Edward asked.
I shrugged, shook my head. ‘No.’
‘Well damn, that makes being ahead of you not nearly as fun.’
‘You’re not ahead of me,’ I said.
He grinned, and it was an odd mixture of Ted and Edward. ‘See, you do keep track.’
I grinned and had the grace to be embarrassed. ‘I don’t keep official score, but I keep track of what you’re doing.’
‘You keep score; you just don’t want to admit it.’
I shrugged again. ‘I didn’t think of it as keeping score, but I know I have a higher official kill count than you do.’
‘Add the unsanctioned kills and I am so ahead.’
‘You’re older,’ I said.
He laughed and it was his real one, one that he’d only started using after he found Donna and the kids. It was like she gave him permission to resurrect some of the pieces he’d had to give up to be Edward.
‘Can’t a man get some sleep around here?’ Micah was sitting up, rubbing at his eyes.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘Go back to sleep. We’ll be quieter.’
‘No, you’re awake. I want to see you awake.’ His upper body was bare, showing the muscles that his clothes hid. Micah would never bulk up, it just wasn’t in his genetics, but if you knew what you were looking at you saw the lean muscle as he padded barefoot toward the bed wearing his dress slacks for pajama bottoms. I wanted to trace my hands over his bare skin. The desire to touch him was usually there, but it was strangely more focused than normal.
‘How long have I been out?’
Micah was beside the bed now. ‘Twenty-four hours.’ He put his hand in mine, gently, since it still had the IV in it. I offered him my right hand across my body. ‘Compromising your gun hand, you usually don’t do that.’
‘Edward’s here. I think he can handle the door.’
Micah smiled. ‘Yes.’ He leaned in and kissed me. He meant it to be chaste, gentle, polite for Edward’s sake. I slid my hand out of his, trailed it up the warmth of his bare arm, until my hand could cup the back of his neck. His hair tickled along my skin where I held him. I drew him down into the kiss, made it more. He melted into the kiss for a moment, and then he drew back. I didn’t want to let him go. He had to move my hand from his neck. He looked down at me, his green-gold eyes studying my face.
‘You need food,’ he said.
‘I don’t want hospital Jell-O,’ I said.
‘I’ll just bet you don’t.’
‘She’s looking at you like she’s going to eat you,’ Edward said.
‘Sometimes when she hasn’t fed enough she looks like that.’
‘I can give you some privacy,’ he said.
‘Let’s see if the doctor will release her. I’d really rather not explain having sex in the hospital room, and besides I need to check on my dad and Nathaniel.’
‘What’s wrong with Nathaniel?’ I asked.
‘Elevation sickness, shock, too-rapid change from animal to human form.’
In my head I thought, and I drained him healing myself. Edward was one of the few people with a badge who knew the truth about me and my metaphysical connections, but still …
‘Did Anita drain energy off Nathaniel to heal herself?’ Edward asked.
Micah and I looked at him. I’m not sure it was an entirely friendly look. ‘I’ve been around when Anita had to feed the ardeur in an emergency. Since she was hurt and couldn’t feed like that, she had to get the energy from somewhere.’
‘Logical,’ I said.
‘Most of the time,’ Edward said.
Micah looked at me. I nodded. He turned to Edward. ‘It’s not as simple as just energy drain, but yes. The combination of everything else that had already happened and then Anita being seriously injured made him pass out.’
‘How’s Damian?’ I asked.
‘He’s fine, though he fed more than normal last night.’
‘Is everyone else fine, too?’ I asked, trying to ask without asking if Damian had hurt anyone ‘feeding’ too much. Damian was a vampire; overfeeding could be really bad for the feedee.
‘As far as we know.’
‘You couldn’t just say yes?’
‘I have spent the last twenty-four hours going between three hospital rooms that held the loves of my life and my father; I’m entitled to be a little off my polite game.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said.
He smiled. ‘It’s all right, I’m just glad you’re awake.’
‘Me, too.’
‘I’ll get dressed and check on Nathaniel.’
‘Kiss me good-bye.’
‘I don’t have shirt or shoes on yet, Anita. I’m not gone.’ He went back to the couch area