Redemption (The Penton Vampire Legacy) Read Online Free

had frozen on Mirren. His second-in-command had that effect, even on other vampires.
    “Dr. Harris, this is Mirren Kincaid. He’s law enforcement for Penton, and he’ll take care of any official reports that need to be filed. We’ll take Mark to the Penton Clinic in the truck and you can treat him there. Then we’ll have our interview.” Aidan’s gaze drifted to her mouth, which she’d clamped shut and tightened as he talked. Even angry and shooting storm clouds at both of them, she was getting to him. He hoped Mirren had fed so he wouldn’t be in the same shape.
    Krys arched an eyebrow at Mirren. “Nice to meet you, I think.”
    Mirren gave her a curt nod and assumed his normal expression, something between a sphinx and a turnip. Aidan stifled a laugh; Mirren considered that his friendly look.
    Krystal turned her attention back to Mark, easing the lapels of his jacket away from his chest and gently cutting open what was left of his shirt. She tugged on vinyl gloves and pressed a couple of sterile wipes around the injuries. “The slashes across the abdomen are shallow—they’re just messy,” she said. “They’re masking a stab wound here”—she pointed to his side—“but whoever did this was either talented or stupid. It doesn’t look like it hit any organs, and that’s not easy to do with a knife to the gut. His vitals are good.”
    She lifted the blood-soaked bandages off Mark’s cuts and tossed them aside, pulling fresh ones from her kit.
    The bloody bandages landed near Mirren’s feet, and he stepped back with a hiss, crossing his arms over his chest and looking toward the cars.
    Krys laughed. “Both of you are afraid of blood? I swear, men can be such babies.”
    Aidan exchanged a bemused glance with Mirren. She had no idea what being around all this blood—and her—was doing to him, and probably Mirren, too.
    She shifted position to look more closely at Mark’s head. “I don’t like the look of this bruise on his temple—we need to get the bleeding under control and get him out of here. There are a couple of towels in my trunk. Would one of you get them?” She pulled her keys from her pocket and tossed them at Aidan. He grabbed them on instinct, not thinking to slow his reflexes.She stared at him a moment, shook her head, and turned back to Mark.
    Krys worked quickly once she had the towels, cleaning off the blood to see the wounds better, then sat back, frowning. “What does it mean?”
    Damn.
Aidan stared at the cuts. “No idea.” Which wasn’t true. The letters spelled out “food” in Gaelic—Owen’s idea of a freaking joke.
    “These are letters:
b-h-i-a
. They have to mean something.” Krys cocked her head and frowned at Aidan. “You’re lying about not knowing. In fact, you already have an idea who did this, don’t you?”
    “We’ll damn sure find out.” He couldn’t take his eyes off Mark’s chest—the cuts were deep enough to leave a scar. He’d wear “food”
like a billboard the rest of his life. “Mirren, get the truck ready.”
    Krys blew out a breath of frustration. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll get him ready to take to the clinic so we can get him warmed up and I can get a better look at him. But if you aren’t going to help, get out of the way. You’re casting a shadow.”
    He took two short steps back, barking a quick laugh. “So feisty. I hadn’t expected that.”
    She grumbled something he couldn’t make out, although he thought he heard the word “asswipe.”
    Krys pressed the towels against Mark’s abdomen with one hand and used the other to tilt his head gently to the side. “OK, let’s get him somewhere warm. But he’s not a small guy, so we need to be careful about lifting him—”
    Good. They were in business. Aidan slid his hands under Mark’s knees and shoulders and lifted him gently. He placed him in the Bronco’s cargo area and looked back at Krys. “Wantto ride with him, or with me, or follow us?” He wasn’t sure he