Free Born to Love (The Vampire Reborn Series) (Entangled Ignite) by Caridad Pineiro

had no doubt she was right. Maggie quaked in his arms, in obvious mental and physical distress. Her skin was chilled by the sweat that covered her body. Maybe some distance from the now-inhuman firefighter would help restore peace to her.
    “You need to be out of here, too,” Ryder said to Diana, which normally would have riled her, David understood. She surprised them both with her placid response.
    “I’m fine. I need to be here for him,” she said tilting her head at Rafe.
    Diego held out his hand for the tranquilizer gun. “No. We’ll take care of him until the morning. You need to get some rest. You don’t look so well.”
    David had been so engaged in everything else, he hadn’t noticed how pale Diana had gotten nor the dark smudges of fatigue beneath her eyes.
    Maggie shuddered in his arms and whimpered, and he knew for both their sakes, it was time to leave.
    “Let’s roll,” he said.
    Diana shook her head, determination in her stance. “Not until I get the samples we need. Hand me Maggie’s bag.”
    David grabbed the forensics kit from Maggie’s side and passed it to her, but Ryder was immediately there with an offer of help.
    “I’d appreciate that,” she said, worrying David with her easy acquiescence. She must really not be feeling well to allow Ryder to assist with the investigation, since that might well compromise the chain of evidence. Then he laughed silently at that thought. No one would believe a chain of evidence that led them to a fucking werewolf.
    As David attempted to soothe Maggie, Diana and Ryder collected blood and fur samples, although the chained beast roused in protest at their violation of his body. After another shot with a third dart, mercifully, the animal passed out. Gingerly and with great caution, they managed to get a bite print in addition to the other evidence.
    Diana, however, made sure that she was the one who carefully placed all the samples into evidence bags.
    Then she finally returned to David’s side. How many times had they been in tough spots when he had relied on her and she on him? Regret and guilt over the distance between them almost overwhelmed him, but he had to stay in control. Maggie needed him, and so did Diana.
    “How is she?” Diana asked.
    Maggie had calmed somewhat during the delay, but she was still out of it.
    “She’s not herself. We should get going. That is, if you’re done,” he said.
    “I’m done,” she answered quickly, with a vain attempt at a tired smile.
    David sensed that her words were about more than the evidence she had collected. It was as if she had reached the end of her physical limits and was barely hanging on.
    “Then let’s go,” he said, unwilling to inflict any more hurt on his ex-partner.

Chapter Nine
    Diana was filled with relief that Ryder had the sleek black sedan waiting for them again outside the Blood Bank. The men bundled Maggie into the back seat, the driver surprisingly blasé about it, until Ryder explained, “He’s one of us.”
    David worked his way onto the seat beside his ex-fiancée, displaying the greater mobility he’d been hiding. Diana wondered why he hadn’t revealed it earlier that day when he’d driven to the crime scene.
    She tried not to be pissed at her former partner. Make that their partner. He was on this case with them, and now he was part of their Scooby Gang whether he liked it or not.
    And now Maggie was no longer the way she had been.
    She was different.
    Different like Diana was.
    Different like David was, too, though not in the same way.
    “Take us home,” Ryder said.
    As David began to protest, Diana urged David not to argue. “We’ll be able to handle Maggie better at our place. If any help is needed, Melissa is nearby and Ryder will be also,” she said, and was glad David didn’t fight her.
    She sat beside Maggie, her gut twisting with each shudder of her friend’s body. Ryder sat in front beside the driver, shooting anxious glances back each time Maggie