Fury Read online

  “FURY!” She screamed his name. Her hands frantically grabbed for his side where the red stickiness spread. Her terrified, panicked mind understood he’d been shot. She pressed both palms over the wound, trying to slow the bleeding. Her terrified gaze locked on Fury’s face. He breathed but wasn’t conscious.

  “Someone help me!” Ellie screamed.

  Trisha Norbit suddenly dropped to her knees on the other side of Fury’s body. Trisha shoved Ellie’s hands away and tore at Fury’s shirt to get a look at the wound. Ellie ignored her hands, covered with Fury’s blood. She inched up to his face while the doctor and a few other people started to work on him.

  Ellie trembled. “Fury?” She touched his face, not caring that her fingertips brushing his skin were bloody. Tears streamed down her face. “Fury? Please wake up.” Her voice broke with a sob.

  “Get me a med kit,” Trisha demanded loudly. “Now!”

  He didn’t move. Ellie frantically looked at the doctor. “Trisha? Is he going to be okay?”

  Trisha met Ellie’s eyes and then turned her head away. “We need to get him to the hospital immediately. Call the trauma center and tell them we need an operating room prepared and—” She cursed. “Justice? I need a few of your canine people to come with us. He’s going to need blood and hopefully one of them will match his close enough.”

  Justice stood behind Ellie gripping his cell phone. “I’ll get them all.”

  “Trisha?” Ellie continued to shake.

  Trisha met her gaze then, her expression grim. “He’s been shot twice, Ellie. It’s really bad. I promise I’m going to do everything I can to save him.”

  Ellie totally fell apart in that instant. She knew he wasn’t going to make it. She saw all the blood soaking her hands, his clothes, and Trisha’s hands. She caressed his face and whispered his name. Someone grabbed her from behind and yanked her away from the man she loved. She fought whoever held her, screaming Fury’s name, but he didn’t move. The man holding her held on tighter and spun away.

  “They need to work on him, Ellie. I’m going to drive you to where they are taking him. You need to calm down,” the man yelled in her ear. “This isn’t helping him.”

  Ellie sobbed. She stopped screaming and struggling, admitted the futility of it. Slade held her and he was as big as Fury. Her feet weren’t even touching the ground. He kept hold of her, saying soothing things in her ear, as Ellie watched the doctor and the emergency medical staff work on Fury, trying to stabilize him. Someone brought a stretcher and they quickly loaded him onto it. She looked up when she heard a news helicopter circling.

  Slade turned with her, still kept a good hold on her in case she tried to run after Fury, and quickly strode toward the parking lot. He gently dumped her into the back seat of one of the SUV’s when he got there and grabbed his radio.

  “Canines, meet me at the parking lot. We’re ready to roll. I have Ellie secured.”

  Slade got behind the wheel, turned in his seat and studied Ellie. She cried, curled into a ball on one of the back seats, but had overheard enough to piece together most of what had happened from the car radio. Slade was obviously torn up too by what had happened. It was obvious by his grim expression and the pained look in his eyes as they stared at each other.

  “I was patrolling the wall when it happened. There were three shooters in all. I took out one of them but I couldn’t get the other two without risking hitting innocents. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to take them all out before they shot him.” His gruff voice paused. “Fury will be fine,” Slade promised in a firm voice. “We are stronger than humans and we heal faster. We can take more punishment.”

  Ellie wiped at her tears. “I can’t lose him.”

  Slade nodded. “You won’t.”

  Men opened doors and climbed inside the SUV. Ellie noticed they were armed to the teeth with weapons secured from ankle to chest on their big bodies. They were also canine, judging from the shape of their solemn eyes. Slade started the engine and backed out of the parking space. He punched the gas and headed for the gate. He turned his radio up to hear it clearer over the sound of the engine.

  “Clear the way. We’re just about there.”

  He didn’t even slow as they came to the opened gate. The crowd normally present had been evacuated from the area. Gunfire and bloodshed had scattered the protesters and the reporters.

  * * * * *

  Ellie paced and kept glancing at the men surrounding her. There were at least seven NSO officers guarding the private waiting room. The hospital had offered one to them as soon as they realized the NSO officers were armed and determined to guard Ellie. More officers were outside the operating room where Fury fought for his life.

  “He’s still alive,” Justice assured Ellie.

  She nodded, knowing Justice spoke on his cell phone with one of the NSO officers who guarded the operating room. The officer could see inside to give detailed information. Ellie was grateful for the relay system Justice had thought of, to keep tabs on how Fury faired. Ellie didn’t know how people could stand just waiting without any kind of word when a loved one underwent surgery.

  Slade entered the room, moved directly to Ellie, and offered her a large, white, covered Styrofoam cup. A straw stuck out of it. Ellie forced a smile.

  “Coffee doesn’t come with a straw but thank you.”

  “It is iced coffee.” Slade smiled. “You’re shaking. I didn’t want to hand you something hot that could spill. Fury would kick my ass if I allowed you to get burned.”

  Tears filled Ellie’s eyes and she smiled for real at him. “Thank you.”

  He nodded before turning away to approach Justice next. Justice kept the cell phone against his ear but shifted it away from his mouth.

  “Report.”

  Slade sighed. “All three shooters are accounted for. One survived, unfortunately. The police informed me the man is an idiot who can’t stop talking. He’s claiming to be a member of the Pure Humans terrorist group.”

  Justice snorted. “We aren’t supposed to call them terrorists but go ahead.”

  “They heard about the press interview and infiltrated it by using photographer credentials. We didn’t cover security.” Slade growled the words. “It seems, if they had a press pass, they weren’t searched.”

  “From now on we handle all the security where any of our people are concerned.”

  Slade nodded. “Any word on Fury?”

  “He’s fighting and has survived this long. We have two blood matches. Searcher and Darkness are inside the room donating blood as needed.”

  Ellie sipped her iced coffee while she listened to them. She had to admit that everyone had really been great to her. They were guarding her and Fury. The New Species had made sure plenty of their men came to the hospital to be blood donors for Fury. Just regular human blood might have worked but matching their altered chemistry worked better. Justice had explained it to her.

  Ellie remembered when they’d reached the hospital. Justice had taken her into one of the bathrooms, talked calmly to her, and promised everything would be done for Fury. He’d led her to a sink while he’d talked. She’d still been in shock as he’d washed her bloody hands as if she were a child and then handed her clothing someone had brought for her with the tags still attached. He’d left her inside the room to change out of her stained, bloody clothes. He hadn’t left her side after she’d stepped out of the bathroom. Her attention returned to him.

  He shifted the phone back to his mouth. “Yes. I’m still here. What is going on?”

  Ellie’s heart fluttered when she saw Justice close his eyes. Fear gripped her hard when Justice snapped his phone closed. Ellie continued to stare at him until his eyes opened. His gaze turned her way.

  “He’s alive, Ellie. They removed both bullets and closed him up. They stopped the bleeding and his vitals are good. Trisha is sure, barring unforeseen circumstances, that he will make it.”

  Tears slipped down her cheeks when she realized Fury woul