“Right. Not you.” She rubbed her neck. “And Jane isn’t exactly an ordinary human. Aren’t you worried—at all—that there could be repercussions from what you’re doing?”
“I’d given her my blood before this attack. She was fine after taking it.”
Her eyes widened. “Just how many times have you given Jane your blood?”
“I gave her my blood twice last night.” Because she had been so severely injured. “And once before that. And she seems fine.”
“It’s werewolf blood, though. Alpha blood. That you’re giving to a vamp-in-waiting.” Annette’s face showed her worry. “What will that do to her?”
“It will keep her alive.”
“Aidan…you know better. Frankenstein isn’t the only one who can make monsters.”
“Jane isn’t a monster.”
“Not yet. But—”
The bedroom door flew open. Dr. Bob stood there, his eyes wild. “You need to see this—see her!”
“What’s wrong with Jane?” Aidan shoved him out of the way.
“Nothing…nothing at all!” Dr. Bob’s voice broke with excitement. “The stitches were barely hanging on and when I removed them—
Jane wasn’t in bed. She stood, studying herself in his mirror, his shirt hiked just beneath her waist. She wore only his shirt and the pair of blue panties he’d put on her the night before. Jane wouldn’t have liked waking naked and so he’d wanted to make sure she was comfortable and—
Jane touched her stomach and twisted her body a bit as she stared harder at her reflection. He saw the slightly raised skin on her right side—that long ago burn that would forever mark her but…
Jane turned toward him. “What happened to me?”
But there were no other marks on her. The deep claws that had ripped into her stomach hours before—there was no sign of the damage from those claws at all.
“Aidan?” Jane’s voice was confused, a little scared. “What happened?”
The floor creaked behind him. He knew that Annette had followed him into the bedroom, he’d caught her light, distinctive feminine scent. “This is what I was talking about,” she whispered. “You give a vamp-in-waiting your blood…and you don’t know what will happen.”
“She’s healed,” Dr. Bob said, his expression still dazed. “I thought she was dying, but you can’t even tell Jane was injured! Even as I cut the stitches away, her skin was getting stronger. It’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Jane still clutched his shirt in one hand and her other smoothed over her stomach. Then that hand slid to her side and pressed to the old burn mark. “Aidan?”
Jane’s scared. “Dr. Heider, Annette—thanks for your help.” He moved toward Jane, positioning his body protectively in front of her. “But it’s time for you both to go.”
Dr. Heider was still gaping.
And Annette—she just looked worried.
“Go,” Aidan said again, pushing some power in that word. This time, they left. He waited until the door closed behind them, then he turned toward Jane.
Her eyes were so big. Dark and deep and confused. “I shouldn’t look like this. Not after the attack.”
Aidan reached out his hand and touched the smooth skin of her stomach.
Jane flinched. Then she was grabbing his hand, holding tightly. “Aidan, what is happening to me? Is something wrong with me?”
“Hell, no,” Aidan gritted as he touched her soft skin. “You are absolutely perfect.”
***
Paris led Annette out of the mansion. Dr. Heider had already fled, as fast as he could possibly go. But Annette found herself lingering. She paused at Paris’s car, then glanced back at the mansion.
Paris opened the passenger door for her. How sweet and all gentleman-like. She still didn’t get in the vehicle. “You need to watch Aidan’s back.”
“That’s what I’ve always done.”
“No, I mean from the threat he won’t see coming.” She hated to say this, but fear was blossoming inside of her. “He loves Jane so much. He’s bent nature to keep her safe.”
“Yes, um, I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about.”
“He’s made a new monster.” And his actions were going to change everything. “He gave her his blood—three times. The lucky three…” There was a reason the old tale about three blood exchanges had been pushed in popular culture so much. But three blood exchanges didn’t make a vampire. Just one would do that.
Three…three links you. Three gifts of blood given—given so freely—from a werewolf to a vamp-in-waiting. That could not be good. “She’s even stronger now. Jane’s healing at an incredible rate.” And Annette didn’t think enhanced healing would be the only side effect to show itself.
“But that’s good, right?” Paris asked as his perfect brow wrinkled. “If she heals fast, then she’s less likely to die in that whole violent way that would kick in the vamp genes.”
Her gaze lowered. “I don’t think it’s good.” She’d need to scry as soon as she got back to her shop. “I think it could be very dangerous.” Very, very bad.
In order to save the woman he loved, Aidan may have crossed a line—a line that would bring them all pain.