Page 18 of Blood Lost

Viktor

I was pissed that our lead didn’t pan out but hopeful that I’d be able to help the kid and his family out of a bad situation. It sucked to be backed against the wall and see no other option for survival. Turning to the drug trade was not a good job choice if I had anything to say about it. I wondered if the kid’s dad would call me. I couldn’t spend time worrying about that right now. I needed to focus on getting more information to protect Delilah. She was the top priority. I would burn the city down if it came to that. I wasn’t looking forward to meeting with the Council and pleading our case. I needed to connect Jones to the Powder operation.

Eli was quiet on the way back to his place. We’d regroup there before meeting the others at Declan’s place. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him yet, but he seemed like a stand-up guy. I’d done a background check the moment Delilah asked for him. There was no way I would turn her over to a maniac. He had a record, but nothing violent. Honestly, I would have been more worried if he’d been completely clean. There’s no such thing for a vampire. We all have skeletons in our closets. The only question is, how did they get there? Some men were proud of their past indiscretions. I was not one of them, and neither was Eli.

We promised to take care of Delilah and protect her. After spending so much time searching, it was killing me to be away from her. I wanted nothing more than to stay wrapped up in her arms and never leave her again. Logically, that wasn’t possible. I knew Eli felt the same way, and it seemed like Declan did, too, even though he didn’t know her as well as we did. Of course, he might know her better than we did with her amnesia. That thought killed me. I hated feeling jealous. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t push it away. Eli had been helping me work through it but adding another guy wouldn’t make it easier. I needed to get myself under control now.

I pulled the car into the garage and parked. “Are you up for sparring? I need to work out some aggression before we go back to Delilah.”

Eli raised an eyebrow at me, then shrugged. “I can handle that. We need to talk about all of this anyway.” He led the way to the elevator and pushed the basement button. A moment later, we stepped out into the full gym that he’d designed and built under his building. It had every machine imaginable and a climbing wall. What I was interested in was the boxing ring.

Once we’d changed to shorts, Eli led me into the ring. Gloves would have been a good idea, but neither of us ever used them. The point of us sparring was to feel the hits' pain and get it all out of our systems. “So, what do you think about him?” I asked as Eli ducked to avoid my first swing.

“I get a good feeling from him. He wouldn’t hurt her. He’s still kind of naïve when it comes to business dealing, but we can teach him. I think he was smart to seek an alliance.” Eli had always leaned on reading people’s emotions.

“I did a background check on him,” I said between taking a punch and returning it. “The usual, but nothing violent. I think he’s a solid guy. I’m not sure how I feel about sharing our girl with him, though.” I hated to admit that, but Eli was the closest thing I’d ever had to a brother.

He nodded, dodging and weaving as I threw punches that just didn’t connect. “I understand that feeling. It’s not our decision who she loves, though. You have to decide if you can deal with it or not. I’m all in. What Delilah wants; Delilah gets. Right now, she’s decided that’s the three of us.”

“I get that.” I finally connected a right hook with his jaw, and the feeling of satisfaction washed over me. “You know I’ll do anything she asks. Hell, I don’t even like sharing her with you. But she’s worth it. I just have to work out how to get through it.”

Eli threw a punch and swept my leg at the same time. I had no way to avoid it and hit the mat hard. “Do you need to fight him to make yourself feel better? What are you worried about? She’s not going to leave you unless you give her a reason.”

I knew he was right. Breathing hard, I stood up. “I guess I’m worried that he can’t protect her as well as we can. Maybe a fight is just what I need to assess how much training he needs.”

Eli laughed. “Don’t tell him that’s what you’re doing. It won’t go over well. Just tell him you like to spar and ask if he’s interested. I’m sure he’ll be game. I’d give it a day or so, though. You don’t want to scare him off.”

I agreed with him, so I pondered the best way to convince Declan to fight me while I tried to kick Eli’s ass. I landed a few punches, but I wasn’t entirely focused. He hit me more than I hit him. I hated to admit that he may have been a better fighter than I was. There was no way I would tell him that. Ever. Once we were worn out from beating on each other, we headed to the showers. I would need a couple of hours of sleep before we met the others.

After showering, I convinced Eli to call Declan and check on Delilah. He put the call on speaker, so I could listen without straining. “Hello?” It was Delilah’s voice that came through.

“Hey, love, is everything okay?” Eli asked, wondering why she answered Declan’s phone. I raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, Dec is asleep. I saw that you were calling and figured he wouldn’t mind if I answered. Did you find anything out?” Her voice was quiet. I could tell she’d been sleeping when we called.

“A bit,” I answered, “but not enough. We’re still hunting.”

“Oh, it’s both of you! Good. I was worried about you. I didn’t know what kind of trouble you were going to get into.” She chuckled, and the sound made me smile.

“Yeah, we’re both here. I think we’re going to get some sleep before we head over unless you need us now?” Eli sounded hopeful. Part of me wanted her to need us immediately, too. But it made more sense to rest and recover.

“I’m okay. Dec is taking good care of me. Thank you for understanding that I care about him too. I can’t imagine my life without you three. Everything will be perfect once we’re all moved in together.” Delilah sounded happier than I’d ever heard her.

“We’ll see you in a few hours. If you need anything, just call this number. Vik and I will come running.” Eli made sure she had his number. We would have to get her a phone. Why hadn’t I thought of that sooner? Of course, she’d lost her phone when Jones took her. Otherwise, Declan would have found out about us sooner.

Once he hung up, I used his computer to order a new phone for Delilah. We’d pick it up on our way to see her in a few hours. Eli arranged to have all her info from the old phone transferred to the new one, so it would have everything she needed the moment I handed it to her. Before we turned in for the evening, Eli and I packed a bag for Delilah with her clothes he had in her room. Most of what she’d had at Midnight had been ruined in the last disaster. I couldn’t believe that I had initially blamed Eli for blowing up Midnight. It seemed like the hunters had been behind everything in some form or another. I wondered if we would be able to connect Jones to them before the Council got involved.

Chapter 22

Declan

Delilah was curled up beside me with my phone lying on the pillow next to her when I woke up. I grabbed it carefully to see if I’d missed anything. Eli had called, and she’d spoken with him. It shouldn’t bother me, but I felt a stab of jealousy anyway. I would have to get that under control if this would work. I debated calling him back and opted to shoot a text instead. I didn’t want to wake Delilah, or Eli for that matter if he was sleeping. Is everything okay? Delilah is sleeping, and I saw that you called. I didn’t expect an immediate answer, so the buzz of the phone in my hand made me jump. I glanced at Delilah to find she was still sleeping peacefully.

Didn’t learn much, will talk when we get there. Have to stop and pick up D’s phone on the way. Need sleep first.

I shot off a quick response to let him know I understood. I hated to leave her alone after everything she’d been through. When I’d found her bleeding out at the deli, I had no idea that she’d been kidnapped and tortured because of who she loved. That was a lot for anyone to go through. Add in the amnesia that only gave her random peeks at what her life had been, and this became a much more sensitive situation.

I needed something to keep my mind off the horrors my girl had seen while staying nearby if she had a nightmare. I grabbed my tablet and settled back into bed with her. I could review and tweak designs while she rested. I was certain Eli would let me know when they were on their way so Delilah could be showered and dressed before they got here. I wasn’t sure how they would react to the scent of our night together. Everything had become more complicated in the span of just a few hours.