Replica (The Blood Borne Series Book 2) by Shannon Mayer, Denise Grover Swank Page B

I would have laughed.
    I started walking, counting each step as it sent a jolt of pain through my body. We slipped between two houses and onto the street.
    “There,” I said, pointing to an older car parked in a driveway. “I can hotwire that car and we can take it.”
    “No,” Lea said. “You and Ivan both need to rest and we’ll have trouble getting a motel room this early in the morning. That house at the end of the street…the one with the For Sale sign. It looks empty. We can hide out there today and rest, then take off tonight.”
    “Fine,” I said.
    A privacy fence surrounded the overgrown backyard of said house. When we reached the back door, Ivan held up a hand and pressed the side of his head to the door.
    “It’s empty.”
    I lifted an eyebrow.
    “I was listening for heartbeats.”
    I groaned. “Of course you were.”
    Lea forced the door open and we walked into a kitchen and closed the door behind us. Ivan went straight to the refrigerator and opened the door.
    “It’s fucking empty.”
    “Then the house really is vacant,” Lea said. “We need to find the basement.”
    I opened a door, revealing a set of stairs leading down into darkness, the pit of hell for all I knew. “Found it. Let’s just hope they don’t have any showings today.”
    “Surely we’re about to get a break,” Ivan said as he started down the stairs.
    With our luck, I wasn’t betting on it.
     
     

CHAPTER 15

     
    LEA
     
    Rachel clutched her injured arm to her chest. She was playing it off well, but the hammering of her heart revealed the extent of her injuries. The truth of it was, both she and Ivan were a hell of a lot more than bruised up.
    “There’s a way to speed your healing, Ivan,” I said as I followed him down the stairs.
    “I heal plenty fast.”
    I stepped off the last stair and into the unfinished basement. Apparently the upstairs was empty because they’d shoved all their belongings into the basement. Everything from piles of clothes, carefully stacked framed pictures, a box labeled “Canned Food,” and a random pile of mismatched mattresses. Perfect. I grabbed the first mattress and pulled it away from the wall. “Ivan, lie down.”
    With a pained grin, he went to his knees. “Not exactly soft and sweet, but I’ll take it.”
    I pointed at him. “Stay.”
    He would go along with what I was planning. Rachel, though...I wasn’t sure she’d like it. I took a breath. “Rachel, I need to put your shoulder back in and that’s going to be nearly impossible with a broken collar bone.”
    She closed her eyes and sagged against the bottom of the stairs. “Why am I not surprised?”
    “There’s a way around this.” I forged ahead before she could ask questions. “A small amount of my blood will help you heal faster. It’ll make it so we can set the bones without pain—”
    “No fucking way. Don’t take this wrong, but I do not want to end up with fangs and a hankering for blood.” Rachel took a step back, moving up the stairs.
    “I’m not going to force you.” I twisted my lips. “ Mierda, a little blood won’t turn you into a vampire. We’d have to exchange blood at least a couple of times, and then you’d have to be drained by me or another vampire.” I put a hand on Ivan’s shoulder. “Same for you, wolf. Except I’m not giving you a choice.”
    He wrapped his hand around my calf. “What about the bullets?”
    I shook him off my leg, but not because it didn’t feel good—on the contrary, it felt way too damn nice. “I’m going to dig them out first.”
    Ivan grunted. “I always hate this part.” He pulled his shirt over his head, every inch of his upper body flexing like he was one giant muscle. Werewolves, God love them. They were built like brick shithouses for a reason.
    The tanks of the supernatural world, they were as dangerous as any vampire, but had less trouble fitting in with the human populace seeing as how they had no light or food restrictions. He stretched