With a Kiss (4 page)

Marcus brushed a hand against his own skin. He was damp now too.

“I’m sorry,” Liam whispered. A shiver ran through him. He was soaked through the skin.

Marcus lifted a hand and held it out toward the boy. “You offered to help me back to my bed.”

Just as Marcus suspected, the reminder brought Liam hurrying back to his side, just like the good little submissive he was so blatantly cut out to be.

It should have been the other way around. Marcus should have been the one supporting the younger, weaker man. He knew that, in a part of his soul that went even deeper than his desire for blood. He was the one who should have all the strength, who should be offering to help and heal his new submissive. The fact that their roles were reversed was enough to send a wave of familiar anger coursing through him.

Vampires weren’t designed to be helpless! They were designed to feed.

As Liam pulled him awkwardly to his feet, Marcus reached out and put his hand on the door, easily keeping it closed in the face of the hospital staff a little while longer. His gaze homed in on Liam’s neck. Everything would be so simple, so easy if he took just a little from the boy.

Marcus could damn near taste Liam’s blood filling his mouth; imagine the hot sweet liquid caressing his throat as he swallowed it down. Every cell in his body ached, crying out for the energy and the pleasure that blood would bring with it.

Lifting his gaze to meet the other man’s eyes, Marcus swallowed rapidly.

Liam blinked and seemed to refocus in on the world around them. He dropped his gaze but he still remained close, allowing their bodies to brush against each other in his desire to support him. As scared as he obviously was, Liam slid his arm cautiously around Marcus’ naked body.

Marcus somehow found the strength to lift his arm and allow the other man into his space. Liam took hold of the wrist resting on his shoulder, as he turned within Marcus’ embrace.

The moment Marcus stepped away from the door, all hell broke loose. A few more stumbling steps forward under Liam’s guidance and Marcus was able to half sit, half collapse on the edge of the hospital bed, his head spinning and stomach turning over the supreme effort of sitting upright without anything to support him.

Catching hold of Liam’s hand to stop the boy’s retreat, Marcus saw the panic in his eyes as noise and confusion filled the room.

Marcus raised his other hand. “Enough!”

The word brought blessed silence down around them. Marcus dropped that hand and turned his head to look at each member of the crowd packed into his room in turn. They were all staring at him with the same dumbfounded expression in their eyes, as if they’d never seen a vampire wake up before!

As much as he longed to chase them out, Marcus pushed down the desire. “One doctor and one nurse can stay. The rest of you, get out.”

After much frantic whispering by the door, every word of which was loud enough for his vampiric senses to pick up if Marcus actually gave a damn about anything they said, two people separated themselves from the rest of the group.

The doctor—a Dr. Blackhill according to his name tag—turned to face Liam as the others left. “If you’d like to wait outside while we examine Mr. Corrigan,” he began.

“He stays here.”

The doctor looked from Marcus to Liam and back again before he squared his shoulders and tilted back his chin. “If you don’t release him, then security—”

“Won’t be any more of a match for a vampire than any other human,” Marcus cut in.

The doctor faltered. His body language retreated. His hands rose in a conciliatory little gesture. “If you need to feed then we can arrange for—”

“I don’t want a blood whore. Check his injuries. Make sure he’s not seriously hurt. If you’re not capable of that, go find a doctor who is.”

The room fell silent. Marcus didn’t have to turn his head to see how quickly the boy’s anxiety levels were sky rocketing. He could practically feel the panic emanating from him.

A nurse stepped forward.

Marcus glanced at her name tag. Jenny Trent. Her expression was wary, but her movements had a determination about them that the others who had entered the room had lacked. “Hi, Liam.”

“Hi.”

Marcus watched her run an assessing gaze over Liam before turning her attention to back to him.

“He needs dry clothes. I’m going to open the door and ask one of the other nurses to fetch him some clean scrubs and a towel.”

Yes, dry clothes. He should have thought of that. Marcus nodded his permission to the nurse.

Rather than rushing to do his bidding, she looked at the floor by the bed. “Your IV fell out. I’ll ask for another bag of blood to be—”

“Human,” Marcus said.

Jenny opened her lips to speak, but the doctor got there first. “It’s hospital policy not to waste our limited human blood supply on—”

“Would you rather I feed from you?” Marcus cut in.

“What! Who do you think you’re—?” the doctor began to bluster.

“I am going to feed in the next few minutes,” Marcus said. “It will be on human blood. From a bag or from your neck, I don’t care which.”

The room fell completely silent. Still standing right next to Marcus, Liam was suddenly acutely aware of every beat of his own heart. Rumor had it that vampires could hear a human pulse from miles away; they could home in on whoever they wanted to feed on and…

Liam closed his eyes and did his damndest to remain calm. There was nothing to be afraid of. It wasn’t exactly the first day he’d wondered if he wouldn’t be better off dead. Perhaps it would be easier if Marcus did feed from him. It was supposed to be a pleasant way to go.

He was vaguely aware of Jenny going to the door and speaking to someone on the other side of it, but Liam couldn’t make his mind focus on anything at all. It was as if the whole world were full of cotton wool. The air was dense and fluffy. Movements had to be slow. Thoughts were even slower, as they too fought their way through the soft white fog.

Liam remained next to Marcus, but he wasn’t really present in any real sense of the word. Marcus was awake. He’d heard every syllable. Liam wasn’t ready to deal with a third bombshell.

“The hospital has rules for a reason!”

Every muscle in Liam’s body tensed as the doctor’s sudden yell pushed its way into his mind. He flinched away from Dr. Blackhill, knowing what kind of pain angry voices usually led to.

Turning his head, he looked instinctively toward Marcus.

The vampire still sat calmly on the edge of his bed, still apparently unconcerned by the fact he was stark bollock naked.

Anger burned in Marcus’ eyes. It was impossible to imagine that the fact he was in a hospital made him any less dangerous. Just because he could barely stand, that didn’t make him any less bloodthirsty. Hell, after three years, he had to be more desperate to feed than ever.

Liam stared at the pure fury in Marcus’ expression for several long seconds, unable to move, unable to think, as trapped as any rabbit in the headlights had ever been.

Marcus’ attention was all on Dr. Blackhill, until, without any warning, it swung around to Liam. The vampire’s eyebrows drew closer together. His expression mellowed slightly. “Everything’s fine, Liam. This is nothing you need to worry about.”

Liam found himself nodding, even though he wasn’t entirely sure what he was agreeing with. “Can I…can I help you back into your bed?” he asked, cautiously.

Their gazes met. Marcus seemed to think about it for a long time before he gave a curt nod. Liam wasn’t really sure how to help him. It seemed like he did little more than fuss around the edges of the bed straightening the blankets than anything else, but Marcus let out what sounded suspiciously like a relieved little sigh as he lay back. Liam knew he’d been right to ask then. Marcus was exhausted.

As he lay his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes, the other man was instantly transformed back into the Marcus Liam had become so familiar with over the last few months. Without thinking about it, Liam pushed the vampire’s hair back from his face, the same way he had so many times in the past.

It was all Liam could do not to leap away from the bed when Marcus opened his eyes again.

Liam’s hand went to his own mouth. His lips still tingled from the kiss.

The sound of the door opening behind him made Liam peer over his shoulder. He saw a set of scrubs and a bag of blood being handed to Jenny. Just a moment later, the scrubs were placed in his hands.

“You know where the en-suite is,” Jenny said.

Liam wasn’t sure why he felt he had to look to Marcus for permission to leave the room, but he didn’t take a single step until the vampire nodded to him.

As he closed the door in the far corner of the room, Liam dropped his head forward and rested his temple against the woodwork.

He’d heard it all. Marcus had actually been listening to him the whole time. Liam closed his eyes very tightly and ignored the way his head throbbed in response. A shiver ran down his back and called him back to more immediate concerns.

Quickly stripping off his wet clothes, Liam picked up a towel and rubbed vigorously at his skin, trying to warm himself up, as much as dry himself off. Skirting around sore spots as much as possible, he hurriedly finished up with the towel and pulled the scrubs on.

His ribs called him an idiot for rushing. The sense of foreboding he felt at leaving Marcus all alone with people who were practically strangers to him, didn’t care what his ribs had to say.

As soon as he was covered, Liam stepped back into the hospital room. Everyone promptly stopped talking. Liam looked from one face to another and finally to the hook on the stand alongside Marcus’ bed, where the new IV of human blood should have been hanging.

Nothing.

Liam frowned slightly. There had definitely been a bag of blood delivered. He lowered his gaze and spotted an empty IV on the floor near the other side of Marcus’ bed.

Stepping forward, Liam picked it up. The bag was empty, but it was definitely the one that had contained human blood. It now harbored two puncture marks, about an inch and a half apart as well. Something had slicked cleanly through the toughened plastic. There wasn’t even a residue of blood remaining. It had been… drained… completely… dry…

Liam’s thoughts slowed down until they might as well have been treacle being poured from a great height. Doing his best not to let anyone see the way his hands shook, Liam walked across to the waste bin in the corner of the room and dropped the empty bag into it as if it were just another bit of litter.

“Isn’t there something you should be doing?”

Liam looked across to Marcus, but the vampire wasn’t talking to him.

“I told you he needed to be checked out. Don’t just stand there,” Marcus snapped at the doctor.

Dr. Blackwell turned to Liam. His expression was completely blank, but Liam had heard enough gossip to know the other man by reputation. He had no interest in treating anyone who wouldn’t get his name into a medical journal.

Examining a vampire who just came out of a coma was just his kind of thing. Dealing with a few scrapes and bruises would just be a waste of his time and skill.

“What happened?” Dr. Blackwell asked, boredom barely concealed by a thin veneer of professionalism.

Liam looked in every possible direction bar directly at the doctor’s face. Shrugging slightly, he wrapped his arms around his body. Even with the dry clothes, he was still chilled down to the bone.