“You drugged your alpha?” Heider’s mouth formed an “O” of surprise.
“Yes, well, it was either drug him or watch the guy peel skin from a human’s body in front of who the hell knows how many college kids.” It was already going to be a bitch handling the situation from the campus. When Aidan was back to normal—when, not if, when—then the alpha could do some serious damage control. Aidan would need to make sure plenty of people forgot all about the events of that day.
Paris raked his hand over his face. “Look, right now, priority one is making sure Aidan is all right. So finish examining him, okay?”
“He’s fine. You got the silver out. You saved him.”
No, I didn’t. Sure, he’d gotten out the silver, but Paris thought Jane may have saved the alpha long before he’d arrived on scene. But Paris hadn’t gotten the full story about what happened. Not yet. He figured Jane’s brother was the one who knew that particular tale. “Finish his exam,” Paris ordered once more, then he turned and marched from the room. He wasn’t the least bit surprised to find Garrison pacing just outside of Aidan’s office.
“Is it…true?” Garrison asked, his hand moving to yank on his shirt collar as if it had been choking him. “Is Jane dead?”
He hadn’t felt for a pulse, but then, there hadn’t been a need. “Her neck was broken and she was covered in blood when I left her.”
“But…but was she dead?”
“Yes.” He was certain of this. “She’s gone, Garrison. I’m sorry.” Because Garrison and Jane had formed a friendship. An odd one considering that Garrison had shot her the first time they met but…
Garrison’s family had been killed by vampires, the same as Jane’s. They’d shared that pain.
“I…I think I’m going to visit some friends out of town for a while.”
Paris didn’t comment on the tears he saw gathering in Garrison’s eyes.
“I don’t…” Garrison pressed his lips together then continued, “I don’t want to be here when she rises. I can’t turn on her.” His hands fisted. “I swore to protect her, and I won’t lift my claws against Jane, no matter what.”
Even when she comes to rip out your heart? “You know it won’t be her. She’s gone.”
“I’m going to visit some friends,” Garrison said as he turned away. “Call me when…call me.” Garrison hurried toward the stairs.
Paris didn’t stop him, even though he straight-up knew the guy was lying. Garrison’s friends? Those would be…
Me.
Aidan.
Jane.
Tension gathered at the base of Paris’s neck. This situation was such a severe clusterfuck, and as far as he was concerned, there was only one way out of it. He pulled out his phone and then realized it had blood on it—Aidan’s blood. I touched the phone after I dug the bullets from my alpha. He swallowed back his rage and his fear, and he called the one person who could help him.
Annette Benoit answered on the first ring. Her voice was soft and sad as she said, “Jane’s dead.”
“Yes.” Fucking hell, yes. “And I need to make sure she stays that way.”
“Then you want the fire.”
Yes, dammit, that was what he’d wanted. A special batch of fire that would burn hell hot…hot enough to stop a vampire-in-waiting from ever rising. Hot enough to turn Jane into ash. And that batch of fire could only be created by a special voodoo queen—after all, she’d made it in the past. A guaranteed way to stop a vampire. Permanently. “Hurry.”
***
“Your alpha is fine.” Dr. Bob Heider marched out of Aidan’s office thirty minutes later. “Fine except for the drugs you gave to him.” Bob sure wouldn’t like to be around when Aidan unleashed his fury on Paris. “Good luck handling him.”
Paris never changed expression. “Someone will be waiting on your exam table.”
What the hell? “Another kill? You need to get that rogue werewolf under control!” He marched for the stairs.
But…Bob stopped.
A woman was there. A gorgeous African American woman he’d seen before. At Aidan’s place in the swamp. Her long, black hair skimmed her shoulders and power seemed to shine from her eyes. Oh, shit. They called in the voodoo queen. She made her way toward him and offered Bob the bottle in her hands.
He frowned. “What is this? Some kind of wine?” Like he’d take a drink she gave him. His mama hadn’t raised a fool.
“It’s fire.”
“Uh, no, it isn’t.”
“When you break the bottle,” she said, her voice oddly soothing, “the fire will rage. It will destroy completely. The beast won’t have a chance to be born.”
He glanced at Paris. “Is she making sense to you?”
“Jane was there when Aidan was attacked.”
Bob’s heartbeat suddenly seemed very, very fast in his chest. “She’s okay?” She had to be okay or else Paris would’ve had him treat her, too. She must be—
“She’ll be on your table.”