21
Ursula leaned back in the passenger seat as Oliver navigated the van through the nearly empty city streets. She felt tired and relaxed at the same time. As well as a tiny bit embarrassed about her behavior. She’d never been so . . . forward. And with a vampire of all creatures.
She could only hope that she hadn’t made a mistake by trusting him.
“Do you regret it?” Oliver asked out of the blue, casting her a sideways glance. “Is that why you’re frowning?”
“I’m frowning? I’m sorry. I was just wondering how you’re going to find the vampire whose wallet I stole and what you’ll say to him.”
“Don’t worry. That’s what I’m trained for. He won’t be hard to find. There’s a driver’s license in the wallet. That’s where I’ll start.”
“And then?” She cast him a doubting look. “When you find him, what will you say?” Would the leech admit that he’d been to the blood brothel and fed off the girls? Or would he deny its existence?
“I’ll make him talk. I promise you.”
She nodded. “And if he doesn’t know where they moved the operation to?”
“I have the feeling that he does. I would imagine that they told all regular clients where they were going. Why go looking for new clients when they can bring the old ones back? They must have a way of letting their existing cliental know where they can be found now.”
“I hope you’re right. We have to find where they’ve taken the other girls.” She had to keep her promise toward them and help them get out of the hellhole they were in.
“You care about them,” Oliver stated.
“We were like sisters. We weren’t allowed much contact, but we found ways to communicate anyway. Going through the same pain binds you together.” That’s why she had to help them, because knowing they were still suffering hurt her.
“I’ll do what I can. But you know that once we know where they’re holed up, we have to involve Scanguards. It’s not something I can do on my own.”
Ursula knew what he was alluding to. “But you won’t tell them about my special blood, will you?” She looked at him, but he continued to stare straight ahead.
“Why are you so afraid about them finding out? You told me about it.”
“I don’t know them. What if they’re like the vampires who held me captive? What if they want the same?”
Oliver shook his head. “You don’t know me either.”
Her breath hitched. What was he trying to tell her? “You want my blood too?” Her voice broke. Had she made a huge mistake by trusting him?
She heard him breathe hard, then she noticed a shudder go through his body.
“It’s not what you think. I want your blood, yes. Because of what we just did.” He cast her a predatory look. “When a vampire makes love, he wants to take his woman every way he can. And that means sinking his fangs into her and drinking her blood.”
Ursula shrunk back into her seat, inching closer to the door.
He seemed to notice and lifted his hand from the steering wheel. “You don’t have to be afraid of me. I won’t take your blood, because I can’t.”
With disbelief, she stared at him, not understanding what he was saying. “But you just said—”
“I know what I said,” he interrupted. “But there’s something you have to know. If your blood is like a drug, then it will be forever off limits to me. I was an addict a long time ago. When I was human. And I’m never going back to that. Never.”
His blue eyes sought hers, looking at her with an intensity she’d never seen before.
“Because if I ever go back to drugs, no matter what kind of drug it is, I won’t make it this time. It’ll destroy me, but I won’t throw away the second life I’ve been given.”
His determined voice gave her pause. Was he really strong enough to resist the temptation?
“I’d rather forego the pleasure of feeding from you when making love to you than become an addict again.” He paused for a moment. “That is if you ever let me make love to you again.”
One single word escaped her lips. “Oh.” He wanted to make love to her again? She lowered her gaze.
“You don’t have to answer me now. I only ask that you don’t dismiss me outright because of what I just told you. But I thought you’d appreciate the truth.”
She raised her eyes to look at him, wanting to tell him that she wanted nothing more than joining her body with his when she noticed a red glow in his eyes. It was something she was more than familiar with. Her gaze instantly dropped to his hands gripping the steering wheel. Claws started pushing through his fingertips.
She felt fear clamp down on her, tightening her throat and preventing her from speaking. She could only stare at him.
“I’m sorry, Ursula. I’m very hungry. But I won’t attack you. I promise.” He swallowed hard and when he opened his mouth again, she saw his fangs protruding.
A breath escaped her chest.
“We’re almost home. I’ll let you out at the curb. You’ll have to go inside. Blake will be there. He’ll protect you. Promise me you’ll go right to him. Tell him however much or little you need to, but don’t leave his side.”
Oliver’s voice sounded different now, strained as if he had trouble pronouncing the words.
She nodded automatically.
“I’ll wait until you’re inside. Please don’t run away. If you do, my instinct will kick in and I’ll chase you. And God help us then.”
“I promise,” she choked out. Anything so that he wouldn’t bite her.
For the next few blocks, she watched his every move. Her own palms were sweaty, and her heart beat double as fast as usual. She knew he could hear it and smell her sweat if the clenching of his jaw and his white knuckles were any indication.
It seemed to take ages until Oliver pulled to a stop in front of his house.
“Go!”
Without looking back, she opened the car door and jumped out, slamming it behind her. Forcing herself to walk normally, she made it up the few steps to the entrance door, then rang the door bell several times in quick succession. As she waited impatiently, she looked over her shoulder. Oliver was still sitting in the van, the engine running.
Her heart nearly stopped when the entrance door to the house was ripped open from the inside.
“Ursula?”
“Let me in! Shut the door!” she demanded and pushed past Blake into the house.
Only when she heard the door being closed and bolted behind her did she breathe a sigh of relief.
“What happened?” Blake took her arm and turned her to face him.
“Oliver is hungry.”
Fury spread in his face. “F*ck! Did he hurt you?” His eyes searched her neck. “Did he bite you?”
She quickly shook her head. “No.”
But for some inexplicable reason she suddenly wondered what it would be like to feel his fangs in her neck while he was making love to her. A thought came and went: her captors had denied her and the other women sex, because they believed it would weaken the potency of their blood. She couldn’t be sure of this being true, but she had told Oliver about it. Would he remember this detail? And if he did, would he try to bite her if he believed that the drug in her blood was less potent once she’d had sex? But most of all: would she let him?
How screwed up was she to even imagine this? Had she not suffered enough at the hands of her captors?
Tears brimmed in her eyes, and with her next breath, a sob tore from her chest.