to try and explain how you got out.”

“No, no of course not. I…thank you, I think. But I couldn’t have been here for four days.

He said that he was coming—” Maddy stopped suddenly, not sure she wanted these people to know about that part of the dream. She was supposed to remember something. Her Grammie told her to…something.

“I’m sure she knew what you were and gave you the means to fight your tormentor,” Mel said as she sat down. The chair just suddenly appeared behind her. “And you aren’t human. Well not totally I think. You are half human but the other part I’m not sure yet. I’d like to touch you please? You have a spell on you, a protection charm. A very strong one if it’s kept me from feeling you all these years.”

Maddy felt her first tingle of fear. Not of these women but of what they would tell her.

She had a feeling that this was not going to end well. Not for her at any rate. She pulled her arm back and tucked it under the sheet.

“I…I’m sure you’re mistaken. I’m just a normal person. Not that you aren’t normal or a person, it’s just that I’m not half anything. Well that’s probably not true, right now I feel about half baked.” She looked at the three women and felt the room closing in on her. She could feel the air being sucked out as she sat there. “I can’t breathe, I…I need some air.”

Frantically she pulled at the IV in her arm and tried to get the rails down on the bed at the same time. It wasn’t until she felt Savannah’s touch that she calmed down. It was warm and comforting. Her heart rate seemed to slow and her breathing became easier.

“Shhhh, it’s all right. You’re just a little stressed right now. Close your eyes.” Maddy did as Savannah asked. “That’s it. Calm breaths Maddy, in and out. Good girl, now I want you to think of Kyle, reach for him mentally, see him in your mind. When you have a clear picture, I want you to say his name, form the word in your head and wake him.” Maddy nodded and did as she instructed, not really sure why but said his name.

“Kyle?” S
he felt a little silly, but was immediately engulfed in a glow of warmth. She felt him, felt him as if he were standing right next to her.

“Madison, are you all right?” S
he heard the concern in his voice and the slight amusement too.

“I…You’re there. I didn’t know what to expect, but there you are. Where are you? I
mean, I’m sorry, it’s none of my business where you are.”
She felt better for just being able to speak to him, to hear his voice. That scared her a little, but she didn’t want to analyze that just now.

“You can talk to me anytime you want. I’ll always be here for you.”
His laughter seemed to move over her and through her.
“I’m at the mansion in my lair. My sheets smell of you. I
wouldn’t let Duncan change them. I wanted to be able to smell you whenever I wanted. I want to
bring you back her and make love to you. Would you like that Love, to come back here and fuck
each other senseless?”

She felt his arousal then, and he sent her graphic thoughts of them together. Maddy felt her body flame up and her pussy expand, her need immediate. She wanted him, right now and she didn’t care how.

“I guess you were able to talk to him.” Maddy had forgotten that they were there, and blushed harder because she was sure they knew what they had been talking about. “We don’t cross the line into mates, but from your blush I’d say it would be worth the risk. Feel better now?” Maddy realized that Savannah had done that to make her feel better and to calm her.

“Thank you. Yes, I feel much better.” She felt the connection between her and Kyle lessen and knew that he’d fallen back into a light sleep. “You say that I’m not completely human, how do you know?” Might as well join them she thought, it was much easier than fighting them.

“Good girl. I’ll be in to see you when the sun is going down. You and I have much to talk
about.” A
nd with a finally erotic thought Kyle fell into a deeper sleep. She could still feel him there, but she could also feel him at rest.

“I’m not sure, but something wants to get to you. I can smell it on you now. And Kyle told us he could smell it on you a few days ago.” Mel had pulled her chair closer and put a small basket of fruit on the little hospital table that hung across the bed, after taking an apple she handed the whole thing to Maddy.

“That’s right, I remember now. He asked me what I’d been burning. It was the next morning. The voice had come to me that night.” She pulled an apple out as well and was slightly disconcerted that one appeared in the same place to replace it. She looked up at Mel and was winked at.

“It’s my basket. I love fruit and take it with me everywhere. The fact that it replaced the fruit you took tells me that you have some magic in you, strong magic. Otherwise it would have waited until you were no longer present or not looking to do so.”
Of course
Maddy thought, a basket that knew more about her than she did.

“So this is a test of sorts.” Anger made her mouthy…well more so anyway. “What’s next, you sit down a hat and I pull a rabbit out? I don’t like being put on display like some kind of performing monkey.”

“The basket wasn’t a test I assure you. I simply wanted you to eat more fruit. Living with a vampire can be sorta draining, no pun intended. I was more surprised than you were the basket accepted you.” Mel wasn’t mad or upset Maddy could see. She seemed amused more than anything.

“So, I have magic,” Maddy asked as she took a bite of the apple half expecting it to do something to freak her out. “What kind of tests do you have to throw at me?”

“I’d like to take your bandage off if you don’t mind. You were cut very badly just a few days ago and I want to see how well you’ve healed.” Elizabeth moved toward the bed as she spoke.

“Okay. But what do you hope this proves?” Maddy began unwrapping the gauze not sure why she was complying and more than a little afraid that she was.

She was very careful not to bump the wound. When she was perhaps two or three layers from the skin she stopped. Her stomach had started jumping. She didn’t want to see the deep gash again. Watching it bleed like it did when it happened was enough.

“I can finish for you. Just turn your head please just in the event that we’re wrong about you. I know that you don’t want to look at it so soon after it happened.” She felt Mel gently remove the final layers and heard her hiss of breath.

“It’s bad isn’t it? I…I didn’t realize the knife was so sharp when I was using it. And it went in so quickly that I didn’t even feel the pain until just before I hit the floor.” She still wasn’t ready to look, but knew eventually she’d have to change the dressing herself.

“It’s healed. There isn’t even a scar. I thought as much.” Mel sounded so smug that Maddy wanted to hit her.

“That can’t be, I…oh shit, and it’s gone. You can’t even tell where I cut myself.”

Maddy ran her hand experimentally over the area, the turned her arm over to check the other side. It really was gone, nothing there. When she looked down at the gauze she noticed little black threads caught in the material. It made her dizzy to realize that it was the stitches that the doctor had put in to hold the wound together.

“I think I’m gonna be sick…” She suddenly had her head between her legs, and was held there by one of the women.

“Breathe deep. I take it you’ve never done this before?” It was Mel’s voice, but it might have been Savannah’s as they sounded the same with the blood roaring through her ears.

“Passed out, cut myself or healed this fast? Because I gotta tell you,” she said slightly panicky, “I can’t think past those little black fuzziness.”

Kyle woke around sunset and made ready to go to the hospital. They were releasing her tonight and he wanted everything perfect for her when he brought her home. He’d had Duncan pick her up several pies from Sam’s Bakery and he’d also had him bring in fruit and juices. He wanted to keep her healthy.

He’d been pleased and surprised when she reached out to him this morning. He grinned when he thought of her reaction to the images he had sent her, the need she was feeling. He couldn’t wait to get her home, and beneath him. And he wanted to complete their bond. His need for her to taste him, to drink from him was paramount.

He could hear Mel’s laughter when he got off the elevator and then Madison’s. His entire body reacted to the sound as if she’d stroked him. He’d never had such a reaction to a woman before and was still marveling at it when he opened the door to her room.

Every eye in the room turned to him, but he only saw her. Her cheeks were rosy and flushed; her hair was hanging down and mused. The hospital gown she had on was unbuttoned save one and her creamy shoulder and neck beckoned him, his mouth watered at the sight. He could hear her heart beating and felt his own pick up the pace when hers did. Even from across the room he could see the beating of her pulse at her neck.

Moving forward he nearly reached her and the bed when someone took the flowers from him. He’d forgotten all about them, he brought her daisies, colorful daisies.

“Hi. I didn’t expect you…I mean I thought you’d have to…you know, have dinner.” She looked away, her face red.

“No. I didn’t. I came as soon as I could. They’re letting you go tonight and I thought you’d need a ride home.” He was flustered and unsure of himself. He was fourteen hundred years old for Christ’s sake and was acting like a teenage boy.

“I was going to take her home. She has some things she needs to get from her friends, and then she’s staying with us at the pack house for a few weeks.” Kyle growled at Bradley. Bradley just grinned in return.

“Did you just growl at him? Oh grow up. He was kind enough to offer a place for me to stay. Why on earth would that make you mad at him?” She asked him.

“He knows. And you won’t be staying at his house, or any others. You’ll be coming back to the estate where Sara is.” He folded his arms over his chest and glared at her.

“Sara is there because she lives there and in case it has escaped your notice, I don’t. What the hell does that have to do with anything?” She couldn’t be this dense he thought, he’d bet even Mac could figure it out.

“She’s a woman, and the pack house has no bitch, so you won’t be staying there without one.” He glared at her harder to make his point but for some reason he felt he was failing. “I mean it Madison; you’ll be coming back to the house with me tonight.” He sat down in the chair and waited for her to comply.

“Oh I got news for you, you big headed jerk, no matter where I’m at there’s gonna be a bitch.” She got up from the bed and he stood up as well. She started poking him in the chest with her finger, hard. “I don’t know who you think you are, or where you think you might have gotten the idea that you are in any way shape or form my lord and master, but you are not going—” He wasn’t going to let her win in this.

“I am your mate and I will—”

“You will shut your fucking mouth while I’m talking,” she shouted right back at him. “I have never…And you,” She’d turned on Aaron so quickly Kyle thought he might be off the hook. “Don’t you dare pretend that you aren’t laughing. Coughing isn’t covering anything.” She turned back and picked up just where she’d left off with him. “You will get out of this room and you will not return, or so help me I will cut that impressive dick of yours off and plaster it to your forehead. That way everytime you look in the mirror, you’ll see just was a dick head looks like. Mel, you said I could come to the castle. I’ve never seen a castle. I think it’s time I visit one.

Right now.”

With a whirl of magic, both Mel and Maddy were gone. Kyle sat heavily down in the chair and rubbed his chest where she had poked him a good dozen times. He looked over at Aaron then at Sara. He felt like he’d be hit with a bat.

“That could have gone better.” He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but it slipped out before his mind could censure it. Aaron’s laughter only served to piss him off more. And when he looked to Sara for help, thinking as a woman who needed protecting she’d understand, but knew immediately that he’d find no help from that quarter. Her tears of laughter were streaming down her face faster than Aarons. “You people are nuts.” He murmured as he got up and left the room. He could hear their laughter all the way down the hall.

~~~

The next morning at seven forty-five Maddy was in the downtown courthouse waiting for Danny to show up and her escort for the day. Mel had told her that she’d be better off taking the person to stay with her until they found out who was threatening her.

Her first official case on her own, and nervous did not even begin to cover how she was feeling. She’d gone over her case several times last night and had finally given up and took a walk around the realm. She’d been gone from the room about five minutes when she realized that she was in a place where no human need tread. She’d seen more creatures in that few minutes than she’d believed were real. She spent the rest of the night huddled under the covers in the massive bed she’d been given.

Maddy tugged at her skirt again, trying to bring it down to at least her mid thigh. When she had realized that she had nothing to wear today, Mel had suggested that she wear something of hers. They were about the same size and there were plenty of beings around that could handle a needle, a few who could fit into the little eye.

“Will you stop pulling at your clothes? You’re going to look all rumbled if you keep that up. You look fine. Trust me.” Mel said with a grin.