Chapter 7: Insanity

Shadow stared between the two of his agents, watching as Mira looked down and away from his intent gaze. "Yes, I can see that," he said sagely, chuckling to himself as Mira blushed red. "Okay, get this mess cleaned up, take the prisoners down to the tombs and Mage, wipe their memories." He nodded at the four women who still huddled together under blankets.

"Lady Melody is going to need more than her memory wiped," Mira said. She showed Shadow the bite marks. "He's poisoned her."

"We'll get her in detox as quick as we can, Mira. She should be fine in a couple of days." Kit touched one of the bites, watching as Melody flinched. "She goes first," she called to Lelia. "Make sure she doesn't try to bite anyone until we get her taken care of."

Lelia reached down, helping Melody to her feet and to the door. "You'll be fine, Sweetie. Just stay calm."

"Did you get a good look at them?" Shadow asked.

"I ran into them last night, well at least two of them. The Vampire that took Lady Melody and the man who was behind the whole thing. Myler Baer-Braxton. He's as pretentious as his name, Shadow. I made a fool of him at this bar and I think he was trying to get his evens with me." Mirage rolled the edge of her shirt under her hands nervously. "I know where to find them, Shadow. I want to be in on this, I have to be."

Shadow studied her face. "Both you and Hunter are going to the med floor at ASP before you do anything else. After you're checked out, come find me and we'll figure out what we're going to do next. I want a clean bill from the doctors and then we'll talk, Mira, not before."

"Shadow," she began to argue and then watched his back as he just walked away from her. "How does Callie put up with this shit," she complained softly.

"She loves him. You'd be surprised what two people in love will deal with, Mira." Hunter reached out and tipped her chin up, staring into her pretty eyes. "Come on, let's just do what he wants and get it over with."

"You're almost as bad as he is," Mirage growled, jerking her chin out of his hand. "What is with you and all the touchy feely stuff?"

"Touchy, feely stuff? Damn Mira, can you be anymore prickly?" He dropped his hand and turned away, walking down behind the women and muttering his complaints to the world. "Nothing will make you happy."

"Try keeping your hands to yourself and I'll be ecstatic," she grumbled back.

"Okay children, don't make me turn this car around," Kit said, her voice almost as long suffering as the look she gave Mira. "Can't you two play nice?"

"Why should I? He always starts it."

"I'm going to finish it," Kit growled. She almost turned on Drake when he walked up behind her.

"She started it, Mom," he said with a whine in his voice.

"Tinman, you are on my team. Behave or I'm going to find you a cornfield and then douse you with water to see if we can make your rust."

"Going to send out a crazy chick in a blue gingham dress as well?"

Drake, behave before she really gives it to you, Mage whispered into his head. He was heading for the door, knowing he would be called upon to take care of the girls' memories of this morning.

"Did I ever tell you how creepy that is?" Tinman said, staring over at Mage. The empath just smiled, the smug look giving him an even creepier look.

Kit waved them all out to the SUV. She sighed and looked at Shadow. "I just can't figure out how you conned me into running a team. It's like a permanent babysitting job."

"Now you know how I feel," Shadow said with a laugh. "If it weren't for Callie, I'd have quit a long time ago and gone into some kind of private practice."

"Callie loves you, Shadow. I don't think she'd be unhappy with anything you did."

"Maybe not unhappy, but now that we have babies on the way, I won't do anything that might cause her even the least bit of grief. Leaving ASP will have to wait until later." He reached for the cell phone on his belt when it went off, turning away from Kit to answer it.

She headed out the door as well, knowing that Shadow would lock up before he left to go out to his own vehicle. Her team was already in the truck. They would head back to ASP and then go out later to find the man Mirage had pissed off.

Mirage sat staring at Hunter who sat on the cot next to hers. He was holding an ice pack to the bump on his head. "I don't know why you bother, there's nothing in there to hurt."

Hunter glanced at the nurse who was taking his blood pressure. "Can't you feel the love?"

The girl, no more than twenty-two, giggled at Hunter's joke, her breasts jiggling under the tight nurse's uniform she was wearing. The dress was short, stopping some three inches above her knees. It also zipped up the front and the zipper seemed to like to worm its way down, which the nurse didn't always fix right away. She exposed a lot of creamy white skin and shadowed cleavage as she fawned over Hunter.

"See?" He growled at Mirage, deciding never to tell her annoying he found the nurse and her obnoxious giggle as well as the flamboyant way she seemed to flaunt her body. "Some people find me funny."

"Looking, maybe," Mira said with a scowl. "Where's the doctor?" Her words were clipped and demanded that they be paid attention to, sending the little blonde nurse running out of the cubicle and out looking for the doctor.

"Did you have to frighten her like that?" Hunter snapped.

"Oh, are you afraid that you're going to miss out in getting laid?"

"You know, Mira, you can be a real bitch sometimes." He dropped the ice pack onto the cot and got up, walking toward her. "I'd think you were jealous if you could ever be accused of having a real emotion."

"I have a lot of real emotions," Mira snarled, standing to face him. She poked him in the chest as he stepped even closer. "Listen, Hunter, if you want to flex your manly muscles for the blonde dingbat, you go right ahead. But don't think you're going to do it when you're making fun of me. I've about had enough today. I saved your fucking life today. Show some gratitude."

"Gratitude?" Hunter seemed almost too angry to speak. "How many times have I pulled your ass out of the fire when you were diving off that damn frying pan? Don't even bother trying to figure out how many. It's way more times then you have fingers and toes."

"Prick," Mira growled, pushing him back and away from her.

Hunter seemed to rebound off an invisible wall, coming back quickly. He reached out and pushed her back, his eyes widening as she hit the cot and then fell to the floor, his tee-shirt that she was still wearing catching against the cot and dragging up and over her breasts. A growl shook him and he reached down for her, now completely out of control of his actions.

Hunter dragged her to her feet, grabbing one of her hands. He yanked at the button of his jeans then pulled down the zipper, pushing her hand into his pants. "I have one," he snarled, wrapping her hand around his stiffening shaft. "I don't need yours."

"What the fuck are you doing? You've got me confused for that little blonde tart with a giggle like nails on a chalkboard." She tried to shake off his hand but she'd pushed him too far and he wasn't letting go. He held onto her hand, curving it around his cock, moving it as if he were going to use it to jack himself off. It pissed her off even more and she took a step forward, arching her back to push her breasts against his chest.

Hunter moaned, more than out of control. She was driving him stark raving mad. He'd worked with her for five years and never once had he guessed that just the touch of her hand would have him aching. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he lifted her easily, dumping her back on the gurney. He followed her down, forcing her to her back, lying between her parted thighs. His lips touched her face, his mouth dragging over her cheek to nip at her lips.

She fought him for a moment, her hands pushing at his chest. Then when he took her mouth, she gave in, her lips curling into his, holding him captive. Her hands flattened against his chest and she let them slide up until she held him against her, refusing to let go.

Her tongue pushed at his lips and he quickly parted them, letting her explore all she wanted. He pushed his hand under her tee shirt, rubbing against her flat stomach and over her ribs. She held her breath until she felt his hand cup her breasts. Then it all rushed out in one big sigh. "We can't do this," she said, punctuating each word with a kiss. "It's wrong."

"How?" he panted. "It feels to right."

"No," she argued but she wrapped her legs around his hips, rubbing her groin against the hard ridge of his cock. "I'm married."

Hunter lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. "No, you're not. You've been single for thousands of years, Mira. It's time to get over that."

"Get over it? I watched my little girl be burnt alive. I watched as my husband's flesh was ripped off his bones. You think I can just get over that?"

"I think you've used that and your curse to keep yourself from growing close to anyone. You live in that fancy house hidden behind huge gates that keep you locked in and others locked out. If you go out, it's too Vampire bars or hidey holes where you won't have to face any real emotions. You've been touchless for so long, you're scared to death that I might be someone you could actually fall for."

Her head was shaking long before he got to the last sentence. "You know nothing about me. You can't know what it's been like for me. You don't know anything but what your little head thinks." She pushed at him, forcing him off of her. "Don't touch me again."

He got up, fastening his jeans with angry jerks. "Trust me, I won't. I might end up with fucking frost bite."