Lewis stared , wide-eyed, at Monica before making eye contact with me. I sneered. “Heaven help the lot of you if she dies because of this.”
I wasted no more precious time. My foot lifted in a swift kick aimed right for Lewis’s stomach, sending him stumbling backward. As he fell to the ground, I secured Monica as tightly as possible and ra n for the back entrance. Angels in the architecture looked down upon me. If the Order had been intending to show me the error of my ways, the lesson was sorely lost .
W e made our way into the night, headed for the only place I could think of going. Vampire speed saturating every step along the way, I rounded a corner and disappeared down an alley with Monica.
My next stop: Temple University Hospital.
***
As an assassin, I rarely experienced genuine fear. Whether I lacked the same emotions I possessed as a human or if it was part of being so desensitized to danger, I hardly found myself fazed and certainly never unnerved. It was what made me an effective killer for five years.
That being said, as I ran with Monica in my arms, I had to fight for every ounce of composure I retained in our dash through the city streets. Wing-tipped shoes pounding on asphalt and splashing in freshly-created puddles, I dodged the drops of an impromptu spring shower, my damp clothes clinging more to my body the closer we got to our destination. I could not tell if the chill running up my spine was from the rain, or from the anxiety I harbored over Monica’s well-being, but a prayer ran through my mind in case it was the latter. ‘ Fates, if you truly exist, do not permit this woman to die. Not like this. Not now. ’
“I wish I knew what the hell you were thinking,” I said aloud, “Fucking altruistic witch. First, you allowed yourself to be bitten on my account, and now you take a bloody stake to the chest. If I did not know better, I would think you suicidal.” Sighing to myself, I continued running. A plan, a plan… Damn it, I was going to need a plan when I arrived at the hospital. Would I pass her off to the first person I found? ‘ Yes, and how do you plan on expl aining the stake, you daft seer? ’ Frowning at myself, I cycled through who I could trust and where I should hide, but time ran out before I could decide on a course of action. The lights of Broad Street rushed upon me, and with them, the signs pointing to the emergency room entrance. “Hold on a bit longer.” I glanced down at Monica and frowned. “I shall make certain you are tended to.”
My eyes lifted toward the sliding glass doors leading into the hospital. Throwing caution to the wind, I charged forward, not missing a beat even after the doors parted and granted me entrance. The triage nurse bolted to a stand when she saw me head directly for the area past the waiting room . Another man – broad-shouldered and tall – clamored to his feet as well from behind a desk I did not recall there before. He wore a navy blue uniform with a badge affixed to his chest.
Splendid. A security guard.
I paid no further mind to either. Kicking the door at the metal bar, I sent it flying open and continued onward . The security guard caught the door as it closed. Patients and doctors spun around to take in the sight of a pale stranger charging through with a bleeding girl. I caught the eye, though, of the one person I sought in all the chaos.
The heavy-set nurse took a double take and frowned when our eyes met. She stepped forward, though, and intercepted me just as the security guard closed within feet of us. I paused long enough to watch Chloe raise a hand and block him from proceeding any further. “I’ve got this one, Rufus,” she said.
His eyes flicked toward us and returned to her. “I expect to hear what the holy fuck this is all about afterward,” he said, his face contorting in a scowl. I turned my back on both. Heading for an empty room, I disappeared inside and set Monica down just as Chloe entered behind