Mencheres paused, his gaze flicking back to Blake. “You must be very strong. As a rule, humans don’t last long before the demon controls them completely. For you to still have periods of control against a demon of Xaphan’s caliber—remarkable.”
Blake shoved his plate away and held out his hands. “Do you see the blood still staining these?” he asked, intensity pouring off each syllable. “There is nothing remarkable about being a murderer, and that’s what this thing has made me.”
Elise wanted to tell Blake that no, he wasn’t the killer. He was the weapon, and weapons didn’t have a choice. But even though she believed that, the words eluded her.
She stood. She might not be able to say anything to ease Blake’s guilt, but she could still do something.
“Let’s clean the blood off you, for a start.”
Chapter Eight
Blake stood under the hot spray of the shower and closed his eyes. This felt good. Normal. It used to be his routine every morning and night. Now he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a hot shower. The stall was big, too. One of those upscale versions where there were multiple heads and two entrances to it. These vampires sure lived in style.
He was lathering his hair for a second time when Elise stepped into the shower. Blake froze so completely that he didn’t even wipe his eyes when the suds trickled down to them.
She was naked, her body slender and sleek and so unbelievably beautiful that Blake wondered for a moment if he were hallucinating. Elise took the shampoo off the alcove in a nonchalant fashion, pausing to let her gaze sweep over him.
“Without all that dirt, you’re younger than I thought you were,” she said, sounding faintly surprised. Her hand swiped his face, brushing the soap from his eyes and flicking his sudsy hair back. “You look completely different.”
I could say the same thing about you, Blake thought, unable to tear his eyes away from her pale skin, long legs, petite round breasts, and tight cluster of hair between her thighs. His cock noticed, too, waking up and stretching as if to get a better look.
Blake spun around. Despite everything he’d been through, it looked like embarrassment wasn’t beyond him after all.
“Uh, Elise, I don’t think you should be showering with me,” Blake managed.
He heard the water hit her as she moved closer. God, the thought of how Elise would look with rivers of water streaking down her skin made him harder. All at once, the shower stall felt far too small.
“Why not? I have to keep watch over you, and I needed to shower. I left you alone to relieve your bodily functions, but it’s more efficient for us to shower together.”
She sounded utterly clinical, as if discussing carpooling versus taking a bus. Obviously, being naked in the shower with him meant nothing to Elise. Was it the demon in him that made her consider him as less than a man? Or was it the fact that he was human, and she was a vampire?
Either way, Elise’s complete dismissal made anger flare in Blake. He turned around, his erection jutting out and almost hitting her in the stomach.
“As you can see,” Blake began, “there’s a problem with your efficiency strategy.”
Startled, her gaze traveled over Blake in an entirely different manner than it had before, pausing at his chest and stomach before moving lower. With her mouth half-open and the water clinging to her just as sensuously as Blake had imagined, his cock jumped, like it was begging for her touch.
She turned and walked out of the shower without another word. Blake closed his eyes and let out a slow sigh. Then he began to attack his hair with the shampoo again.
Elise was shaken by her reaction to Blake in the shower. Seeing a naked man shouldn’t have had any effect on her. Becoming a vampire tended to kill modesty along with a heartbeat, so the sight of bare flesh didn’t hold the same provocative taboo that it did for humans. Plus, she was used to showering in front of strangers, considering she took the majority of her showers at the fitness club.
So the wave of need that hit Elise when she saw Blake naked was a complete surprise. Blake was long-limbed and muscular, his thinness making his body look chiseled instead of gaunt. The dark, crisp hair that covered Blake’s chest narrowed when it reached his stomach, then led in a trail to his groin before lightly dusting his thighs. Looking at Blake, Elise had been overwhelmed by an urge to touch him. She’d stroked his face and flicked her fingers through his hair before she could even stop herself.