“Gabrielle, I think we can agree that you haven’t been completely human since you woke up in the hospital. Your nose is proof that your body already has the ability to return itself to its original state. This same ability keeps vampires frozen at whatever age they were changed.”
“So what does that mean?” I asked.
He only shook his head. “I don’t know.”
***
When we approached the onsite paramedics, there was not much left for them to mend. The bruising on my face had lightened to a nasty yellow color—apparently this was a good thing—and the knife wound on my face had almost completely healed.
Most surprising of all, my shoulder wound had closed up, making stiches unnecessary.
The next few hours were weary. I repeated my story over and over to the police. Luckily the police—and just about everyone else on the island—happened to be supernaturals, which made telling the truth a whole lot easier. My assailant was in custody, and the police force was currently running a background check.
Eventually, Andre rescued me. For once I appreciated his pushy ways. He pulled some strings and got me out of the police station before 1:00 a.m.
I met him at the entrance, where he was sitting in one of the vinyl chairs. I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The sight of him dwarfing the seat in the sitting room of the police station, clad in his designer clothes, was ridiculous.
“Inspector O’Reilly wanted me to give you her best regards,” I said, walking towards him.
At some point today, my opinion of Andre had drastically changed. Maybe it was that he reached out to me when I had been feeling like a social pariah, or maybe it was his tragic history. Or maybe it was that he saved my life.
He gave me a smoldering look, one eyebrow arching up.
“Oh, cut the brooding crap,” I said, walking past him to push the door open, “Thanks for getting me out of there.”
Andre followed me out. “So that’s it?” he asked. “You’re going to act as though you didn’t nearly die two hours ago?”
I stopped in my tracks and faced him, the chilly night air prickling my skin. “How am I supposed to act?”
“Bothered. Scared.”
“I am bothered, and I am scared. Happy?”
“No.”
I looked at him curiously. “Why do you care?”
“It’s my job to protect you.” He looked angry.
I closed my eyes. “Just because I am your newest member does not mean you’re entitled to question why I act the way I act.”
“I am when you are blatantly cavalier about your life!” He ran a ticked-off hand through his hair. “Being what you are, the price is much too high.”
“My soul is fine. I already know it’s time that screws all you vampires over.”
He quieted down. “I wasn’t talking about that.”
I was surprised. “Then what were you talking about?”
He opened his mouth to speak, thought better, and shook his head. “Never mind. Let’s get you back. We’ll reschedule training.”
We got into the car, and Andre pulled out of the police station.
I ran my fingers over the upholstery, thinking about the fears I buried deep. “Who was he?” My voice was so quiet I wasn’t sure I spoke the words at all. “The man who tried to kill me?”
Andre’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Scum.” He looked over at me. “The police didn’t tell you who your attacker was?”
I watched the scenery fly by as Andre accelerated down the dark city streets. “All they told me was that he was currently in custody, and they were doing a background check.” I was glad Andre had turned the guy in. I got the distinct impression that most people who crossed Andre disappeared. I couldn’t say why, but I was relieved my attacker hadn’t died.
Andre muttered something about incompetent police, but to me he said, “Your attacker is Timothy Watts, a laid-off construction worker and an alcoholic. More importantly, he is one hundred percent human.”
“What?” I shook my head. “That’s not possible. The man threw me across the room, and he moved quicker than I’ve ever seen a human move.” I remembered my own inhuman feat of strength. I had also tossed a person—a full-grown man—across the room. Then I remembered what other physiological changes my powers brought on.
“Damn,” I said.
Andre looked over as I felt my canines. They seemed normal.
“Ah,” he said, recognizing what I was doing. “Did your fangs come out earlier?”
“Yeah. It was the smell of my blood.”
He nodded. “Blood, pheromones, and adrenaline will trigger it.”
“Pheromones?”
He shrugged. “Pheromones can be a powerful aphrodisiac for a vampire.”
I cringed. Ew.
He laughed at my expression. “You’re not going to be so grossed out when it happens.” His laughter was distracting, full and rich.
“Anyway,” I said, getting back onto our previous topic. “Why was this Timothy guy trying to kill me?”
“I don’t know. The police think he was going to kidnap you for ransom money.”