“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Do you think someone bombed the club on purpose?” Rory lifted his head and looked into Damon’s eyes. “Who would want to hurt all those people?”
“I don’t know.”
Damon slowly rose to a seated position. He held Rory against his chest, grateful that his mate wasn’t injured. “I don’t want to let you go.” He sighed, brushing a kiss against the top of Rory’s head. “But we should probably go out to the waiting room.”
Rory lifted his head and pressed their lips together. The kiss was sweet and gentle, a reminder that, in the midst of all the disorder and confusion, they were both still alive. Reluctantly pulling back, Damon smiled down at his mate. With his cheeks flushed and his lips swollen, Rory was the picture of perfection.
“Come on.” Damon tilted his head toward the closed door. “I don’t think we should keep this room occupied.”
Rory climbed off the bed. He held out his hand, and Damon took it, intertwining their fingers. They left the room, strolling back down the busy hallway toward the waiting room. When they stepped through the double doors, Damon paused when heard someone calling his name.
“Damon,” Gideon called out, moving through the waiting room crowd, rushing to his side. “Are you okay? Were you injured?” He looked back and forth between Damon and Rory, concern written all over his face.
Damon shook his head. “I just gave some blood. They’re taking Nicholas into surgery.”
“Jesus.” Gideon shoved a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe this happened.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I hope Nicholas is going to be okay.”
“He’ll be fine,” Damon told him. “He’s strong.”
“Of course,” Gideon agreed. “He’s a fighter.”
“Have you heard anything? Do you know what happened? Has anything been confirmed?”
“It was a bomb,” he confirmed.
“That’s what I thought.”
“I’ve got to get back to the club. It’s gonna be a long day. I came because I heard Sean and Blair were here. I had no idea all of you were here, too.”
“Are they okay?”
“Blair got hit in the back by some silver projectiles. They were able to remove them all. Once he shifted, Sean snuck him out of here. The humans get a little nervous when we shift.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Gideon placed his hand on Damon’s shoulder and gave a little squeeze in a supportive gesture. “I’m sure you’ll be getting good news soon.”
Damon nodded.
“I’ve got to get back to the club. I’ll see you later.” Gideon turned on his heel and headed for the exit.
How many people had been hurt? How many had been killed? Just thinking about it made Damon sick to his stomach. The Silver Bullet had been brought down by a bomb, and in the process, innocent people had been hurt, and some had probably even lost their lives.
A large crowd was still gathered in the waiting room. Damon was sure that they were waiting to hear word about their friends or lovers. Damon wrapped his arm around Rory’s waist, escorting him to the sitting area. Once Rory was seated, Damon walked around.
He couldn’t sit still. Pacing back and forth, Damon tried to stay in a positive frame of mind like Rory suggested, but it was nearly impossible.
As minutes turned to hours, the air inside the waiting room grew thick, making it almost impossible to breathe. Feeling lightheaded, Damon made his way to the plastic chairs and dropped down. He placed his elbows on his knees and steepled his fingers, resting his chin on the tips. Closing his eyes, Damon said a silent prayer for his brother. When the doctor finally emerged, Damon rose to his feet.
“Mr. Sabbath.”
“Is he…” Damon started.
“We were able to remove all the projectiles. Once we did, your brother shifted.”
Damon grinned. “That’s good.” He could only imagine the shock the human staff had experienced. It meant that Nicholas was going to heal. His brother would be okay.
The doctor glanced around nervously. “It might be a good idea if you…”
Damon nodded in understanding. “I’ll take him out of here.”
Chapter Six
Damon carried the jaguar, three hundred pounds of well-muscled animal, into the bedroom and laid him down. Damon ran his hand over the jaguar’s golden-brown and black-spotted fur, relieved to finally have his brother home, safe and sound. Now that he’d shifted, Nicholas’s body could heal properly. After everything they’d been through in their lives, Damon was grateful that a bomb hadn’t taken his brother’s life. They were survivors after all.