all she needed right now. Her damn partner, here to witness the mess she’d made of a simple questioning.
She leaned back against the ambulance’s cool metal wall, not opening her eyes, not wanting to see the anger in his.
“You okay?” His voice was little more than a whisper, devoid of emotion.
“No,” she muttered. “I feel like shit.”
He was silent for a second, but she could feel his gaze on her. Assessing. Watchful.
“The doctor said he wants you in the hospital.”
“The doctor can go to hell.” And she’d told him as much, several times already. She needed rest, not endless pokes and prods from curious medical staff.
“He says you’re lucky to be alive.”
She didn’t feel lucky. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and opened her eyes. He was leaning forward, chin resting on his interlocked fingers, regarding her with an odd expression in his warm hazel eyes. Had it been anyone else, she might have thought it was concern.
“I asked them not to call the SIU.”
One dark eyebrow arched upward. “They didn’t.”
Then why was he here? Checking up on her? She regarded him for a moment, then closed her eyes again. The rolling in her stomach was getting worse. The last thing she felt like right now was any sort of confrontation with her so-called partner. She just wanted to go home, to hide in the darkness. To forget the image of the blackened mess that Max’s legs had become. “Any word from the hospital about Max?”
She could almost feel Gabriel’s frown. “If Max is the proprietor of this dump, then yes. Third-degree burns, but nothing unsalvageable.”
“Is he conscious?”
“No.”
Damn
. She needed to talk to him, needed to know why his girlfriend had tried to kill them both.
“Do you remember what happened?” he said.
She snorted. As if she could forget. “Yeah, I was attacked by an angry budgie.”
His surprise rippled around her. “A shapechanger?”
“And probably a hooker, if I know Max. She was the one who clubbed me. When I woke, the office was on fire, and so was Max.”
He was silent for a moment, yet his gaze swept over her, a touch that seemed both calculating and troubled. “Do you think she administered the Jadrone?”
She opened her eyes. “Max was given Jadrone? Why on earth would she do that? He’s human.”
“Not Max. You.”
She blinked. “Me?”
He nodded. “Enough to kill, apparently. The doctor can’t understand why you’re still sitting here.”
She stared at him. Not so long ago, her late partner, Jack, had said she wasn’t human. She hadn’t wanted to believe him. She had hoped it was yet another of his lies.
Jadrone didn’t affect humans. It certainly couldn’t kill them. But it killed shapechangers outright, and it could certainly kill shifters with a high enough dose. Her stomach rolled again, and sweat broke out across her brow. She put a hand to her mouth, battling to hold back the rising tide.
Damn it, she
was
human. The Jadrone
shouldn’t
be affecting her.
“I’m going to be sick,” she muttered. Gabriel grabbed a nearby container and shoved it under her mouth. Just in time. When she’d finished, he silently offered her a towel. She wiped her mouth and closed her eyes, leaning back again. “I need to sleep.”
“No.” There was a hint of alarm in his voice. “Not for the next twelve hours.”
Not sleep for the next twelve hours? What drug was
he
on? “Just take me home, Gabriel. I’ll answer all your damn questions after I’ve gotten some rest.”
“If you rest, you’ll die.” His voice was tight, hinting at anger, barely suppressed.
She met his gaze. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that there’s enough Jadrone in your system to kill several shifters. The doc wants you in the hospital. He doesn’t know why you’re still breathing, let alone conscious, but he’s certain that if you do slip into sleep, you may never wake up.”
“No hospital. And he’s already told me I’m not going to
She leaned back against the ambulance’s cool metal wall, not opening her eyes, not wanting to see the anger in his.
“You okay?” His voice was little more than a whisper, devoid of emotion.
“No,” she muttered. “I feel like shit.”
He was silent for a second, but she could feel his gaze on her. Assessing. Watchful.
“The doctor said he wants you in the hospital.”
“The doctor can go to hell.” And she’d told him as much, several times already. She needed rest, not endless pokes and prods from curious medical staff.
“He says you’re lucky to be alive.”
She didn’t feel lucky. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and opened her eyes. He was leaning forward, chin resting on his interlocked fingers, regarding her with an odd expression in his warm hazel eyes. Had it been anyone else, she might have thought it was concern.
“I asked them not to call the SIU.”
One dark eyebrow arched upward. “They didn’t.”
Then why was he here? Checking up on her? She regarded him for a moment, then closed her eyes again. The rolling in her stomach was getting worse. The last thing she felt like right now was any sort of confrontation with her so-called partner. She just wanted to go home, to hide in the darkness. To forget the image of the blackened mess that Max’s legs had become. “Any word from the hospital about Max?”
She could almost feel Gabriel’s frown. “If Max is the proprietor of this dump, then yes. Third-degree burns, but nothing unsalvageable.”
“Is he conscious?”
“No.”
Damn
. She needed to talk to him, needed to know why his girlfriend had tried to kill them both.
“Do you remember what happened?” he said.
She snorted. As if she could forget. “Yeah, I was attacked by an angry budgie.”
His surprise rippled around her. “A shapechanger?”
“And probably a hooker, if I know Max. She was the one who clubbed me. When I woke, the office was on fire, and so was Max.”
He was silent for a moment, yet his gaze swept over her, a touch that seemed both calculating and troubled. “Do you think she administered the Jadrone?”
She opened her eyes. “Max was given Jadrone? Why on earth would she do that? He’s human.”
“Not Max. You.”
She blinked. “Me?”
He nodded. “Enough to kill, apparently. The doctor can’t understand why you’re still sitting here.”
She stared at him. Not so long ago, her late partner, Jack, had said she wasn’t human. She hadn’t wanted to believe him. She had hoped it was yet another of his lies.
Jadrone didn’t affect humans. It certainly couldn’t kill them. But it killed shapechangers outright, and it could certainly kill shifters with a high enough dose. Her stomach rolled again, and sweat broke out across her brow. She put a hand to her mouth, battling to hold back the rising tide.
Damn it, she
was
human. The Jadrone
shouldn’t
be affecting her.
“I’m going to be sick,” she muttered. Gabriel grabbed a nearby container and shoved it under her mouth. Just in time. When she’d finished, he silently offered her a towel. She wiped her mouth and closed her eyes, leaning back again. “I need to sleep.”
“No.” There was a hint of alarm in his voice. “Not for the next twelve hours.”
Not sleep for the next twelve hours? What drug was
he
on? “Just take me home, Gabriel. I’ll answer all your damn questions after I’ve gotten some rest.”
“If you rest, you’ll die.” His voice was tight, hinting at anger, barely suppressed.
She met his gaze. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that there’s enough Jadrone in your system to kill several shifters. The doc wants you in the hospital. He doesn’t know why you’re still breathing, let alone conscious, but he’s certain that if you do slip into sleep, you may never wake up.”
“No hospital. And he’s already told me I’m not going to
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