Jordan Summers - [Dead World 01] (25 page)

How many other people like her existed out there? Was
she the only one?

She flopped over, then twisted violently. A whim
per escaped past her full lips. Sweat beaded her
body.
Morgan sat up and leaned closer. Her arms flailed in an attempt to
fight off an invisible attacker. She was having a nightmare. Morgan reached out
to touch her, to wake her before she injured herself.

Gina lurched forward, nearly toppling out of the bed,
and screamed. Her eyes flew open a second before the tears fell. Morgan jumped
out of his seat and caught her. He pulled her into his chest. She fought for a
moment, until her mind registered whose arms enclosed her.

"It's okay. I've got you," he soothed,
rocking her gently.

Gina clawed at his arm as if he were the only life
vest in the middle of a roiling sea. "I had a dream," she gasped,
crying harder.

"I know," he said,
brushing the hair away from her
face.
Morgan pressed his lips to her moist forehead, taking care to avoid the knot.

She snuggled in closer. As much
as he wanted to,
Morgan
couldn't resist kissing her again. He trailed his
lips down the side of her face,
following her delicate
jaw line. When he neared her mouth, she turned, meet
ing him.

Morgan groaned as the kiss deepened. Her tongue darted
out. tentatively, teasing his lips, luring him closer. How many nights had he
dreamed about the feel of her mouth upon him? It seemed like an eternity. She
was as sweet as he'd imagined and more.

His hand fisted in her shirt as he drew her closer.
The urge to strip her bare was strong, but
Morgan's
common sense was stronger.
She'd been through a hell
of an ordeal. No matter how bad he wanted to
fuck
her, this was not the time. He wanted
her whole and
willing
when he took her. Not scared and injured.

Morgan's body ached, demanding that he finish
what he'd started. He forced his hands to release
her,
then he pulled back. The loss of
warmth from her lips
left him bereft. He took a shaky breath. Gina's
chest
rose and fell deeply. Her eyes were
glazed when she
looked at him.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, breathless.

"Not because I wanted to," he grit out
between clenched teeth, his erection throbbing. "But you're hurt," he
reminded them both.

She nodded, but didn't look happy about the situation.
"Will you at least stay? I don't want to be alone."

"I
haven't
moved. I'll be right there." Morgan pointed to the chair he'd positioned
near the rest pad.

Gina shook her head. "No,
here with me." She pat
ted the spot
beside her.

Morgan closed his eyes. She was killing him. The
thought of sliding into the rest pad beside her had the blood roaring into his
ears and other parts of his already hard body. But he couldn't deny her, not
in this.

"Sure," he said
through the tightness in his throat. Morgan took his shirt and shoes off, then
crawled in beside her. He lay on the rest pad, his muscles tense.
Gina curled up next to him, her warmth tempting his
senses, daring him to hold her. Morgan fought to re
main impassive, but lost the battle quickly. He turned,
dragging
Gina into his arms until her back rested against his chest.

She stiffened when his erection brushed her bottom,
but then relaxed. He was grateful because he didn't want to fight with her and
he certainly wasn't going to apologize for his condition. A few moments later,
he heard the telltale signs of sleep. Morgan closed his eyes, resting his chin
on the lop of her head, while her soft hair tickled his nose.

She felt so good lying next to
him, better than he'd
imagined. He could
easily get used to this, but knew
he
shouldn't. Gina would be gone the second the mur
derer was found. Logically, he knew that, but his heart
wasn't
listening.

He was just about to doze off when the vidcom
chirped. He pressed a button to lower the volume
be
fore it woke Gina. then hit another to answer the call. Morgan prayed
it wasn't Jim Thornton with news of a body. He didn't know how much more he
could take.

The screen brightened and Morgan released the breath
he hadn't known he'd been holding. Kane's smiling face appeared before him.
"How's Jesse doing?" Morgan asked, his voice a whisper.

"She's as well as can be expected. The healing
has begun, so I think she'll survive. How's my other patient?" Kane
asked.

"She's fine. A few nightmares, but nothing serious."
Morgan shifted Gina until he could look directly into the vidcom.

Kane's gaze followed his movements. A second
later, his smile dropped. "Yeah. I can see
that," he said,
no longer looking at Morgan.

Morgan glanced down and swore under his breath. Gina's
erect nipples were visible through her thin T-shirt. He moved fast, tucking her
back under the covers. For some reason, he didn't want Kane or any other man
looking at her that way. "It's not what you think," he said.

Kane's expression hardened. "Are you in the rest
pad with her?" he asked, his voice low and oddly strained.

"Yes, but—"

Kane cut him off. "Then it
is
exactly
what I think."

chapter
fourteen

Anger roils through me, surging until I can barely
breathe.
The odor of disinfectant
fills my nostrils as I dispose of my bloody clothes, destroying the last
remnants of Gina's lovely fragrance with them. My fist clenches until the bone
cracks. I release it and grab the old mic, bringing it
slowly to my mouth. A second later,
I
murmur a com
mand
into it.

I've barely had time to hang up
the mic when a page
blasts
over the antiquated intercom system, calling all nurses on duty to room 308.
I slip into a nearby room
before the stampede begins,
cracking the door so I can
watch the
people rush by.

It will take them awhile to reattach all the
life-support tubes I disconnected, while they wait for the on-call physician to
arrive. Unfortunately, that won't save the patient. Peterson may not have died
peacefully, but at least he left this planet for a worthy cause. After all,
true love doesn't occur everyday.

The last of the staff rushes by.

It seems my little diversion has
served its purpose.
They are completely
unaware of my presence.

My shoes squeak as I make my way down the
dimly
lit
hall. I never heard that sound before, but I
guess it's always been
there. I suppose I've been too focused to notice until now. Strange how it's
the little things that you miss.

They put Jesse Lindley into room 104. It's at the far
end of the opposite hall from room 308. Funny how that worked out. She should
still be sedated for the pain, but awake enough to realize who's come to visit.

I'm sure when she opens her eyes she'll be as excited
to see me as I am to see her. Too bad she doesn't have the capacity to scream.
It would make our time together all the more pleasurable.

Glancing up and down the empty hall, I take a moment
to listen to the sounds around me. No footsteps herald a nurse's approach, but
I hear a frantic com
motion as they fight
to save Peterson. I smile and slip
into Jesse's room.

Her eyes are closed and her jaw
is bound, preventing movement. Pale skin showcases the blue bruises
forming on her cheeks and around her eyes. I slide a
chair in front of the door. It won't bar anyone
from entering, but it will slow their progress and give me time
to
escape. Not that I'll need to. They don't ever see
me, not even when
I'm
standing right in front of them.
You
could say that while I'm here I am invisible.

I lean over Jesse and inhale.
Blood fills my nostrils
and my arm begins
to throb where her canines ripped through my skin, tearing muscle.
Subconsciously, I rub the spot, fighting the feelings of revulsion and
betrayal. I jerk my sleeve up and glare at my arm. The angry wound will heal,
but not quickly.

Wolf bites rarely heal fast.

I would have gladly welcomed Jesse into the pack when
I became leader. All she would've had to do is
promise loyalty and obedience, but now that moment
has passed.
She lost her chance when she attacked.

It'
s
her
fault that the sheriff has my woman ensconced in his home. He's probably
marked her by now, which means only death will break their bond. How could this
have happened? I was so close. A
growl of
pain and frustration rips from my throat as I glance down at the old woman lying
before me. Who
knew the bitch was so strong?

I take several deep breaths. I must calm down.
What's done is done. If I close my eyes, I can
still feel
Gina wrapped lovingly in my arms, pressed against my body,
her ass snuggling my cock. If it wasn't for
this
one-eyed bitch, she'd still be there. She ruined everything. My anger rises
once more like lava erupt
ing from a volcano.

How dare she attack me?

Me of all people.

Her disrespect will cost her dearly.

I step closer and extend my hands, curling them around
her bandaged throat. The gauze scratches my sensitive palms. It takes little
effort to apply force. All I have to do is squeeze.

Jesse's face begins to turn a delicate shade of red.
It's a pretty color I'd like to see more of. She still hasn't moved, which
tells me the drugs are working in my favor as I'd hoped.

A gurgle escapes as her lips turn blue. I smile. The
sound is music to my wolfen ears. This is such a delightful game that I don't
know why I haven't played it until now. Cocking my head to get a better look at
Jesse's face, I decide I must try it again soon.

Just a few more seconds and
it'll
be all over.
I re
lease my hold to draw out the moment. I don't want the pleasure to
end so quickly. I realize when I start to choke her again that I'll have to
take care of the sheriff next. It pains me to do so, but he sealed his fate
when he took Gina away. Besides, like Jesse, he's done enough damage already.

The door behind me bangs as it hits the chair. The
screech of metal gliding over the floor fills the room. I only have a moment to
release Jesse and smoothly run my fingers along her throat. She gasps, air
filling her starved lungs as the nurse appears by my side.

"How is she doing?"

I glance her way and grin. The nurse's features relax
and soften in invitation.
Maybe later,
I try to convey with my gaze,
before answering. "She seems to be fine now. A moment ago she was having
trouble breathing, but the obstruction appears to have lifted. I'd say she's
one lucky lady. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear she was a cat with nine
lives."

The nurse laughed, showing genuine relief in her amber
eyes. "I doubt Jesse would appreciate that ob
servation. She's a dog person all the way." She walked
around the rest pad to smooth out the linens.

"What brings you here tonight?" I ask,
careful to keep my expression benign.

"The sheriff asked me to call him when she stabi
lizes." She tilted her watch to check the
time. "It's late, but he said he wanted to know the second it
occurred."

"I don't think he wants to be disturbed right
now." My voice hardens before I can stop it.

She frowns in confusion. "But he was quite insistent."

"You know Morgan, he just
wants to be kept in the
loop." I slip my mask of civility back on. "Don't worry,
the world won't end if you notify him tomorrow."

"Are you sure? I really don't mind, since my
shift ended a few minutes ago. I just wanted to check on
my patients once more after that weird incident
in the
other wing before I contacted him."

I feign ignorance. "What happened?"

"Didn't you hear the announcement?" she
asked.

"No, I must've missed it. I've been wrapped up in
my own thoughts."

She nodded in understanding. "It's probably nothing."
She waved it off. "Everyone's been jumpy since they brought Jesse
in."

"That's understandable." I display a
measured amount of concern until she feels she can confide in me.

"It looks like someone disconnected Carl Peterson's
life support. He flatlined before we could reach him."

"Oh no."

"It's horrible. We found his tubes removed and ly
ing on the floor. The staff speculates that he
was dead
before it happened." She glanced around the room as if
suddenly afraid to be overheard.