“I am Hauke. Son of Klause. What means Area 51?”
She averted her eyes. “Are you in pain?”
That would be an understatement. He ached from head to feet. Even his hair seemed to hurt. “No pain.”
“You must be thirsty.” She darted away before he could answer.
He would have laughed if it wouldn’t hurt to do so. Any other time, he’d enjoy teasing her. Not today.
Hauke tested his bonds. Simple. They thought to hold him with their straps.
Abbie returned to his side, holding a clear plastic cup. He gave her a questioning look.
“It’s just water.”
“Something floats inside.” He’d never seen its contents before.
She glanced down at the cup and her lips twitched. “That’s ice. It keeps the water cold.”
Her voice took on a husky tone as she leaned over him and slid her arm beneath his head. “Here, try it.”
Heat and energy radiated from her in the way Hauke imagined the sun would feel on his skin in that moment.
He breathed deep, taking in her essence. Her spirit was strong and he felt his own rise to the surface, seeking a closeness with her.
A possessive growl rumbled from his chest, and she stilled.
“Do not fear me, Abbie.”
“Did I hurt you?”
He only shook his head.
The sincerity in her voice made him want her more. Emotion poured from her in waves. Her concern over his pain touched him in ways he didn’t understand.
She lifted his head off the pillow and brought the cup to his mouth. “Small sips.”
The cool liquid touched his tongue, and he bit back a groan. Hauke drank slowly to appease her. If she had any idea he was capable of breathing underwater, she’d probably be horrified. No, he rather enjoyed her caring for him.
Her soft breast pressing against his cheek nearly drove him to insanity. He wanted to turn his face to the side and nuzzle her.
She removed the drink from his lips and eased her arm out from under his neck.
Hauke missed her touch instantly. He watched her set the cup on a side table and busy herself with the tube attached to his arm.
“Thank you, Abbie.”
She blushed but didn’t say anything.
“Your sire.” He nodded toward the other room. “He is concerned for your safety.”
“My Sire?” She gifted him with a small smile. “Where do you come from?”
He answered her with a question of his own. “What means Area 51?”
Hauke felt her emotions shift. She was like an open book with her expressive features and guileless eyes.
She hesitated. “It’s a place where they… um…I have never actually been there.” She appeared flustered. “Shit. You need to get out of here. “
The sound of footsteps could be heard coming from somewhere in the back. Abbie quickly put space between her and the bed. The anxiety radiating from her was suffocating.
“It’s just Henry.”
The whispered words did little to slow the growl rising in Hauke’s throat. He didn’t trust Abbie’s father.
Hauke studied the older man as he progressed into the room. He was hiding something, and Hauke wondered how much of it had to do with the prize he had strapped to the bed.
“One of the samples was compromised. I’m going to need another.” Henry went to a stainless steel side table and opened the drawer. He withdrew several items, laying them on top.
“What are you doing with that?” The spike in Abbie’s adrenaline wasn’t lost on Hauke.
“I’m going to sedate– ”
“You can’t do that,” she interrupted.
Henry barely spared her a glance as he lifted a vial from his coat pocket and set it beside the other items on the table. “I have to sedate him to get the samples. I’m sure as hell not going near him while he’s lucid.”
The older man tore open something that appeared to have a miniature blade protruding from one end, and plucked up the small glass bottle in his other hand. After holding them both up to the light, he pierced the vial with the sharp point.
“I can’t let you drug him, Dad. If they take him to Area 51, he’ll die.”
Henry raised an eyebrow. “What do you propose we do, Abbie? Let him go? We don’t even know what he is or if there are others out there like him. Now, I need you to get out of here. It won’t bode well for either of us if you get seen in here.”
“Too late,” Abbie breathed. “Donald saw me.”
Henry’s eyes grew round with worry before he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Get going before he returns. I’ll think of something to tell him.”
Abbie crossed her arms over her chest.