Forbidden Hunger

EXCERPT:

Siya tried to concentrate on her own patients while also keeping an eye on Hannah—aka Emery’s—room to make sure they didn’t leave and also checking her phone every chance she got for Demi to call her back.

It was as if time moved at lightning speed yet also at a snail’s pace.

After what felt like forever, Siya’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She quickly excused herself and went out into the hallway since it was closer than the break room.

“Hello?” she asked without even looking at who had called.

“Siya?” The voice was male and deep. It wasn’t Demi but rather her mate.

“Hi, Saxon.”

“We’re about to walk in from the parking lot. Can you come and meet us in the waiting room?”

“Yes. I’ll be right there.”

Siya went back into the ER and told the tech sitting at the desk that she had to run out into the waiting room to get a patient’s family member. It was the best way to bring Saxon back to Emery’s room.

The tech nodded but didn’t look up from the computer, and Siya hurried to find the cat-shifter sentinels. Right before she walked out, she glanced back at Emery’s room. Jane walked past the door but turned and looked out the little window there. Her eyes met Siya’s, and Siya quickly turned away to push open the door to the waiting room. She hoped that Jane—whoever she was—didn’t suspect Siya was keeping track of her.

She couldn’t wait until Emery was safe and away from Jane.

For some reason, when Saxon had said we, she had thought he meant himself and Demi. But she should have realized that Saxon wouldn’t bring Demi into a dangerous situation; plus, Saxon had been the one to call her, not Demi.

Needless to say, she had not expected to see Ram standing next to Saxon. Both stood tall, broad, and intimidating, but Ram was the one who had her pausing her steps.

So, the question of whether or not he still affected her was answered. And it was not the answer she had been hoping for.

After more than six months since she’d seen the vampire, he still made her breath catch and vagina tingle. Her biology was fucked up because this was not the man for her.

Thankfully, her nursing training kicked in. She had to remain in control of her emotions plenty of times while working, and Emery was much more important than her attraction to Ram.

It did take a little more concentration though with his yellow eyes practically boring a hole into her as she walked toward him and Saxon.

She briefly made eye contact with the vampire before turning to the cat-shifter. Even if Siya didn’t have history with Ram, Emery was a cat-shifter, and Saxon was the better choice to go in as her father.

Although…

“What’s wrong?” Saxon asked.

“My thought was to bring you back as Emery’s father, but you’re a little young. Also, you’d be expected to know Jane as her mom.”

“Jane?” Ram said.

“Um, the lady pretending to be her mother.” Siya had thought Ram knew what was going on.

“Her real name is Monica,” Saxon said. “And I’m not going to go in there.”

Vance and Vaughn walked in.

Saxon pointed to his alpha. “He is.”

“Hello, Mr. Llewelyn,” Siya said because her mother and father had taught her to respect her elders. “I can take you back with me.”

“I’m coming with,” Vaughn said.

Vance scowled at his son. “I can do this on my own.”

“I know. But there is Monica and the girl. You can deal with one while I deal with the other.” Vaughn looked at Siya. “You can say that I’m the older brother.”

“Sure. But we’d probably better go soon. Monica was eyeing me through the window.”

“Let’s go then,” Vance said with a nod.

“We’ll wait here,” Saxon replied.

Siya used her badge to open the door from the waiting room to the emergency department and headed straight for Emery’s room.

She knocked lightly, like she would with any other patient in case another nurse or a doctor was in there, before entering. But when she pushed open the heavy wood, the room was empty.

A heavy sense of dread washed over her. “Wait here,” she commanded before going to find Dr. Murphey.

Thankfully, it took her two seconds to hunt him down at the nurses’ station.

“Did you release room eight?” she interrupted.

The doctor looked away from the nurse he had been speaking to and frowned. “Eight? No.” He looked around. “Where’s Scott?”

“He’s in room four,” someone at the desk answered.

“As soon as he comes out, I’ll ask…”

Siya didn’t wait for Dr. Murphey to finish his sentence before turning and sprinting back to Vance and Vaughn. She already knew that Scott wouldn’t know where his patient was. Monica had fled and taken Emery with her.

“They’re gone,” Siya told the two cat-shifters.

“Shit,” Vaughn said. “Let’s hit the parking lot.” He looked down at Siya. “Is there another way out?”

She shrugged. “I mean, yes. It’s a hospital.”

“Fuck.”

“But I’m assuming they parked in the ER parking lot, so it’s still your best bet,” she said.

Vaughn snapped his fingers. “Right.”

The three of them walked toward the waiting room as quickly as they could without drawing attention to themselves and briefly updated Ram and Saxon.

The five of them headed toward the parking lot.

Or at least, Siya tried to. She made it as far as the sidewalk out front before someone grabbed her arm and hauled her back.

She already knew who it was.

Turning around, she used her eyes to throw daggers at Ram. “Excuse me.”

“You are not going out there. You could get hurt.”

Siya shook her arm. “Who cares? That young girl is already hurt. And it’s my fault they left.”

Ram’s grip didn’t budge, so she did the only thing she could think of to get a strong vampire who outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds to let her go.

No one was around, so she kneed him in the balls.

“Motherfucker.” Ram’s free hand flew to his crotch, and the one holding her loosened just enough for her to get free.

Siya didn’t wait for Ram to regain his senses. She took off in a direction that the other three hadn’t gone in. Emery had to still be there. Siya hadn’t been in the waiting room that long. Monica would have had to pull out the IVs and help the girl get dressed. They had to still be in the parking lot. They just had to.

She got to the end of a row, meeting up with Vance, but she didn’t see any movement in any of the cars.

“I didn’t find them,” she told the alpha.

“Me neither.”

The sound of heavy breathing startled her, and she spun around to find one angry yellow-eyed vampire zeroing in on her.

He winced every few steps, and when he reached her, he snatched up her hand and leaned close. “You are going to pay for that later.”

Siya raised her eyebrow and looked him up and down. “If you think I’m scared of you, you’re wrong. I know you won’t hurt me.”

“I never said I was going to hurt you. You are going to apologize to my dick and nuts with your mouth.”

She gasped, but Ram twisted them to face the hospital, ignoring her.

“I’m taking her back inside, where she’ll be safe,” he told Vance. “We shouldn’t be out in the open like this.”

A shiver traveled down her spine at the realization they were basically sitting ducks where they stood. She didn’t want to admit it to Ram, but she wanted to go back inside. Or at least, place herself between the cars again. She could hide there if she had to.

“Good idea,” Vance said. “I’ll catch up with—”

Suddenly, as if appearing out of nowhere, a car was headed straight for them, high beams on.

Ram quickly lifted Siya into his arms and bolted out of the way.

As it sped past, she felt the air brush her cheeks. There was no doubt how close it had been to them.

The car didn’t wait to see if it had done any damage. It flew out of the parking lot and turned the first corner, out of sight.

Siya wiggled. “Let me down. We need to check on Vance.”

“Shit.” Ram released her and rushed to the last spot they had seen Vance standing. “Sir,” he called out. “Sir.”

“Over here.” Vance stood up and slapped the dirt off of his shirt and pants.

“Are you okay?” Siya asked when she reached him, the nurse in her taking charge.

The older man winced. “My knee is a little sore, but I will be okay.”

Siya breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried he’d hit his head. Shifter or not, he was not invincible.

Vaughn and Saxon came running over.

“Dad, are you okay?” Vaughn sounded scared.

“Yes, I am fine.”

“He said his knee is causing him pain,” Siya informed Vaughn.

Vaughn slapped a hand over his chest. “Thank God. I was scared shitless for a second.”

Vance cleared his throat, as if embarrassed. “Enough about me. Did anyone get a license plate number, make, model, anything?”

“Minnesota plate, started with a Y. Dark blue or black sedan. But that’s all I got,” Ram said. He looked down at Siya. “What about you?”

She was ashamed that she hadn’t even thought to look, and she simply shook her head.

“It’s something,” Vance said.

“Reid’s going to be busy,” Saxon said.

Speaking of busy, Siya gasped. “Crap, I need to get back inside. I didn’t even tell anyone where I was going.” She met the eyes of all four men in front of her, except for Ram—she just looked in the general area of his face. “I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.” She was going to beat herself up over this for a long time. There were so many things she could have done differently to keep Monica from sneaking Emery out of the hospital. Now, the poor girl still had to suffer. “I highly doubt that Monica will come back, but if she does, I will let you know.”

All four men tilted their heads to the side, as if she had suddenly turned into a shifter herself.

“Siya, you need to come with us,” Ram said. “You’re not going back into that hospital, nor are you going home tonight.”