Chapter Nine
Gareth held her as Chester drove them back to the chateau.
Now that the adrenaline was crashing, every part of her sore body throbbed.
Adalyn tried to ignore the pain, but it was hard to keep from crying.
She had a horrible feeling her cheekbone was fractured.
Cradling her damaged hand, she was glad that the blood had more or less coagulated.
She hoped there were some bandages at the chateau. Some ibuprofen would be great, too.
“How did you find me?” she asked in a near whisper.
“Brennen saw someone suspicious at the end of the street and went to check it out,” he responded somberly. “One of that fuckwad’s men. Chester spotted you being carried out, and it was obvious you were unconscious. He only had enough time to follow, without Brennen. So he did and called me.”
“Don’t be mad at Brennen,” she said. “I shouldn’t have insisted we go back there.”
“You did nothing wrong.”
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, ashamed.
He used a finger to tilt her head up. “For what?”
“For everything. You’ve been so good to me, and I ... I’ve brought you nothing but trouble.”
“Sush.” He placed his finger over her lips. “When we get home, I’ll patch you up. Then, we’ll talk.”
It hurt too much to nod, so she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. He probably would withdraw his offer. Not that she blamed him. Trouble seemed to find her, no matter what.
She must have dozed because the next thing she remembered was him getting out of the car while still holding her.
Gareth carried her into his chateau and up the stairs to a huge bathroom where he sat her on the counter.
The stark lighting highlighted the auburn strands interwoven through the dark locks of his hair.
The telltale ring of red haloed his jade irises.
He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen, and she felt very unworthy.
Gareth bent and pulled a medical kit from under the vanity. Using antiseptic wipes, he cleaned her wounded cheek carefully. He was so gentle that she barely felt the sting. Once that was done, he bit his finger and blood bubbled from the cut.
“What are you doing?” she exclaimed.
“My blood has healing enzymes. I did the same when I rescued you from those other two.”
As she watched, he rubbed her damaged cheek with his blood before smearing it on each of the cuts he could see. Then he held his finger up to her lips.
“Go ahead,” he urged. “Just a few drops.”
Without questioning, she opened and sucked his finger into her mouth. The coppery tang of his blood was different. It was sweet. Not at all how she thought blood should taste. He pulled his finger away and cupped her face. They stared into each other’s eyes.
“I might not have gotten to you in time,” he whispered. “You could’ve been raped. Or killed.”
“I know.” She opened her mouth to say more, then closed it. Then, gathering her courage, she told him what she had done. “My sister was there with that man. She laughed at my sorrow. My suffering. He said I belonged to him.”
Gareth’s mouth tightened and his eyes narrowed in anger. “You belong to me.”
Shame filled her. “You won’t want me after I tell you that I ... I, um, implied Lori lured him there in order to kill him. And he shot her. I’m responsible for her death.”
The anger faded from his eyes, and he kissed her lightly on the lips. “You are not responsible for how she died. Those kinds of men use death as a means to cover their tracks. More than likely, you provided him an excuse.”
“Are you ashamed of me?”
“Of course not, little bird,” he said. “As we speak, I have people over at the shop packing up yours and Marilisa’s personal items. They’ll be in storage until you’re ready to go through it all.”
“I need to sell the shop. The money from the sale can reimburse you for all the things you’ve done for me.”
“Adalyn,” he said firmly. “You don’t need to reimburse me for anything. Your value is more important to me than a monetary transaction.”
“You still want me? Even though I’ve brought you nothing but problems?”
“I’d call it unexpected excitement.”
“I guess that’s one way to put it.” Tears tried to well up in her eyes, but she blinked rapidly to disperse them. “I was so scared. The only thing that ran through my head, when I realized I was going to die, was that I wished I had the chance to be with you. To be your thrall.”
Gareth leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “We’ll take care of all that tomorrow. For now, you need a bath, hot food, and lots of rest. Stay here, let me get the tub filled.”
Adalyn nodded, watching as he knelt to fix the hot and cold knobs so he didn’t make the water too much either way.
She could barely wrap her head around the fact that he was doing menial work for her, so she carefully pushed off the vanity top.
He helped her to the bathtub and carefully undressed her.
Each piece of clothing that fell to the floor bared her to his gaze, and Gareth gently touched each bruise and scrape inflicted on her skin.
Much to her surprise, the deepest wound had already started to heal.
“I didn’t know your blood healed quite that fast,” she mused as she studied her arms.
“It’s how we can live longer lives,” he explained. “Of course, if a wound is too extreme, we can die before the healing process can kick in. When you become my thrall, you’ll gain some of that immunity.”
“Can you cure cancer?”
He shook his head. “Short term, maybe, but systemic diseases aren’t completely curable. Because it’s part of our genetic makeup, it’s rare for a vampire to get cancer. Or diabetes. Or something like that, but a human is different.”
Standing before him naked didn’t bother her. He’d seen her before. She ran her fingers through his soft hair, and he looked up at her. It felt so odd to be staring down at him when his station in life was far above hers.
“How many thralls have you had?”
Rising, he took hold of both her hands and helped her into the full tub. As she sat, all the blood he’d put on her washed away, turning the warm water a slight pink. Adalyn sank into the steam and waited for his answer.
“None,” he replied.
She blinked. “What? None?”
“Remember when I said I had been visiting the Crimson Den for years? I’d been searching for the right woman.”
It was hard for her to wrap her head around what he just revealed. “What about, you know, needs?”
“You mean sex? I never said I didn’t partake of female pleasure.” He picked up a loofah and added body wash to it. “I did come close to having one, but I discovered she only wanted my wealth and status, so I withdrew my petition.”
“What a foolish woman,” she said, completely blown away by his revelation. How could a woman be so callous?
He ran the loofa over her collarbone. “You have no idea just how rare you are.”
“I’m just a girl.”
“To me, you are so much more than just anything,” he said. “Let’s get you clean so you can relax with some hot food in your belly.”
With a nod of consent, he proceeded to wash every bit of her body, and if she wasn’t so sore and bone-tired, she would’ve been aroused by his attentiveness. Instead, she closed her eyes and let him carry her for a while.
After the bath, he had soup and buttered bread brought up and watched as she ate.
Then he brushed her hair and helped her under the covers.
He slid in next to her and enfolded her against him so she rested her head on his chest. Now, the weight of the day restricted her lungs and tears slowly trickled down her cheeks.
“Thank you for rescuing me,” she whispered.
He kissed the top of her head. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”