Chapter Thirty-Two
Sherese
I have no idea how long we sit on the bathroom floor. I don’t make a move to get up, and neither does Hunter.
“When was the last time you had blood?” he asks at some point.
I hear his question, but I don’t respond.
My eyes stay closed, as if maybe if I keep them closed, I won’t have to face my terrible reality.
He gets up, but I don’t move. I feel his presence in front of me, but I don’t open my eyes.
“You don’t have to tell me what happened, but if you want to, I’m a good listener.
” After a beat of silence, he pats my knee.
“Come on. You can’t stay in here all night.
” Then I feel his arms around me. I could fight him off, but I don’t.
He pulls me to my feet. As soon as I’m on my feet, I step away from him.
“I’m going to take a shower.” I don’t look at him, but he leaves a moment later, shutting the door behind him.
I turn on the hot water and barely remember to take off my clothes before stepping under the hot water.
I go through the motions of washing my hair and body.
While I'm in there, a little clarity returns to me. I can’t crumble.
There are too many people counting on me.
I think of Ava and her unborn baby, and I think of Garrett and Emma and little Daniel and their unborn child.
I think of the poor, young healer trapped here.
As awful as it is, at least she has me. I’ll help her in any way I can.
I remind myself that if it wasn’t me, it’d be another vampire or possibly Ajax.
Ajax is so cruel. So, in some messed-up kind of way, it’s good she has me.
I’ll figure out how to help her; I swear my life on it.
When I climb out of the shower, there’s a black t-shirt waiting for me.
I eye it a moment and then dry off. I wrap my hair up in a towel and throw on Hunter’s shirt.
A billow of steam escapes the bathroom when I open the door.
I see Hunter over at the kitchen counter.
He hands me a blood bag, and I stare at it in surprise. “Where’d you get that?”
“I had one stashed on my person.”
Relief flows through me. At least for tonight, I don’t have to try to track down blood. “Thank you.” I catch it when he throws it, and I down it. Once I do, I feel a little better and not quite so out of control.
“You haven’t eaten, right?”
“I’ll be fine. I ate a lot before coming, thinking it might be a little bit before I ate again.”
I frown in concern. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Then he walks over to the bed.
“Come on. We’d better get some sleep; it’s late.
” He doesn’t say what we’re both thinking—that they’ll probably be here first thing in the morning to get me.
After he uses the bathroom, I head in there to brush my hair and braid it, and then brush my teeth.
When I come back out, I walk over to the bed.
He’s already sitting in bed. I don’t think about it and make it something it’s not.
“Is this okay?” he asks. I nod. “I can sleep on the floor if it would make you more comfortable.”
“It’s fine.” I climb into bed and roll away from him and pull up the covers. A moment later, the light turns off. “You still don’t have your pack link, right?”
“No.” I stare into the darkness. The bed moves as Hunter settles on the bed next to me. “Do you want to talk about it?” I hear him ask in the darkness.
“No.”
It's silent between us for a while, and I wonder if he’s gone to sleep. “Just remember, you’re not alone this time.” His soft words stay with me a long time after his breathing evens out, and he falls asleep.
We’re awoken the next morning by somebody pounding on the door. My eyes fly open, and I jerk into a sitting position. I’m actually shocked I slept. “Nice of them to stop by,” Hunter grumbles in a low, sexy voice. He starts to get out of bed to answer the door.
“Wait,” I tell him. I motion him back into bed right as I hear the sound of the lock disengaging.
I shove him down on the bed and throw the blanket over him.
I sit up on the side of the bed, eyeing Ajax as he strolls in looking like he’s been awake for hours.
“Is there a reason you came in here uninvited?” I ask him.
He eyes the spot next to me, and I raise an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”
“Why isn’t he up?”
“I tired him out,” I tell him, staring him down. He stares at the bed a moment longer and then back at me.
“Let’s go.”
“I’m not even dressed yet.”
“Not my problem.”
I stare at him. “Get out so I can change.” My words are slow and deliberate. He finally relents.
“Five minutes.”
I wait until they close the door, and then I get to work. I don’t trust Ajax not to come back sooner than five minutes, and I don’t want to be wearing only Hunter’s shirt when he does. “I hate him.” Hunter’s words follow me into the bathroom.
“Join the crowd,” I tell him right before I step inside. Because I took a shower last night, it takes me just a few minutes to be ready to go. And not a moment too soon.
Ajax bangs on the door. “Let’s go.”
I meet Hunter’s dark gaze from across the room. I want to say so many things, but I simply nod at him. I have to go. I open the door quickly and slip out, keeping Hunter from their view. I make a mental note to bite him again tonight, so he has bite marks should they check him again.
I follow Ajax and another vampire, I don’t know, to the elevators.
This time, we head to the girls’ room first. He puts his thumb on the scanner, and the door unlocks.
I mentally urge her to be up and dressed.
I walk into the room behind Ajax and give the room a once-over, looking for the girl.
Thankfully, she’s good on both counts. She glares daggers at both of us, and I find myself happy about that.
She hasn’t lost her fight yet. That’s good; she’s going to need it.
She comes with us without screaming this time, and I wonder at her change of heart.
Her bravery leaves her, though, when we get to the room.
“No,” she says softly at first and then louder.
“No.” She tries to get away, but Ajax grabs her around her middle and all but throws her on the table.
He turns to look at me. “Why are you just standing there?” he snarls at me over the girl’s screams. The other vampire is already securing her legs, and I go to work securing her arms. I make sure to avoid eye contact as I do.
As soon as she’s secure, they both disappear.
I find myself relieved, even as the girl continues to plead and cry to me.
I do my best to block out her cries and administer the mask as gently as I can.
She thrashes her head, so it takes a little bit, but I finally get it.
Within a few minutes, her screams die down, and she relaxes into a comatose state.
I get to work on the blood draw. I stare at the blood leaving her system and wonder what would happen if I didn’t collect as much as they said.
I let it go for a little while and then start the process to end the blood draw, but a piercing alarm splits the silence.
I jump and quickly continue the blood draw.
Well, that settles that. I’d have to figure out a way to get rid of the blood once it’s collected instead.
It’s not long after that, the alarm for ending the blood draw sounds.
I finish and then take off the face mask, so she can start to wake up.
My nerves are on edge as I wait for her to wake up.
It takes almost an hour for her to wake up.
When she does, her eyes instantly find mine, and I prepare for the ensuing battle.
But she sits up and lets her legs hang off the bed a moment.
I don’t move towards her, not wanting to frighten her.
A few minutes later, she hops off the table.
When she’s steady on her feet, she looks over at me.
“You’re not going to fight me?” I ask, still prepared for her to rush me.
“Will it do any good?” she asks. I shake my head because I have my orders and my reason for doing what I’m doing, even though I hate this whole thing. “Then no. I’m not going to.”
She's so quiet and calm, I almost miss the hellcat from yesterday. “I’m supposed to take you to your room.”
She walks towards the door without a word, and I follow her warily. I’m waiting for her to run or rush me, but she does neither. She walks to her door and stops. I stop as well. “Is it programmed to you?” I ask, nodding at the finger scan. She gives me a look. “I'll take that as a no.”
I look down the hallway, wondering what I’m supposed to do. “I guess I’ll have to find somebody.”
“You can’t do it?” she asks in surprise.
I almost laugh and tell her I’m just as much a prisoner here, but I can’t afford for someone to overhear or for her to tell somebody.
So, I just shake my head in answer to her question.
I glance down the hallway and don’t see anybody.
“Come on. We’ll have to find somebody.” I start down the hallway and turn back when I don’t sense her next to me.
She’s a little way back, and I wait for her to catch up.
When we start again, I make a conscious effort to keep my steps slow.
“Where are you going?” Ajax’s voice rings out behind us.
I turn around. “We can’t open her door.”
He eyes the two of us suspiciously. I meet his hard gaze; it’s the truth.
I have nothing to hide. “Fine,” he says, sounding irritated.
He walks down the hallway and gets there before we do.
He waits impatiently for us. The girl walks inside without a word, and Ajax closes the door.
“Here.” I turn to him. “Put your thumb here.” I stare at him in surprise and then do as he says.
He pushes a few buttons and then has me do it again.
It’s too fast and complicated for me to catch what he’s doing.
He pushes my thumb down harder, but I don’t react in any way.
“There. Now you don’t have to bother me anymore.
You can get her back in her room after each of her sessions.
” He faces me. “Don’t forget.” He nods behind me. “Cameras. Everywhere.”
“Good to know,” I respond, as if I couldn't care less.
“Get her at noon and then again tonight at seven.”
I blink in surprise. “She does this three times a day?”
He steps close, and I hate that he’s taller than me. He's not as tall as Hunter, but he has at least an inch on me. “Is that a problem?”
I force myself to drop my gaze. “No.”
“Good. Be where you need to be when you need to be. Don’t forget the—”
“Consequences,” I say for him. “Yes, I know.”
He smiles coldly. “Just don’t want you to forget.”
He disappears after that. “How could I when you remind me every thirty seconds?” I mutter under my breath. I start to head back to my room and then remember I need to track down blood. With that thought in mind, I head to the room where they store the blood.