and followed them out.
“I have to feed Ren and Stimpy.” Nicole really didn't want to go to the hospital. Hospitals gave her the
creeps and she didn't want them to keep her. “I'll be fine.”
“Can you stay with her tonight?” Damon ask Pam. “And who the hell are Ren and Stimpy?”
“They're her turtles.” Pam chuckled. “Of course I will. I'll just swing by my place and pick up a few
things.”
“I'll get her home and wait until you get there.” Damon slipped his arm around Nicole when she
wobbled a little.
“I'm right here guys.” Nicole grumbled. “Stop talking about me like I'm not.”
“Will you let someone take care of you for once?” Damon scolded gently. Opening the car door he
helped her in. He watched to make sure Pam made it to her car okay before getting in the driver seat.
Man his nerves were shot to hell.
The purr of Damon's sleek Mustang GT was the only thing that broke the silence. Nicole kept her head
away from the seat not wanting to get blood on the leather interior. Sneaking a look, the dashboard
lights shadowed Damon's smooth chiseled face, his eyes straight ahead as he maneuvered the
downtown streets of Cincinnati. His black hair lay against his shoulders in a uneven cut and was pulled
away from his face by the many times he ran his hand through brushing the long stands from his eyes.
He was handsome in a hard way, not GQ pretty. His head practically hit the roof and his seat was, from
what she could tell, pushed all the way back. Yeah he was a big man, strong and fit, but it was his
hands that gave her pause. They were large, the nails clipped and blunt. Small white scars crisscrossed
his knuckles, blaring white against the back of each dark hand. Those hands could cause pain, those
hands could kill, but those hands could also protect and give pleasure. A warm feeling tingled through
her body. As her eyes drifted back to his face, she was shocked to see him staring at her, the light from
the dashboard making his eyes glow. Okaaay....this is awkward.
“You gonna answer that?”
“Huh...” Frowning into his eyes, she jumped when her cell phone rang by her feet. Feeling like the
biggest idiot, going all gooey eyed over a hot guy, she grabbed her bag rummaging through it. Flipping
the phone open she peeked over relieved that Damon's eyes were focused back on the road. “Hello.”
Damon stopped at a red light trying to get it together. He had felt her gaze on him and turned to see if
she was okay and what he saw in her eyes was enough to flame his blood to the point he almost pulled
the car over. He knew the first time he saw her running into the warehouse that she was different and
every protective instinct he possessed jumped out and bit him on the ass. The sight of her black eye
that first night sent a killing rage through him. He had almost killed that dumbass human, Chad, for
just being disrespectful. He had seen enough mated males of his species to know the signs, but he
didn't want to be mated and sure as hell not to a human.
“That was Mitch.” Nicole broke through his thoughts as did the asswipe behind them blowing their
horn since the light had turned green. “I need to go to Children's Hospital. There's a sixteen year old
who has been put into our care.”
“You need to rest Nicole.” Damon zoomed through the light. “Call Mitch back and tell him you can't
make it. He can get someone else.”
“Ah...no.”
“Did you tell Mitch what happened tonight?” Damon persisted.
“Nope.” Nicole flipped her phone open again undoing her seatbelt. “Yeah I need a cab at....the corner
of......” Nicole practically had her face pressed to the windshield trying to see a street sign.
“Hang up the phone.” When Nicole ignored him while reading the street sign to the cab dispatcher he
reached over and grabbed the phone.
“Hey.” She tried to grab it back.
“Disregard that. She will not need your services.” He snapped the phone