Rogue the Redeemer

  Rogue the Redeemer

  Raven Series: Book 6

  Rhiannon Neeley

  Published 2005

  ISBN 1-59578-087-4

  Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2005, Rhiannon Neeley. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Liquid Silver Books

  http://lsbooks.com

  Email:

  raven@lsbooks.com

  Cover Art

  by Will Kramer

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Dedication

  For RLM

  Chapter One

  Kaitlyn slipped the bag of blood into the pocket of her lab coat and locked the supply room. She took only one bag this time. Administration had been questioning everyone over the past two weeks and she was getting nervous.

  Glancing down the hallway before she stepped out the door, she breathed a sigh of relief. There was no one around. She slipped out into the hallway and started back toward the lab, her nurse’s shoes making no sound on the tile floor.

  Thank God for the night shift, she thought for the hundredth time as she made her way down the dimly lit hall. She’d never be able to get away with this if she worked the day shift. She turned a corner and passed by the first floor nurse’s station.

  “Psst!”

  Kaitlyn jumped. “Hey,” she said, stopping at the counter. She slid her hand into her coat pocket, feeling the cold plastic bag of blood against her palm.

  “You must have been in a daze,” Rachel, the night floor nurse said. “You sure jumped like I scared you.”

  Kaitlyn smiled and leaned on the counter. “Sorry. I didn’t see you sitting there. This high counter hides you pretty well. You can barely see the top of your head when you’re sitting at your desk.”

  Rachel smirked. “Yeah, I know. I’m height impaired.”

  Kaitlyn let out a soft laugh. Rachel was only 5’2”. Five inches shorter than Kaitlyn. “Well, maybe one of these days you’ll grow up.”

  “Fun-ny,” Rachel said. “So why are you roaming around the halls at,” she glanced at her watch, “One a.m.?”

  Kaitlyn’s fingers caressed the bag of blood in her pocket. “Just needed a bit of a walk. Taking a break.”

  Rachel’s brow furrowed. “You know, you have been looking really tired. Ever since you spent that week in New York. Does the city wear you out that much?”

  Kaitlyn sighed. She liked Rachel. They’d become immediate friends when she started work here a few weeks ago. But right now, Kaitlyn was hungry. “I guess it’s just getting back in the swing of working nights after being on vacation. I’m not sleeping that well.”

  Rachel snorted. “Wish I had a vacation.”

  Kaitlyn shook her head. “You’ll get one as soon as you have a year in with Med-Corp.”

  “That’s right. You transferred here from another hospital. I keep forgetting that since both of us started here the same day. Or night, I mean.”

  “Listen,” Kaitlyn said, patting the countertop. “I’ve got some tests to run. I’ll talk to you later.” She started to walk away.

  “If you get bored come back and visit,” Rachel whispered loudly. “Everyone’s sleeping so soundly tonight, I feel like I’m in the morgue.”

  Kaitlyn threw her a wave and kept moving.

  Five minutes later, she was back in the sterile quiet of the lab. She moved with haste toward the back, out of the lighted work area at her station and into the shadows. The odors of chemicals and re-agents assailed her as she moved. That was another thing that had been bothering her since she returned from her trip. Any sort of scent, whether it was chemical or biological, seemed so strong that it was as if it were being dripped into her nasal passages in a concentrated form.

  Her stomach spasmed. If she didn’t eat soon, the consequences would begin: shooting pains, then muscle cramps. She’d experienced it often at first—until she figured out just what would take the hunger pains away.

  Kaitlyn backed into the darkest corner of the lab, her eyes never leaving the door as she slid the now tepid bag of blood from the pocket of her lab coat. Her hands shook as she raised it to her lips, hating the fact that she had to do it but not wanting to experience the haze of pain that would envelop her if she didn’t.

  Swiftly, she bit into the bag, her short fangs piercing the plastic.

  Her eyes rolled up as the blood infused her. She sucked deeply, sensuous warmth spreading through her as her body soaked up the life-giving substance. Her body came alive with a flush of heat.

  Kaitlyn sucked the last drop from the limp plastic. She licked her lips, catching every last drop. It wasn’t enough, but it would have to do for now.

  Quickly, she moved to the small sink on the west side of the room and fed the empty bag into the industrial garbage disposal. It growled hungrily as it shredded the remnants of her dinner, destroying the evidence completely.

  Kaitlyn rinsed the sink thoroughly, then ducked into the small bathroom just off the lab to check herself for any telltale spatters.

  Satisfied with her appearance, she started for her workstation, intent on finishing the barrage of paperwork that always accompanied the tests she performed.

  Standing at the waist-high counter, her pen flew across the papers with lightning speed. She was in a hurry.

  One pint of blood would stave off the gnawing craving she had for blood, but there was another hunger that was already starting to rear its head. One that blood could not alleviate.

  She glanced at the clock above the door. Almost two a.m. At two-thirty, she would have half an hour—her normal break time—to try to quell this new yearning that had begun a week ago and grew stronger every night.

  Shaking herself, she cursed under her breath as she worked. Her trip to New York City and one night of delving into the dark side of nightlife had damned her.

  Her yearning grew, a prickling down low in her belly.

  Kaitlyn raced through the paperwork, willing herself to hold on until her break.

  *

  Rogue Shanley made his way through the hospital, trying to keep his eyes and ears open without attracting attention. Well, not too much anyway.

  He pushed his cart down the hallway toward the first floor nurses’ station. It was almost two-thirty a.m., and he had just gotten through with his training. He never thought in a million years that a janitor needed four hours worth of training, but John had instructed him to act as if he had really been hired for the job and to do whatever they told him to.

  Rogue felt proud that John had thought him capable of being the “inside man.”. Rogue was the newest member of the Raven Clan of which John was the leader and also his backup for this assignment.

  That was another thing that Rogue had never dreamed of—being a vampire hunter. But when his Aunt Grace had fallen head over heels in love with Drake Raven, John’s cousin, Rogue and Grace had been drawn into a world where monsters really did roam the darkness.

  Rogue loved it. Loved the challenge. The drama and excitement. But the last assignment, with Holt and Colin—two other members—had struck him a blow. Four female vampires with their human protector had taken a young woman and secured her on a boat named Bloody Hell. They had arrived just in time to save her. The Raven
s had also taken the captain of the boat—Ramsey—to study. Ramsey had been bitten many times and was still human. They were studying his blood to see if there was something there, some sort of immunity. Ramsey now resided at their base—Ravencrest—deep in the southern Ohio hills.

  Rogue wheeled his cleaning cart up to the nurses’ station. “Evening.”

  A pert brunette sat at the desk, reading a book. She looked up when Rogue spoke. “Hello,” she said. “Do I know you?” She narrowed her eyes.

  Rogue turned on the charm, smiling carefully so as not to show his false fangs. “It’s my first night. Just got hired.”

  The cute nurse smiled widely. “I’m Rachel. I haven’t worked here very long myself. What’s your name?”

  He tapped his ID badge with a finger. “Rogue. Rogue Shanley.”

  She tilted her head. “Well, Rogue, are you one?”

  He rested both arms on the high counter. “Sometimes I am. You’re pretty cute…”

  “Rachel.”

  “Rachel,” he said. Rogue drew his face into a serious frown. “What’s all this I’ve heard about blood being stolen? Is that for real?”

  Rachel leaned forward, her round brown eyes taking on a dreamy look. “I can tell you’re from the south.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “What tipped you off?”

  Rachel laughed, a bit too loudly. She was coming on to him, all right. “By that sexy southern drawl you have.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Rogue said. “So anyway—about the blood.”

  Rachel propped her chin on one hand, her elbow resting on the lower desk in front of her. “It’s really weird. Bags of blood are coming up missing. Who would want them?” She gave him a sideways grin. “Unless there’s some weird vampire roaming the halls.”

  Rogue chuckled. “That would be something, wouldn’t it? Have you been questioned?”

  “Yes. And why, I don’t know. What about you?”

  “Nah. I just started tonight, remember?” Rogue glanced down the hallway. “Is it usually this quiet?”

  Rachel sighed. “It has been the last few days. I’ve only got seven patients right now and they’re all sound sleepers.”

  “Seen anyone around? You know—someone who doesn’t belong?”

  “Are you a cop? Undercover maybe?”

  Rogue smiled wryly. He’d gone too far with the questions. “Would I be mopping floors if I were?” He shifted his position and reached over the high countertop for the book that lay in front of her. “Hmm. Impatient Passion by Dee S. Knight. Good book?”

  “Oh yeah. Really good.” A slow smile spread across her lips. “You should read it.”

  “Maybe I will.” He pushed off the counter and started to walk away, cursing himself for questioning her too much. “I’d better get to work,” he said.

  “Stop by again, Rogue.”

  He threw her a wink and turned his back.

  Cute girl, he thought as he wheeled his cart around a corner and into another hall. Of course, he could find something cute about almost every woman he met. Rogue loved women and he loved to love them.

  Rogue stopped in the dimly lit hallway. So far, every room he passed had been empty. This hall consisted of conference rooms, the double doors leading to x-ray and, according to the sign on the wall, the lab.

  There was a soft glow of light splashed on the tile floor up ahead, coming from what must be a window in the lab. A shadow moved in front of the light from right to left.

  Interesting, Rogue thought, removing the broom from the holder on his cart. If someone was working in the lab, he’d better look like he was doing something. He began to push the broom down the hall, keeping it along the edge against the wall.

  As he got closer, the shadow passed by the window again, moving in the opposite direction. Rogue continued pushing the broom, his eyes on the rectangle of light cast from the window onto the floor. He was almost to the door of the lab now, the window just past it. Almost there. Almost able to get a look inside.

  Before he could get past the door, it opened. Rogue saw a white coat and a flash of fire-red hair, and then she was falling, tripping over his broom. Rogue dove to catch her. A yelp of a scream echoed in the hall as they went down. Rogue twisted, his arms around her waist, and landed flat on his back with an “oomph.”

  “Oh,” a soft breathy voice said against his ear as he sucked in the breath that was knocked out of him. He only managed to end up with a mass of red hair in his face.

  She wriggled on top of him, then slung her head, tossing her hair back.

  Finally, Rogue managed to draw a breath, his arms still locked around her waist. She planted one hand on either side of his head and raised herself up.

  “You can let go now,” she said.

  Rogue was treated to a flash of deep cleavage, her V-neck blouse riding low, then looked up into the most amazing eyes he had ever seen. Her eyes were a midnight blue, slightly almond shaped, framed with thick lashes of copper-brown, but the most arresting feature was a ring of silvery gray around her pupils, highlighting the deep black of them and accenting the blue of her irises. Rogue was almost hypnotized by her eyes. Then his gaze traveled over her face. A sprinkling of freckles were scattered over her fine, regal nose, fading across high cheekbones. Her lips were full, perfectly formed—the kind that could melt a man’s heart if they pressed against his skin. Her neck was long and slender, her mass of flame red hair caressing it as it draped over her shoulders, brushing against his chest. Then there was the round swells of her breasts, cleavage separating them, making him want to probe that enticing dark slice with his tongue.

  Rogue grew hard, her hips pressed against him by her position.

  “What if I don’t want to let you go?” he asked, looking into those arresting eyes again. “I sort of like you where you are.”

  He felt her draw in a slow breath. Her lips parted. “Don’t get yourself into something you shouldn’t,” she said, her voice sounding like a lazy cat purr.

  “Is that a warning?” Rogue splayed his hands against the small of her back.

  She shifted, rubbing tantalizingly against him. “More like a threat.”

  Rogue bit back a groan. There was something about her, something so primal that he had the urge to just roll her over and take her right there in the hallway. “Is that supposed to scare me?” He let one of his hands drift down over the firm roundness of her bottom.

  She leaned down, the deep depths of her pupils widening. “You should be very afraid,” she whispered, her breath brushing his lips, “because right now, I feel like I could eat you right up.”

  Rogue did groan then. His erection throbbed, straining against his pants. This woman was full of fire, as hot as the flame of her hair. Before he could stop himself, he buried one hand in that mass of red hair and drew her mouth to his. She didn’t pull away; instead she pressed herself against him, making a soft noise in her throat. One hand entangled in her mane, the other firmly cupping her bottom, Rogue feasted on her luscious lips. Their kiss was hot and forceful. Her lips parted and Rogue entered her mouth with his tongue. She tasted of warmth and heat. Damn, he wanted more. Her tongue lashed his, giving back just as much as he gave. She began to move above him, her hips rocking in a sexual massage against his engorged cock.

  “Woman,” he said, struggling for breath, “you had better start being afraid.”

  She chuckled, then slowly traced his bottom lip with her tongue.

  “Oh my gosh—Kaitlyn. Are you okay?” a voice called out. Footfalls raced toward them.

  Kaitlyn jerked up, shock registering in her eyes.

  Rogue wanted to strangle whomever was coming toward them. Kaitlyn. He’d remember that name.

  “I’m fine, Rachel,” she said, disentangling herself from Rogue’s embrace. “I just tripped over his broom.”

  Rogue helped her push up off of him. “No damage done. I hope,” he said, meeting her eyes as they both stood.

  She touched her kiss-swollen lips with
her fingertips.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Rachel asked, coming up beside Kaitlyn.

  Rogue laced his fingers together and parked them in front of his crotch.

  Kaitlyn’s eyes flashed with lust, then she suddenly looked away. “I’m just a bit shaken up,” she said. “Nothing broken.”

  “Rogue, you’ve got to watch what you’re doing,” Rachel scolded. “There are people working even though it’s the middle of the night.”

  He bent and picked up the broom. “I’m really sorry, Kaitlyn. I hope I didn’t harm you in any way.”

  Kaitlyn gathered her tussled mane at the base of her neck. “It’s alright. Really.” A flash of urgency and confusion blushed across her face. “I’m just going to … take my break,” she said. Swiftly she turned and strode down the hall, her white lab coat flying behind her.

  Rogue frowned. What a puzzle she was, this Kaitlyn. She came on hotter than a burning coal and then ran like a scared rabbit. Rogue watched her until she disappeared around a corner.

  “So. Are you okay?” Rachel asked.

  Rogue dropped his gaze to her. He cleared his throat. “Yeah.” Rachel’s voice had had a bit of an edge when she spoke. “I better get moving,” he said, starting for his cart.

  “Be a bit more careful,” Rachel said. “This is a hospital, but we don’t need to create patients.”

  Rogue raised a hand but didn’t turn.

  Damn if this wasn’t turning into a strange night.

  * * * *

  Kaitlyn burst into the women’s locker room, slamming the door behind her. She leaned her back against it, trying to slow her breathing.

  Rogue.

  That was his name. And his voice … that slow southern drawl could melt butter. Or make your panties wet, she thought, which is exactly what it had done to her.

  How could she have known what an effect he would have on her? She hadn’t even known he was outside the door of the lab. The hard muscles of his body beneath her had almost been her undoing. His mouth, his hungry, demanding mouth…

  Kaitlyn closed her eyes took a deep, cleansing breath. Better. Slightly.

  She pushed off the door, turned and locked it. Then she searched the rows of lockers, checking to be sure there was no one else was locked in with her.