Love at Stake (Entangled Covet)(54)
“Lucian,” she called, walking forward. “Christian. Stop.”
She saw blue eyes flash toward her and then widen. Her grip tightened on the stick in her hand as she continued.
“Get back,” Lucian commanded as he dodged Christian’s fists.
“This can only end badly,” she yelled. “Humans are everywhere. You will expose yourselves.”
Christian snarled something unintelligible and raced for his opponent.
Taking a deep breath, Abbey ran into the fray.
For a moment she felt as if she’d stumbled into a whirlpool. Bodies raced around her in blurs. Her eyes couldn’t focus on anything long enough to make sense of it. Wild growls filled her ears as though she’d just dropped into the middle of a wolf pack intent on tearing its prey apart.
“Stop!” she screamed, swinging out with the stick.
Her attack hit nothing, but claws flashed across her vision, snaking toward her face.
An arm wrapped around her waist and hauled her back just as the attack would have landed.
Lucian turned his back to Christian as he sheltered her against his chest. He cried out against her ear. His arms tightened around her almost painfully but he didn’t release her.
“Christian,” she cried. “Stop. Stop!”
Silence met her words. No snarls, no hisses. Not even a birdcall in the nearby trees.
Lucian slumped to his knees, his arms still around her. She twisted in his embrace to see what had happened and gasped.
His back was in shreds. Claws had ripped the flesh so deeply she could see bone. Blood matted his shirt to his skin before dripping into the dirt beneath them.
“What did you do?” she whispered, looking up at Christian.
He looked as shocked as she felt. “I thought he’d defend himself. I shouldn’t have been able to touch him.”
“He was protecting me,” she cried. “Something you didn’t seem too interested in doing.”
He tried to explain himself. “When the wolf rises, I can’t control it.”
“Leave,” she ordered him. “Get out of here. You’ve done enough damage.”
“Abbey—”
“I want you gone!”
Christian looked at his bloody hands, then back to her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
In a flash, he was gone. Leaving her alone with a heavily bleeding vampire.
“Lucian?” she whispered, cupping his face. “Lucian, talk to me.”
His head lolled against her shoulder.
“Dammit,” she muttered. What the hell was she supposed to do? She could go to the bar but she knew Lucian would want that route avoided at all costs. His reputation was everything and being this severely injured was something he’d want kept quiet. Which left her with few options.
“I’ll be back,” she whispered, laying him down.
She ran to the street and hailed the first taxi she saw. When the yellow cab pulled up, she handed him a fifty. “I’ll give you another if you help me take my friend home. He’s extremely drunk.”
The cabbie’s eyes fixed on her wallet. “Don’t let him barf in the cab.”
“Great. Thank you. I’ll just be a minute.”
She raced back to Lucian, tearing off the black overshirt she’d worn with her dress. Carefully she wrapped it around his back to hide his injuries. As long as he didn’t bleed all over the place, no one would ever know.
“You have to walk,” she said. “I can’t carry you by myself. Please, Lucian. I’ll take you someplace safe but you have to help me.”
With a groan, he pushed to his feet.
Abbey supported him, careful of his back. Together, they managed to stumble to the cab and get Lucian in the backseat.
She jumped in with him and gave the cabbie her address. It was far closer than Lucian’s East Side apartment.
“Stay with me,” she whispered as the city streaked by the window. “Lucian, don’t you leave me. Not ever.”
Chapter Twelve
Something smelled wonderful.
Lucian groaned, feeling like his limbs were moving through sludge. Fire burned on his back, making it impossible to roll over.
“Shh,” a soothing voice whispered. “You’re safe, I swear.”
Blearily he forced his lids to open.
For a strange moment, the world didn’t focus. When it did, he saw the loveliest sight he’d seen in days.
Abbey leaned over him, a cloth in her hand.
“Abbey,” he whispered, his lids threatening to close again.
“Hey. You can’t sleep yet. Christian did a number on you.”
His lips curled in a silent snarl. The werewolf. He remembered the claws striking toward Abbey. He’d shielded her and the wolf had pressed his advantage.