Natural Selection Chapter 11

A/N: This chapter may get a little weird, not really sure how people will feel about it. This is also my longest chapter so far, and if this works better for people, then I will continue to try to do longer chapters.

It had been eight days since her encounter with Victor. He hadn't called, he hadn't stopped by and if she was being completely honest with herself, she was conflicted about the whole thing. She had had time to think about the situation and had really only come to three conclusions. One: she was wildly (and unfortunately) attracted to Victor Creed. Two: If there was to be anything between them, ever, there would have to be very strict ground rules, and it would have to be on her terms not his. Three: If they were together (whatever that meant) and he ever hurt a woman or a child again, she was gone. No matter what. She couldn't change his past, couldn't help the already dead or traumatized, but she could protect all the ones in the future, even if that meant putting herself at risk.

She had always been practical and as a friend of hers had put it, almost fatally realistic. She knew Victor was a killer. He had admitted it. He had laid all his sins at her feet the same way her cat used to bring her dead mice as a present. He had much the same attitude about it too- here you go Lissa, this is yours to deal with now. And the infuriating thing about it was that she would deal with it. Adapt and survive. That was just her nature, the same way that being a predator was Victor's.

Shield hadn't changed Victor's nature, it had just sort of molded it a little. She wondered if she could do the same thing. Not change him, because seriously, no one could really change anyone. You could be a motivating force, or a catalyst, but no one would changed unless they were ready too. However, the fact that Shield had been able to nudge Victor in one direction or another was encouraging. It could mean that she too could, well maybe not control Victor, but steer him a little? He had said that he only killed "bad" people, if she could encourage him to keep to that, and add an absolutely no innocent people clause, did that somehow make her an accessory to murder, and with the type of vermin he was exterminating, did she really care?

She sighed gustily. Her world had never been black and white. She really wondered what was in that dossier. Did he know anything about her childhood? That she had been taken away by that state and then raised by a series of foster families? Did the dossier contain the doctor's reports from that time? One of her nicer foster mothers had helped her to legally change her last name when she was sixteen, so it was entirely possible that none of this information was in the dossier at all. She smiled a little bitterly. Maybe if he actually turned up it would be her turn to lay a bunch of horrifying information at his feet. Here you go Victor, this is yours to deal with now. Maybe he wouldn't want her anymore.. The thought brought another round of mixed feelings to the surface. Sure it solved her dilemma, but it stung a little too. She remembered several families not willing to take her in for fear that she might be too damaged. Damaged goods. How long had it been since she had thought of herself that way? Anger spiked through her. This was all his fault!

Eight days. Eight fucking days since he had seen her, spoken to her, or God, smelled her. That scent, that feeling of home and peace and things that meant he wasn't just a fucked up monster- he needed it desperately now. This mission that was supposed to be cut and dry, easy in -easy out, had gone sideways fast. Their Mossad contact had been late, and then had told them they had to wait to go in or they would be jeopardizing a Mossad operation. Like he gave a fuck about that, but Shield did, so they waited. They waited and because of the lack of response from the government, or any of the kids parents, the terrorists had killed one of the kids. Not one of the kids connected to anyone important, no of course not, he thought bitterly to himself. They picked the least important kid to kill. The one who was a no one. The one who's parents had no money, fame or influence. He was nineteen years old, just the roommate of one of the rich kids who decided to slum it in the dorms that semester. He was putting himself through college and had been working his ass off. Victor knew this because they had been given information on all the hostages. He knew exactly why they had chosen to kill this kid. It was simply to make a point. See, we're capable of making good on our threats, but we aren't going to kill one of your precious little darlings until we have to. The kid's name was Peter Gold, Pete to his friends and family. It didn't matter now, because Pete had been made just another martyr to a cause no one really understood. Christ, if you asked either side why they were fighting, you got a million different reasons, and none of them made a whole lot of sense to him.

Victor gritted his teeth for the eightieth time in an hour and tried to listen as one of his team answered the questions of some trumped up general who had more stars than sense. He knew that it was standard procedure after a mission, he knew it was necessary, but all he wanted to do was get it done and get gone. He wanted, no he needed to get to Lissa. They hadn't really had time to discuss things before he had to leave and the highlights reel of his life he had given hadn't been pretty. No, it definitely hadn't been pretty, but it hadn't been everything either. He knew he was a monster, but he wasn't just a monster. He was never going to be Prince Charming, but there were other facets to him. He wasn't just a dumb animal. There were things he could offer to Lissa. His protection, for one. No one, and he meant no one could harm her without having to deal with him now. And really, who would be crazy enough to want to piss him off? Okay, there was Jimmy, but Jimmy wasn't the type to go around hurting women, amnesia or no amnesia.

"Creed, in your opinion, at what point did you decide that killing all of the terrorists was acceptable," General Dumb Shit asked.

Victor blinked in surprise. Of all the questions he had been expecting, that wasn't even on the list. His team's mission objectives had been made clear to him from the start. He was about to reply when Fury cut in.

"The orders came from me, and they were explicit. Team Voodoo was to take no prisoners and leave no enemies alive." Fury looked at the General and then to the members of Team Voodoo that were still alive.

He continued." The objectives were successful rescue and extraction, followed by interrogation and execution of all those found in the building with the hostages."

The general sputtered," You don't have the authority to-"

Fury cut him off again. "Actually, I do. Shield has the authority to take any action it sees fit to maintain the security of our nation. And even if I didn't have the authority, my orders came from higher up than you." Fury slid a closed file across the table to the general. The general sneered at him as he opened it. His face paled as he read the contents. He closed the folder and slid it back to Fury. Standing up quickly, the general addressed the room. "We're done here," he said, his voice harsh. He and the rest of his cronies exited the room.

"What the hell was in that file, Fury?" Victor was beyond curious at this point. He had never seen someone with so many miscellaneous stars, bars and stripes back down so quickly.

Fury chuckled derisively. "Nothing you want to know , Creed. Besides, it's way above your pay grade."

Victor snorted and followed Fury and the rest of Team Voodoo out of the room. His pace quickened when he realized he could finally call Lissa.

Lissa had already closed the store for the evening and was doing her biweekly inventory when her cell phone rang. Dread and curiosity warred within her. For a few moments she just stared at her cell phone. The display said unknown caller, but she knew who it was. She answered on the fifth ring.

"Hello?" She struggled to keep her voice even.

"Lissa," Victor purred.

She could feel her heart beat accelerate. She swallowed hard. It was unfair that just his voice could get a reaction out of her when they hadn't even kissed yet.

"You're back," she stated as tonelessly as possible.

He chuckled." Yeah. Did you miss me?"

"I don't know," she replied.

"Well, that's better than a no I guess."

She smiled a little. "Where are you?"

He sighed. " I am about two hours a way. I'm calling to see if I can stop over tonight. To see you."

She blinked rapidly. That was completely unexpected. He was asking to see her? "You….you're asking permission?"

She could almost hear his teeth gritting as he replied. " I didn't want to just show up again. You didn't like it so much the last time and," he paused.

"And what," she prodded.

"I want you to want to see me," he said quietly.

She was quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Lissa?"

"I am at the store doing inventory right now. I usually don't finish that until two or so. If you wanted to, you could come by here." She bit her lip. Was she really going to invite him further into her life? Now would be the perfect time to tell him thanks, but no thanks. Maybe it was the simple sincerity in his voice when he said he wanted her to want to see him. Maybe she had just finally lost her marbles.

"Are you by yourself," he asked.

"Yes, why?" Okay, now she was a little worried. What did he think was going to happen tonight?

"You shouldn't be by yourself, Lissa. That neighborhood has taken a serious downturn in the past few weeks." His tone was quiet and concerned.

She sighed. "I know. It's because of the new owners of the shop next door. They started out like any other organic food store, but recently they've started selling this drug called-"

"Bath salts," he cut in. "Yeah, I know."

"You do," she asked, surprised.

" Yeah," he confirmed. " I kind of watched you bully that kid into giving up all those samples."

"Oh, " she said a little lamely.

He chuckled. " You're a fierce little thing."

"I am not little," she denied hotly.

His chuckles turned into laughter. "Baby doll, you are barely average height. I have a least a foot and almost two hundred pounds on you."

"I am perfectly average sized, you are just a behemoth," she said primly. Much to her annoyance, this only made him laugh harder.

"Behemoth," he said, still laughing. "Who even talks like that?"

She sighed in defeat. Her shoulders slumped a little. "Apparently, I do."

His laughter died down a little. "Behemoth," he said again softly. He chuckled again. " Thanks, Lissa. You have no idea how much I needed that."

"What," she asked, puzzled.

"To laugh," he said his tone serious again.

Considering what he had told her about some of his experiences in the military, she wasn't surprised he needed some relief.

"Was it a bad mission," she asked, unsure of the correct terminology.

He was quiet for a few moments and she was sure that he was going to tell her it was classified or on a need to know basis or some other cliché she had seen in one of the few war movies she watched.

"It wasn't good," he said finally.

"Are you okay?"

He chuckled darkly. "I'm fine, baby doll. Nothing's managed to kill me yet."

"Not really what I meant, Victor,' she said gently. He was silent again. She could hear him breathing, so she knew he hadn't hung up. Should she press her luck?

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He snorted softly. "You sound like Sean."

"Um…..thank you?" That seemed a safe enough reply. He obviously respected Sean and from what he had told her, the woman didn't take a lot of crap from Victor or anyone else.

"We lost some of our guys. We killed all of the bad guys, but not before someone who didn't deserve to die got killed. That's really all I can tell you. I would tell you more if I could, but it's classified."

Ha! She knew that phrase was going to come up sooner or later. "I know there's a lot you can't tell me about what you do for Shield. I understand."

"Thank you, " he said softly. "You've got all the doors locked right?"

"Yes, Victor." Her tone was amused.

"I am just checking, woman."

She rolled her eyes. " I've been taking care of myself for a long time, you know."

Not compared to him she hadn't, but she was a grown woman.

He sighed. " I know. I just don't like you being there alone."

She snorted. "Yeah, well I don't like you talking on your cell phone and driving. You'll live through a wreck, but will the other drivers?"

"You may have a point there," he said. "I am doing well over the speed limit right now."

"Oh, that's marvelous," she said sarcastically. "I am hanging up now. Call me when you get here and I will unlock the door for you."

"Yes dear," he teased her. She hung up first. He hung up and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. He was only an hour away now. Less if he really put the pedal down. He grinned and pressed his foot down on the accelerator. He'd be there in a half hour tops.

Lissa looked around the store. Her closer had helped her clean up, so it was presentable enough. She couldn't help feeling nervous though. Maybe she should have told him they could meet for lunch tomorrow instead. Then they would be meeting in public and on neutral territory. Also, simply by gauging his reaction to such a request, she could have seen how willing he was to take her lead. Why did she always think of these things after the fact?

She wondered what he expected tonight. If he expected any kind of sex, he was in for disappointment. They hadn't been on a date, they hadn't even kissed yet, regardless of the fact that they had slept next to each other. And why did she keep thinking about kissing him? That was the last thing she should be thinking about! In fact, kissing was to be avoided at all costs, no matter how full his bottom lip looked. No matter how good at kissing he probably was. She groaned. What was wrong with her? She was not supposed to be thinking of kissing him, or doing anything else with him.

She moved around the store, scanning books and making notations in her notebook. Inventory was what she should be doing, not thinking about his mouth, or his chest, or how he had felt when he was pressed against her. Stop it, she told herself. Just stop it. This can't go anywhere, you know what kind of man he is. He's violent, and while it might not be directed towards you right now, there are no guarantees for the future. She knew that if he decided that they were going to be together, than she would have very little choice in the matter, He had said he wouldn't force her sexually, but she didn't think that that translated into letting her just get on with her life, or see anyone else. She knew that if she had to, she could live with him being in her life, maybe not thrive, but she could survive.

The fact that she was attracted to him and wanted him sexually, not only confused her, it made planning for an adapt and survive situation difficult for her. She felt a bit guilty about her feelings towards him. It was like on the one hand, she felt ashamed of herself for even being attracted to someone who could commit the atrocities that he had, and on the other hand, she felt bad for not giving him a chance because he was trying to be, well, good probably wasn't the right word. Less evil, maybe? More humane? She sighed and scanned more books.

Victor looked at the speedometer and realized he was driving ninety miles an hour in a sixty five mile an hour zone. He debated pushing the pedal down further, than squashed the urge. He wanted to see her, but the drive would give him a little time to think, a little time to get his head together.

When he left the base in New York, he hadn't even changed out of his fatigues, he had just hopped in his truck and drove. He realized twenty minutes in that he was driving to her and remembered her reaction to him showing up in her bedroom. He called her cell and had hoped she would be home, but as luck would have it, she was stuck doing inventory. Maybe it was better that they were meeting at the store. Less temptation for him that way. He just hoped he could keep his hands off her tonight, or if he couldn't then he hoped that she wouldn't freak out and hate him for it. It wasn't like he was planning on tearing her clothes off, and taking her on her cash register counter or anything (although, that idea was interesting enough to file away for the future), but he really wanted to touch her again. He wanted to pull her close and just breathe her in. He wanted to taste her mouth and kiss her until she was breathless. He wanted to twine his tongue around hers and feel her tongue dancing with his. He felt himself getting hard. Okay, time to think about other things. Showing up with a hard on was definitely not a good idea.

He focused on driving and not thinking about sex. He found himself curious about what Lissa had done while he was gone. That was new for him, because he usually could care less about things like that. Sean would say that he was becoming less anti social. He figured that it was just how he felt about Lissa, because he still didn't really care about other people. He knew Lissa had had plenty of time to come up with questions for him, and he had some for her too. There were lots of holes in the dossier he had on her. It didn't tell him what foods she liked, what kind of movies she watched, or any of her personal beliefs. Stalking her hadn't really given him these answers either. He'd only learned her routine. He found himself wanting to know these things, not just so he could seduce her, but so he could make her happy. He wondered if that was because on some subconscious level, he knew if he could make her happy, she was more likely to stay with him. He snorted. He kept thinking things like that, but really, they weren't even together yet. For all he knew, she was going to greet him with a can of mace and a stun gun. Still, he had to try, if for no other reason than the peace he felt around her, even when she was throwing things at him.

Lissa was in the teen fiction section when she heard someone at the front door of the store. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to see of she had managed to somehow miss a call. Nope. Well, that was a little odd, Victor had said he would call when he got there. Oh well. She shrugged and walked towards the front of the store. About half way there, she realized it wasn't Victor. There were two people peering into her closed shop. She quickly ducked behind a bookcase, hoping that whoever they were, they hadn't seen her. She had about half the lights on so maybe they would think that there was no one here. She flipped open her phone, and pressed nine and then one. She could press the other one if it turned out she needed to. Maybe they were just customers who didn't realize the shop was closed. She peeked around the corner. She gasped when she realized that one of them was the one of the owners of the shop selling the bath salts. She didn't know the other guy. She could hear their voices through the glass, even though it was muffled. They were discussing whether or not she was in there. She looked down a her phone. Should she finish dialing nine one one? Better safe than sorry right?

Before she pressed in the final number, she heard the shop owner calling to her through the glass.

"I know you're in there," he called out. " You might as well come out and open the door." Like hell, she thought. She keyed in the final number and pressed send. She waited for emergency services to pick up.

She peeked around the corner again. They pulled and pushed at the door. Of course it's locked, you morons, she thought.

"You have reached emergency services for Berkeley Heights and Ashton. Our operators are busy assisting other callers. Please stay on the line. We will assist you as soon as possible," a recorded voice said in her ear. She stared at her phone in disbelief. Were they frickin' kidding her? Well, so much for that idea. She didn't hang up though.

"Open the door," the guy from the shop next door said. For the life of her, she couldn't remember his name. What was it? Craig? No, it was Greg. Well, at least now she had a name she could give the police. She heard one of them kick the door. She breathed a sigh of relief when the glass didn't break.

"We just want to talk to you," Greg said. Yeah right, she thought. She looked down at her phone and decided to put in on speaker mode. She might need her hands free to defend herself. She peeked around the corner again. The other guy had walked away. She wondered where he had gone to. He might be trying the back door, but she wasn't too worried about that. It was a steel security door. It was highly unlikely anyone could break that down. Well, maybe someone Victor's size could. She almost wished he were here right now. She wouldn't be hiding behind a bookcase then, she would be hiding behind him while waiting for emergency services to pick up.

She could hear two male voices talking again. Apparently, Greg's partner in crime was back. Wonderful. She wondered if she could make it to her office without them seeing her. Probably not.

"You should have just opened the door, bitch," Greg yelled.

She heard something hit the glass hard and then the sound of glass shattering. Damn it! She looked out and saw that her glass door had been obliterated. The two dirt bags stepped through the door. The guy with Greg, whose name she didn't know, was holding a steel baseball bat. Great.

She scooted further back hoping to stay out of sight. Her only advantage was that she knew the layout of the store. If she could make it to her office, she could use her desk to barricade the door until help arrived. If she couldn't make it to her office, maybe she could make it to the storage room up in the loft. She didn't like her odds, though. There were two of them, which meant that they could split up. She glanced at her phone. She had now been on hold for four minutes. She shook her head in disgust. Neither Berkeley Heights or Ashton were large towns. While she understood that they only had so many people working the switchboard, but how many emergencies could they possibly be having right now?

She knew she had to move. If she stayed where she was, they would definitely find her. She shuddered. No one who used a steel baseball bat to gain entry to your place of business just wanted to have a friendly chat.

Victor had managed to turn a roughly two hour drive into a half hour one. Of course, he had broken several laws to do so , but still, it meant he would be with Lissa in about ten minutes. He took the turn off and began to slow down. Now that he was driving in town, he couldn't risk speeding. Not only was there a higher chance of encountering police, he knew Lissa wouldn't appreciate him driving recklessly in a populated area.

While he had been driving, he had made a list of all the reasons that she should give him a chance. It went as follows: He would protect her always, so long as there was breath in his body. He could provide for her if necessary. He respected her career and business acumen , and would support any decisions she made in those avenues, but should she need financial help, he was definitely in a position to provide it. He would never harm her. If he had to, he would go somewhere to blow off steam, but he would not allow himself to harm her. He would see to her needs. Whether it was food, shelter, comfort or sex, he would make sure all of those needs were met. He would be faithful.

Hopefully, she would actually let him tell her all the reasons he would make a good mate instead of just screaming her head off and throwing things at him. Oh God, he was meeting her at the store, where she had an almost unlimited supply of ammo. That's okay, he told himself. He was a trained soldier. Duck and cover. Repeat if necessary.

She had managed to evade them by ducking between shelves and scooting around corners, keeping just ahead of them , or behind them. That had worked fine for about ten minutes, then they got smart and decided to do the thing she had been dreading- they split up. It was a smart move for them, it was a pain in the ass for her. Before, she could just pick a direction opposite of wherever they were headed, but now she had to watch them both. She had been lucky so far, but she had no idea how long her luck would hold. She had thought about trying to make a break for the front door and trying to make it to the pub down the street, but she wasn't sure if she could out run them. They were currently between her and the entryway to her office, as well as the stairs leading to the loft. Oh, and the best part? She had forgotten to charge her phone this morning, and it was now dead. It had died while she was on hold with emergency services. She supposed she could throw it a them if she got desperate enough. Throwing things at people seemed to be her signature move. She almost giggled at the thought. The tension of the situation must be getting to her.

"I know she's in here," Greg snarled.

"Are you sure," his partner asked.

"Her car's still in the lot. The only place open is the pub, and she doesn't hang out there."

They were quiet as they kept looking for her.

"Fuck this," Greg said. He moved toward her front counter and began shoving things off it. She winced at the sound of her cash register hitting the floor. No way that was going to be operational tomorrow. Greg's friend started pushing over some of the smaller bookshelves. Books toppled to the floor and the shelves followed. They started laughing.

"That should draw her out," Greg's friend said.

She forced herself to stay still. They couldn't see her from their vantage point and since she knew she couldn't make an escape, she didn't see a point in revealing her hiding place. If they wanted to catch her, they were going to have to work for it. And when they caught her, well, these guys weren't Victor, so maybe she could do a little damage of her own to them before they hurt her. And speaking of Victor, this would be an awesome time for her own personal psychopath to make an appearance. She listened as they pushed more shelves over and kicked fallen books around.

He turned onto the street leading to Lissa's store. It would be the first time he actually went inside. He hoped she would let him explore a little. He had taken the virtual tour on the web page but that wasn't the same. He knew how much time and effort she had put into her business. Whether she realized it or not, the way she decorated, and even the stores layout said a lot about her.

He knew from her dossier that she had been accepted into graduate school. She had chosen to start her business instead. She had started out in a much smaller space, but her very obvious love of books had earned her a loyal clientele base. After two years she had decided to move into a larger space, in order to be able to carry a more diverse selection, as well as more of each title. It had seemed like a risky move for the fledgling business owner, but it had worked for her. She had good instincts and a very practical nature. As someone who had two businesses himself, he was impressed with her competence.

He was a block away from her store when he was stopped by a red light. He sat there drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. This had to be the longest red light he had ever seen.

Lissa sprinted across the aisle. Her hiding place in the biography section had been great until they had decided to start playing giant dominoes with the larger free standing shelves. When her hiding place had started to fall on her, she had had no choice but to move.

"There," Greg yelled excitedly. She turned to see Greg pointing a finger at her. He and his friend started running towards her. Luckily for her, their movements were impeded by the mess they had made. She was actually doing quite well until she tripped over a copy of the Foot Book by Dr. Seuss.

Greg managed to grab her arm before she could get completely to her feet. He shoved her back down onto the floor. He kicked her in the stomach as she tried to get up. He had managed to kick her in just the right place to knock the wind out of her, and make her feel nauseas simultaneously. She lay on her side trying to get her breath back.

Greg leaned down and almost spit in her face as he spoke. "You owe me some money. All those samples? I had to pay for that shit."

She knew it was stupid, but she couldn't resist. "Then why were you giving them away for free," she asked.

He snarled and grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head against the floor twice.

Okay Lissa, no more antagonizing the drug dealing scum bag from next door, she thought to herself as she saw stars.

"You're gonna get me that money, bitch. Those samples cost me five grand, and you're going to pay me back," Greg said.

Lissa chose to utilize her new policy of not antagonizing drug dealing scum bags and didn't reply. She wondered if he really thought she was going to give him the money. Seriously, he breaks into her shop and attacks her, and what? She's supposed to be scared enough not to report him to the police for breaking and entering and assault? He was probably used to being able to bully other dirt bags who weren't able to go to the police because they were doing something illegal themselves. She had no such trouble though. The absolute second she could, she was calling the police. Not that it had done her much good the first time she called them.

"First I'm gonna teach you a lesson. Gonna teach you to mind your own God Damned business," he snarled hatefully. Well, that didn't sound good.

"Randy, hand me the bat," he said. Her entire body tensed and her heart hammered in her chest. No lesson taught with a baseball bat was a lesson she wanted to learn.

Victor pulled up to the curb in front of Lissa's shop. His head lights shined on the store front and he saw the broken glass door.

"What the fuck?" He threw the truck into park and jumped out of the truck, not bothering to close the door. He sprinted towards the door. He didn't pause as he went through the wrecked door. He glanced around surveying the damage and looking for Lissa.

He saw her and the two so called men standing over her. One was standing over her holding a bat, the other was pressing his heel down onto her chest to hold her down. He growled loudly and Lissa turned to look at him. She was bleeding somewhere on her head , and blood was running onto her face. The bastard had already hit her with the bat. He tamped down the urge to leap over and bring them both down, claws tearing into their flesh. There was too great a chance of injuring Lissa further. She was already hurt, he didn't want to be the cause of any more pain for her.

"Lissa," he rumbled out.

She had a glazed look in her eye as she smiled at him. "Victor," she said softly. She chuckled a little. "You guys are so screwed," she said. Then her eyes rolled up in her head and she passed out.

"Who the fuck are you," dead man number one asked. Victor just smiled at him and came stalking forward.

"Hey man, back off. You don't want to get hurt, this has nothing to do with you," said dead man number two. Victor started laughing.

"You think you can hurt me you little shit," Victor sneered. He stepped closer and extended his claws fully. He made sure they could see his fangs.

Dead man number one pointed the bat at him." Alright freak, have it your way." His partner tried to move behind Victor, either to flank him or distract him. Dead man number one swung the bat at Victor and he just let it hit him. He actually heard a metallic clinking sound as the bat rebounded off his skull. He wondered if it was worse for Jimmy on account of that metal shit he had fused to his skull. He felt his skin split open and then heal rapidly.

Victor yanked the bat out of the surprised man's hands and tossed it across the store. Then he did the same with the bat's wielder. Dead guy number two had apparently realized that he was no match for Victor. He was currently backing away with his hands raised in surrender. Victor sneered at him in disgust.

"What's the matter shit head? Only comfortable taking on women half your size?"

Dead man number two made as if to run for the door. He tripped over one of the books on the floor and Victor kicked him in the ass as he fell forward. The man's clumsiness and Victor's boot to the as sent him head first onto the marble tile. There was a mild cracking sound, and he man went still.

Both threats taken care of, he immediately turned his attention to Lissa. He knelt beside her and gently touched her face. He found the wound on her scalp and grimaced. That was definitely going to need stitches. He was running his hands gently down her ribs when she came to.

"Victor," She whispered.

He tried to smile at her reassuringly. "Don't move, okay. I am trying to check that nothing's broken. Can you tell me where it hurts?"

She thought for a moment cataloguing her injuries. "Well, my head's the worst. He got me with the bat. Um….he kicked me in the stomach, but I think that that just kind of knocked the wind out of me. My chest hurts a little, oh and the back of my head from when he slammed it on the floor."

Victor tried not to let his anger show on his face as she listed her injuries. She needed his help, not his rage.

"Okay Lissa, I don't think anything is broken, but we should get you to the hospital just to be sure. I am going to help you get into a sitting position first. If you feel any pain, tell me and we'll stop, okay?"

She nodded and he slowly and gently eased her into a sitting position. "Okay," he asked her.

"Yeah, I am a little dizzy though."

He peered at her eyes. " I can't really tell in this light, but you could have a concussion. Did you want to call an ambulance or did you want me to drive you?"

She snorted and he looked at her in surprise. " I was on hold with emergency services when my cell phone died."

"You're fucking kidding me," he said in disbelief.

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, I am not. So if you don't mind driving me, I'll take my chances with you, speed demon or not."

"I'll try to keep it under a hundred," he said dryly.

She shifted her body to try and stand. A wave of nausea and dizziness overtook her.

"Whoa, easy there. Want me to carry you?" He was careful to ask and not just swoop her up in his arms.

She nodded. "Just go slow," she said. "I feel like I might throw up." He grimaced. He could eviscerate someone, remove limbs, or literally tear out someone's heart, but puke? Puke grossed him out. Always had.

She smiled at his facial expression. "I'll try not to, just thought I should warn you."

"Don't worry about it," he said gruffly, a little embarrassed.

He slowly lifted her from the floor and for the second time she found herself feeling completely safe in a monster's arms.